Wild Card

42

Stone went upstairs to see Sherry and found her doing the Times crossword. A good sign, he reckoned.

“You seem to be feeling better,” he said.

“Thanks to you and Bob. I’ve got a new piece of bone in my skull, courtesy of my surgeon, and my ability to do the crossword seems to have improved. I recommend a bullet in the head to everybody.”

Bob sat, dozing, in a chair in the corner.

“Can I borrow him for a minute?” he asked.

“Well,” she said, looking at her sleeping boyfriend, “he isn’t doing me much good right now. Go ahead, take him.”

Stone shook Bob by the shoulder. He woke up, wide-eyed. “I thought you were a Thomas,” he said.

“Let’s go talk for a minute,” Stone said, and Bob followed him into the hallway.

“What’s up?”

“We don’t seem to be getting anywhere. Sherry, Elise, and her mother are still in danger, and the D.A. doesn’t buy Elise’s testimony as sufficient for getting a warrant to bug the Thomases, let alone convict them.”

“My bugs have gone dead, too,” Bob said.

“I thought you might have something in mind,” Stone said. “Something you might not want to share with me.”

“Gotcha,” Bob said. “I have dreams about machine-gunning them all.”

“Something a little more subtle, perhaps.”

“I’ll give it some thought,” Bob said.

“Don’t get back to me,” Stone replied, then sent Bob back in with Sherry.

When Stone was back at his desk, Joan buzzed. “Jamie on line one.”

Stone picked up the phone. “You’re up early,” he said.

“I’ve been thinking.”

“Tell me.”

“If Dino’s not getting anywhere with the D.A., why don’t we plant a hand grenade under his ass?”

“That’s an attractive thought. What do you have in mind?”

“Publishing the piece I wrote about what Elise Grant overheard the Thomases discussing. There’s nothing the Thomases can do, except what they’re already trying to do.”

“Why don’t I bring it up with Elise and see what she has to say?”

“You do that, then get back to me.”

“Bye.” Stone hung up the phone, then called Elise’s throwaway cell.

“Good morning,” she said.

“How are your new quarters?” he asked.

“Not bad. I mean, it’s a hotel, not home. How long do you figure we might have to stay here?”

“I was just thinking about that,” Stone said. “Dino isn’t getting anywhere with the D.A. Jamie, however, called this morning and she has an idea that might shake things up.”

“She wants to publish what I said, doesn’t she?”

“She does, and she makes the point that doing so won’t put you at any more risk than you are now.”

“But it would rattle them to their core, wouldn’t it? To see their own words in print?”

“That’s the idea. Frightened people make mistakes.”

“You tell Jamie to go ahead. I’m sure she took notes.”

“She recorded you over the phone, and she’s already written the piece.”

“Tell her I’ll look forward to reading it in tomorrow’s Times.”

“I’ll do that. My best to your mother.” He hung up and called Jamie.

“Yeah?”

“Elise is all for it. How do the paper’s libel lawyers feel about it?”

“I’ve been on the phone with them and Scott for the past half hour. They’re not happy, but they haven’t vetoed it, either.”

“Then go.”

“I’m gone.” She hung up.

Stone called Dino.

“Bacchetti.”

“Just a heads-up for you.”

“I’m listening.”

“Jamie’s piece on Elise is running in tomorrow’s Times.”

Dino laughed. “That should stick a firecracker up the D.A.’s ass.”

“My thought is that the D.A. should hear about it when he reads it in the paper, not earlier.”

“I haven’t returned his call yet.”

“Then don’t.”

“I have to. Anyway, I want to hear what he has to say.”

“Let me know.”

Dino put in the call to Ken Burrows.

“Yes, Dino?”

“I’m returning your call, Ken.”

“Oh, yes. I wanted you to know: I’m not proceeding with a warrant for wiring the Thomases.”

“What a shock,” Dino said.

“Oh, don’t be a smart-ass, Dino. I have to follow the law.”

“Not asking for a warrant is not following the law,” Dino pointed out. “If you ask for it, you might even get it.”

“My best people think not.”

“You ought to try listening to your conscience, instead of your ‘best people,’” Dino said. “You might try making a decision all by yourself sometime.”

“Good day,” Burrows said, then hung up.

Dino called Stone back.

“Yes, Dino?”

“I spoke to Burrows. He says his best people have advised against getting a warrant.”

“I’m shocked, shocked,” Stone said.

“That’s what I told him.”

“Would you like to predict his actions when he reads tomorrow’s Times?”

“I predict he’ll call me and accuse me of giving the story to them.”

“You have perfect deniability on that one.”

“I guess I do, don’t I?”

“Talk to you later.” They hung up.

Bob Cantor was standing in Stone’s doorway. He took a breath.

“Don’t say it,” Stone said. “Jamie is running her story on Elise in tomorrow’s Times.”

“I wish my bugs were still in place,” Bob said. “I’d like to hear their reaction.”

“So would I,” Stone said.