“He’s not your date, he’s Brooke’s.”
“Oh. I’ll let you know tomorrow.”
Later, Stone had just crawled into bed when his cell phone rang. “Yes?”
“This is the White House operator, Mr. Barrington,” a female voice said. “Will you accept a call from the president?”
“Certainly,” he replied. A moment later, Holly Barker was on the line.
“Good evening,” she purred. “I know you’re well, so I won’t ask. A friend of mine — lovely person — is coming to New York tomorrow. Can you put her up for the night?”
“I don’t do less than two nights,” Stone said. “Viv and Dino are having a dinner party at home the night after. Can your friend make that?”
“It will be arranged. My friend will see you tomorrow afternoon.”
“It’s black tie, and she will be very welcome,” Stone said, but she had already hung up.
Stone called Viv’s cell phone and was sent directly to voice mail.
“It’s Stone. I have a date for your party. Expect a few Secret Service people to be hanging around, in addition to Shep’s body man. See you then!” He hung up and was soon asleep.
Eight
Stone got to his desk at mid-morning and buzzed Joan.
“Yes, sir?”
“My friend from D.C. is coming in this afternoon.”
“I’m aware.”
“How the hell can you be aware? I just found out last night.”
“I had a call earlier from the head of her Secret Service detail,” she said.
“Oh.”
“Where will you be dining?”
“Tonight, in the study. Tomorrow night at Dino’s house.”
“Got it,” she said. “Anything else?”
“Call Shep and tell him we need his full name, date of birth, and social security number, then call Viv and tell her the same about Brooke Alley, then give the data to the Secret Service. Also, ask Viv to get the same info on her security agent, who will be traveling with Shep, and add that.”
“Got it.”
They both hung up. Stone listened and could almost hear the hum of activity as everybody in the house began to get ready for the visitor.
At five o’clock, Holly had not yet made an appearance, so he went upstairs to shower and change. He walked into the master suite and found the president of the United States sitting up in bed, naked, reading the New York Times.
“Good afternoon,” she said brightly.
“It certainly is,” he said, shedding clothing. In a moment, he was beside her, and everything unfolded exactly as it should.
A few minutes in, they took a breather and lay next to each other, panting a little.
“You didn’t tell me there would be a murder suspect at dinner tomorrow night,” she said. “The Secret Service is concerned.”
“Then they should do a better job,” Stone replied. “If they had, they would have known that he is not a suspect and that the murder occurred in his hotel suite while he was an inpatient at Lenox Hill Hospital. His personal information has already been conveyed to the Service, and the dinner party is being held at the home of the police commissioner of New York City, so they need have no concerns for your safety.”
“It is their job to look askance at everyone attending such a social gathering,” she said.
“And it is your job to pooh-pooh them now and then, when you know better than they, which you now do.”
“Oh, all right.”
“I would now like to exercise my constitutional right to petition the head of the United States government for another go at her.”
“Your petition is heard and accepted, with pleasure,” she said, holding out her arms.
The following morning, Holly disappeared into a black SUV, which drove her north to where she could begin her sacking of Madison Avenue shops, which awaited her arrival, by appointment.
Stone went to his desk and, almost immediately, Joan told him Dino was on line one.
“Good morning.”
“Well, a not bad morning,” Dino said. “My people found Shep Troutman’s Rolex Submariner.”
“Where?”
“Being worn by a player in a hot soccer match, in Central Park. When questioned he said he had bought it from somebody — he couldn’t say who — on the street, for a hundred bucks.”
“Great, you can present Shep with it at dinner tonight. I’d like to know more about who the guy bought it from.”
“So would everybody else. All we got for a description was ‘tall male.’ ”
“Well, I guess that eliminates short males. And all females.”
“Your judgment is unerring.”
“Is Viv working hard on tonight’s soiree?”
“Well, yes. The character of the event has changed somewhat since she learned there would be a president at her table.”
“It’s not the first time. She can handle it.”
“Yes, but instead of supervising our cook herself, she has engaged the fanciest caterer in the city to feed us. And she is dealing with a swarm of security people — hers, mine, Shep’s, and enough Secret Service agents to fill a medium-sized school bus. She’s also trying to figure out how to hide them where nobody will notice them during drinks and dinner.”
“Good luck with that. Just stuff them all into the kitchen.”
“Then the caterer will walk out in a huff,” Dino said, “and Viv will divorce me.”
“You should have bought a larger apartment.”
“Don’t mention that to Viv. My last interior decoration experience was so painful I have resolved never to move again.”
“Surely she will freshen things up now and then.”
“Yeah, but if she wants, say, new curtains, she’ll have to smuggle the decorator in when I’m at work, and when they’re ready to hang the curtains, too. Then I’ll catch hell for not noticing them for a month.”
“It’s an unwinnable war,” Stone said. “Maybe it’s better to just surrender.”
“What the hell do you think I’m doing? I keep a white flag in my pocket.”
“I gotta go.”
“Bye.”
They both hung up.
Holly made her entrance around five, followed by an overloaded Secret Service agent and Fred, staggering under the bulk of boxes and shopping bags.
Holly accepted a martini in the study. “I solved my dilemma about what to wear tonight by buying five dresses,” she said, taking a gulp. “But now I have to decide which one to wear.”
“I’m wearing black,” Stone said. “Start from there.”
“Clever you.” She tucked an olive into her cheek, then kissed him.
“Tastiest kiss ever,” Stone said. “I believe there’s an anchovy in that olive.”
“At the very least.” She swallowed the olive and kissed him again.
“Can I get you another olive?” he asked.
“Please.”
Nine
Stone and Holly were the first to arrive, since Holly wanted to avoid making an entrance. They were quickly supplied with alcoholic beverages and had already begun to consume them when Shepherd Troutman was escorted into the living room by the rent-a-butler. He took Holly’s offered hand. “You look exactly like what’s-her-name,” he said, hanging on to the hand.
Viv helped. “That’s because she is what’s-her-name,” she said, freeing the hand.
“Call me Holly,” she said. Then to Viv: “Get this man a drink, before he faints.”
“I was just thinking of doing that,” Shep said to Holly.
“Fainting?”
“Drinking. There seems to be a lot of it going on around here.” He turned to Viv. “I don’t think we’ve met, so I’m just going to take a wild leap: you’re Mrs. Bacchetti.”