Quick & Dirty

3

Joan buzzed Stone. “Will you speak to the secretary of state?”

“I will deign to do so,” Stone replied drily. He picked up the phone. “Stone Barrington.”

“Mr. Barrington, the secretary of state is on the line,” a young man said.

“Good morning,” Holly said.

“And to you. I trust you’ve seen this morning’s papers.”

“I have. The Times piece by... that woman was very nice.”

“I thought so, too, as was the Post, the New York one.”

“That Post has not winged its way to my desk as of yet, but the Post down here published an overnight poll showing Kate with a sixty-one percent approval rating — not at all bad for a second-term President — but me with a sixty-nine percent rating. It was very embarrassing.”

“Have you heard from Kate on the subject?”

“She called me at seven o’clock this morning, laughing like hell.”

“That’s our Kate.”

“She warned me not to try and stay out of trouble and just coast on my approval ratings. She thinks I have to deal with something controversial right away, to show I’m not an airhead. She’s already looking for something to throw at me.”

“Sounds like you’ve acquired a campaign manager.”

“I’m afraid she’s going to foist the new Russian president on me.”

“That would certainly be good practice for you.”

“I didn’t like the last one, and I don’t like this one, either.”

“Then that’s a good place to start.”

“Did you hear all of my speech to the UN?”

“Of course.”

“Then you’ll remember the part where I said to the Russians that if they want the sanctions lifted, to just get out of the Crimea?”

“The whole world heard that — it’s one of the reasons you’re so popular this morning.”

“Well, I think my next step is going to be to recommend to the President that we nominate Ukraine for membership in NATO.”

“Well, that should be enough controversy to keep you busy for a while. Is that what Kate wants to do?”

“In the best of all possible worlds, yes, but she’s unlikely to say so anytime soon.”

“But you’ll be on record as having proposed it.”

“See how smart Kate is? Everybody will remember that I said that, and if Kate ever gets around to doing it, they’ll give me the credit for moving her my way.”

“Kate is very smart indeed.”

“Well, I think I’ll anticipate her and get started on a draft of my recommendation.”

“Good idea. Call anytime.”

“When you least expect it,” she said, and hung up.

Joan came on immediately. “Dino called while you were talking. Want me to get him back for you?”

“Yes, please.”

She buzzed, and Stone picked up. “Hello again.”

“I want to read you a press release.”

“Shoot.”

“‘The New York City Police Department has conducted a thorough investigation of the assassination attempt on the secretary of state on New Year’s Eve—’”

“Wait a minute, you’ve concluded it was an assassination attempt? A few days ago you thought I was the intended victim.”

“Shut up and listen. ‘We have determined that the would-be assassin has a history of hatred of women in positions of authority and that he had several drugs in his system at the time of the shooting, including marijuana, heroin, and cocaine. We have also, after investigating his connections in prison and since his recent release, concluded that he acted alone and without the assistance of any person or organization. Although we found more than six hundred dollars in cash on his person, that is consistent with the funds withdrawn from his prison savings account upon his release. Therefore, unless new, credible evidence emerges, this investigation is now closed.’ What do you think?”

“I’m pleased that my name was not mentioned as the intended victim.”

“Don’t ever speak those words to me again,” Dino said. “This is it, as far as the department is concerned.”

“I’m sure the President and the secretary of state will be glad to hear it.”

“See ya.” Dino hung up.

So, Stone thought, Holly is now, officially, a heroine.

After lunch, Stone got a call from a reporter of his acquaintance at the New York Times.

“Hey, Stone,” Edward Petter said.

“Hey, Eddie.”

“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Dino just made a statement about the, ah, shooting business outside his building on New Year’s Eve.”

“Yes?”

“Let me read it to you.”

“All right.”

Petter read the whole statement. “You were there, Stone. Do you agree with his statement?”

“Entirely.”

“There was a rumor that maybe you were the intended victim and Holly Barker just got in the way.”

“I haven’t heard that. I didn’t know the shooter, and he didn’t know me.”

“Is there anybody who might want you dead, anybody who might have hired Crank Jackson?”

“No, not to my knowledge. I don’t know anybody who’s that mad at me.”

“Did you ever represent Jackson as a defendant?”

“No, and it’s been many years since I represented a criminal defendant.”

“Why did your driver shoot Jackson?”

“To keep him from shooting... somebody else.”

“You?”

“From the direction the guy was pointing his gun, Fred might have thought it was pointed at me. After all, Holly and I were walking next to each other.”

“Did you and the secretary change positions while you were walking?”

“How do you mean?”

“I mean, were you walking nearer the building, then changed sides?”

“I may have done that to get her out of the wind.”

“Was that the moment at which she was shot?”

“I don’t remember,” Stone said. “It all happened so fast.”

“That’s what they all say,” Petter replied. “See you around.” He hung up.

Stone hung up, too, hoping that was the end of it.