Lucid Intervals

26

As Stone arrived at Elaine’s, Dino and Felicity were just ordering. He waved away a menu. “No thanks, just a drink; I’ve already eaten.”

Elaine, who was seated with regulars at the next table, reached over and took Stone by a lapel. “What did you say?”

“A business dinner,” Stone said, knowing her views on those who dined before they arrived at her restaurant.

“People do business here,” Elaine said, freeing the lapel from her grasp.

“I was forced to dine elsewhere, sweetheart,” he said.

She looked unconvinced but turned back to her previous conversation.

“So,” Felicity said, “what did you find out about Whitestone?”

“It didn’t come up,” Stone replied. “It would have been awkward to raise the question. Anyway, Hackett probably already knows I’m interested in Whitestone.”

“How would he know that?”

“Because I raised the name with Lord Wight, and Hackett was aware of my and Eggers’s lunch with him yesterday.”

“So you think Hackett and Wight are in league?”

“Wight owns the building that is Hackett’s headquarters. I don’t know that they’re otherwise ‘in league,’ as you put it.”

“Let’s suspect the worst,” she replied.

“You do that; I’ll just try to find Whitestone.”

“You’re not making a lot of progress on that, are you?” Dino asked.

“We’ve got the bank and the Seagram Building staked out; that’s all we can do at the moment.”

“Stone is making progress,” Felicity said to Dino.

“Thank you, Felicity,” Stone said.

Felicity took a sip of her Rob Roy. “If they are in league, then Hackett knows that you and I know each other, because you introduced me to Wight at the ambassador’s dinner party.”

“Good point,” Stone said. “Also, Hackett seems to be the sort of guy who knows everything about everybody, so we’d best assume he knows everything about us.”

“Everything?” Felicity asked.

“Well, not everything.”

“Hackett also made me a job offer,” Stone said. “Sort of.”

“What sort of job offer?”

“He gave me his card and said if I ever tired of working for Woodman and Weld, he would make me comfortable at his company.”

“Take the job,” Dino said. “Then maybe you’d know everything.”

“I think he did it just to annoy Bill Eggers,” Stone said, “and it worked.”

“Dino has a point,” Felicity said.

“You want me to go to work for Hackett?”

“That would never do,” Dino said. “Then Stone would actually have to work for a living.”

Felicity couldn’t suppress a laugh. “Why don’t you drop him a note and manage to indicate some interest?”

“Because Hackett would see that Eggers knew about it, and I’d catch hell from him.”

“Then tell Eggers why you’re doing it,” she said.

“You want him to know about Whitestone?”

“You already mentioned the name in his presence at the dinner party.”

“You want me to tell him I’m working for you?”

“Certainly not. You can lie about that.”

“Lies have a way of coming back and biting one on the ass.”

“Oh, handle it, Stone,” she said.

Dinner came, and the waiter began pouring an expensive bottle of wine.

“That’s two, Dino,” Stone said.

“And two to go,” Dino replied.

THE FOLLOWING MORNING Stone was in his office when the phone rang. Joan had gone out for something, so he picked it up. “Stone Barrington.”

“You answer your own phone?” Hackett said. “Don’t you have a secretary?”

“You place your own calls?” Stone asked. “Don’t you have a secretary?”

Hackett laughed heartily. “Let’s have lunch today,” Hackett said. “There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

“All right,” Stone replied.

“The Four Seasons at one?”

“That’s Eggers’s hangout,” Stone replied.

“All right, Michael’s?”

“Good,” Stone replied. “See you at one.” He hung up and called Eggers. The secretary put him through.

“Good morning, Stone,” Eggers said. “I thought that went well yesterday.”

“I don’t know about you, Bill, but it wore me out,” Stone replied.

“You should stay in better shape,” Eggers said, chuckling.

“You going to get any business from Hackett?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“How close are Hackett and Wight?”

“They know each other. I don’t know any more than that.”

“Hackett just called and invited me to lunch today. I accepted.”

“Now you listen to me, Stone…”

“Easy, Bill.”

“You’re not going to…”

“Bill, if I were job hunting, I wouldn’t be telling you about it, would I?”

“Then why are you having lunch with him?”

“Because I need some information for one of my own clients, and Hackett may have it.”

“What client?”

“You know I can’t tell you that. I can tell you there’s no conflict with Woodman and Weld.”

“Well, all right, then, but I want to know if he tries to poach you away from me.”

“But then I’d be violating Hackett’s confidence.”

“Goddamn it, Stone…”

“Bill, you’re going to have a stroke if you’re not careful.”

“Don’t you accept any work of any kind from Hackett, without my agreement.”

“Bill, I’m not trying to screw you. You’ve been very good to me, from the beginning. I just want to tap Hackett’s brain for my other client.”

“All right, all right, but you call me after lunch.”

“I will, but I don’t know how much I can tell you.”

Eggers hung up without another word.