Iron Orchid

FORTY-FOUR

ON A THURSDAY NIGHT Holly called the duty officer and asked him to pull the team off her for the night. Then, she dressed in a cashmere sweater and slacks that showed off her ass in a favorable light, put on her coat and got a cab to 88th Street and Second Avenue. She got out, took a deep breath and walked into Elaine’s.

Thursday was the busiest night of the week, she knew, and she reckoned it was her best chance to “bump into” Stone Barrington. She hoped to God he wasn’t with someone else.

Gianni, the headwaiter, spotted her and came and kissed her on the cheek. “Holly! Long time! You meeting Stone?”

“Well, no, but if he’s here, I’ll say hello.”

Gianni turned and pointed at a table along the wall. Stone and Dino Bacchetti, his former partner on the NYPD, were having drinks and arguing about something. “Let’s break this up now,” Gianni said, taking her arm and walking her back to the table. “Look who’s here,” he said to Stone.

Stone was on his feet, looking surprised, and so was Dino. Everybody hugged and kissed. “Join us?” Stone asked.

“Sure,” Holly replied.

“Gianni, bring Holly a Knob Creek on the rocks,” Stone said, and Gianni departed for the bar. Stone was a lawyer who was counselor to a prestigious New York law firm, Woodman amp; Weld, and his specialty was handling the cases Woodman amp; Weld did not want to be seen to be handling. He was also one of Lance’s recruits as a consultant to the Agency. So was Dino.

“Excuse me a minute,” Dino said, apparently giving them a moment. “Be right back.” He walked toward the men’s room.

“So, you and Dino were really going at it when I came in. What’s going on?”

“Oh, Dino and Mary Ann have been having some problems, and I was just counseling him.”

“Counseling him? It looked more like you were yelling at him.”

“He needed yelling at.”

“You aren’t exactly qualified to be a marriage counselor.”

“All right, all right. What are you doing in New York? I thought Lance had shipped you off to some place in Virginia to be remolded by the Agency.”

“I was already a deadly weapon and performed brilliantly, so they graduated me early and assigned me to New York.”

“How’d the rest of the class do?” Stone asked suspiciously.

“Well, they did brilliantly, too,” she said.

“So he brought your whole training class to New York?”

“Everybody who survived the training,” Her drink arrived, and they clinked glasses.

Stone leaned in close. “You’re on that Teddy Fay thing, aren’t you?”

She was surprised he knew. “Sorry, that’s classified.” She took a deep sip of her drink.

“Come on, Dino’s been reporting to Lance about a bunch of murders around the U.N.,” Stone said. “And I think Lance let something slip.”

“That doesn’t sound like Lance,” she said, keeping her guard up. “But if anybody lets anything slip about anything, it ain’t going to be me.”

“Okay, okay. God, it’s good to see you; it’s been months.”

“Has it?” she asked, feigning indifference.

“You know very well how long it’s been. I tried to call you in Orchid Beach, and I got some young lady who’s house-sitting for you. That’s when I knew you must be in Virginia.”

“You’re so clever, Stone; how could I ever hide anything from you?” she said, batting her eyes theatrically.

“So, how’s life as a spy?”

She looked around to be sure nobody could hear. “Actually, I appear to be still a cop, the way things are going. I’m looking forward to this thing being over.”

“He’s a very smart guy,” Stone said. “It may never end.”

“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” she said, “but the thought of it never ending is more than I can bear. Let’s talk about something else.”

Dino came back to the table and sat down. “So,” he said, sipping his drink, “how’s it going on the Teddy Fay thing?”

Holly sighed. “Dino, I don’t know what you’re talking about, and even if I did, I wouldn’t know what you were talking about.”

“I get your drift,” Dino said, “but I still want to know what’s going on.”

“Then you’d better have dinner with Lance,” she said, “and you’d better not tell him you even mentioned the subject to me.”

A waiter brought them menus.

“Shouldn’t you be getting home to your wife?” Stone asked Dino pointedly.

“I haven’t had dinner yet,” Dino said indignantly. “You want me to starve?”

“As I recall, Mary Ann is a very fine cook.”

“Yeah, well the last time she cooked for me was so long ago that I can’t put a date on it.”

“If you weren’t in here every night, maybe she’d cook for you more often,” Stone said.

“All right, you two,” Holly interjected. “Cool it; let’s order dinner.”

“You have any idea what a pain in the ass Stone can be?” Dino asked.

“Dino, I am not going to spend the evening refereeing, so if you and Stone can’t just remember what good friends you are and talk pleasantly to each other, then I’m having dinner elsewhere.” She put down her menu.

“All right, all right,” Dino said, patting her arm. “I’ll be nice if he will.”

“Stone?”

Stone nodded.

The waiter came back. “Is there any osso bucco left over from last night?” Holly asked. Wednesday was osso bucco night.

“I’ll check,” the waiter said. He left and returned. “Yep.”

“I’ll have that, too,” Stone said, and Dino joined the movement.

“Sorry, there’s only one order left,” the waiter said, “and the lady gets it.”

The two men grumbled and ordered something else.

MUCH LATER, as they finished their coffee, Dino stood up, “Well,” he said, “I guess I’d better go home and face the music.”

“You make home sound like a horrible place, Dino,” Holly said.

“Sometimes it is,” he replied. He gave her a kiss, put on his coat, gave Stone a wave and walked out.

“Well, now,” Stone said. “We’re finally rid of him; what are we going to do now?”

Holly laughed. “I take it you have a suggestion?”

“I have several suggestions,” Stone said.

"And what are they?"

“They are better transmitted by nonverbal communication,” Stone said. “Can we communicate at my house?”

“I’ve got a better idea,” Holly said. “Why don’t we talk about it at my house?”

“You have a house?”

“I have an apartment, thank you. Anyway, I have to walk Daisy.”

“How is Daisy?” Stone asked, getting up and retrieving their coats.

“You’ll see shortly,” Holly said, slipping into her coat and buttoning up.

THE CAB PULLED UP in front of Holly’s building, and they got out.

“You’re moving up in the world,” Stone said.

“Onward and upward.”

They took the elevator to the twelfth floor, and Holly opened her front door.

“You don’t lock your door?” Stone asked.

“The security is good here,” Holly said, “and here it comes.”

Daisy made a fool of herself over Stone.

“We’ll be right back,” Holly said, reaching for Daisy’s leash. “Don’t go away.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

MUCH LATER, Holly rolled over in bed and encountered the sleeping Stone. This was much better than sleeping alone, she thought, even better than sleeping with Daisy.