“Worse.”
“I can’t think of anything worse than the Russian mob.”
“Herbie, think about the work that Lance hired you to do.”
“You mean photographing that ambassador guy with his boyfriend?”
“I don’t want to know that, Herbie,” Stone said, throwing up his hands defensively. “But think for a minute: Who would want that kind of work done?”
Herbie thought about it. “You don’t mean . . .” “Go ahead, Herbie, say it.”
Herbie licked his lips and gulped. “The National Enquirer?”
Stone buried his face in his hands. “Herbie, Lance works for a branch of the federal government, a branch that does dirty little things like photographing ambassadors with their boyfriends. Can’t you think of who that might be?”
“You’re not talking about the CIA, are you?”
“Congratulations, Herbie, you’re coming out of the fog.”
Oddly, Herbie seemed pleased. “You mean I’m working for the CIA?”
“Not anymore.”
“Man, that should get me laid.” Herbie chuckled.
“Herbie, it could get you a lot worse than laid,” Stone said.
“What do you mean?”
“Lance intimated to me that, if your case came to trial, his people might use other means to stop it.”
“You mean like bribing the judge?”
“No, Herbie.”
“Well, anybody who’d want an ambassador photographed with his head buried in another guy’s crotch wouldn’t have a problem with bribing a judge, would they?”
“Herbie, you’re not thinking this out to its logical conclusion. These are people who own weapons with silencers, if you get my drift.”
“You mean, they might shoot the judge?” He didn’t seem displeased at the thought.
Stone shook his head. “No, Herbie. It would be a lot simpler just to shoot you, wouldn’t it?”
Herbie froze.
Stone thought he’d finally reached Herbie. “Of course, they’d probably make it look like an accident; a suicide, maybe.”
Herbie seemed speechless now.
“You see where this is headed, Herbie? Look, I’ll see what I can do to make life a little easier for you inside.”
“How can you do that?” Herbie asked.
“You can buy nearly anything in jail, Herbie. Do you have any money?”
Herbie shook his head. “My credit cards are pretty much maxed out.”
“Herbie, they don’t take MasterCard at Rikers.”