“My prescription is, have another of whatever you’re drinking, and I predict you’ll feel very little pain.”
“And that woman is a doctor,” he said to Dino. He waved at a waiter for a refill, then he glanced toward the front of the restaurant and saw Elaine walk in, right on time. But he was distracted by a face in the front window.
“Excuse me a moment,” Stone said, grabbing his cane and hobbling toward the door. He let two other people enter, then went outside. A couple of smokers were standing on the sidewalk, to his left, shivering and nursing their drug addiction; Stone turned to his right and saw Devlin Daltry standing there, smiling insolently at him.
32
Daltry turned to face him, stepping away from the window. “Oh, I see you’re using a cane these days,” he said, still smiling. “When I finish with you, you’ll be in a wheelchair.”
Stone glanced to his right, through the restaurant window and into the bar. A man was standing there, staring at them, a camera in his hands.
Stone flashed his badge. “You’re under arrest for making terroristic threats,” he said. “Don’t move.” He flipped open his cell phone and punched the speed-dial number for Dino.
“Bacchetti.”
“I’ve just arrested Devlin Daltry for making terroristic threats. Come out here and take him off my hands, will you?”
“Sure thing.”
Stone snapped the cell phone shut. “You thought I would hit you and your buddy in there would get a picture, right?”
Daltry looked around him.
“If you run, you’ll add fleeing arrest to the charges.”
Dino came out the door, and, simultaneously, a squad car screeched to a halt in front of the restaurant, its lights flashing, and two cops got out of the car.
“Careful,” Stone said, “there’s a guy in the bar with a camera.”
“Lieutenant,” one of the cops said. “What do you need?”
“Make sure that guy doesn’t go anywhere for a minute,” Dino said. He turned and walked back into the restaurant and Stone could see him at the bar, flashing his badge at the photographer. Then Dino took the camera from him and came back outside. “Okay,” he said to Daltry, “you’re under arrest for…” He looked at Stone questioningly.
“Making terroristic threats,” Stone said. “He said when he got through with me, I’d be in a wheelchair.”
“For making terroristic threats,” Dino said to Daltry. “Cuff him,” he said to the car, “and take him back to the station house and book him.”
“You haven’t got any witnesses,” Daltry said.
“I have the testimony of a retired police hero,” Dino replied. He turned to the cops. “You got a complaint form in the car?” The cop went to the squad car and returned with a sheet of paper. “Make sure this guy doesn’t stub his toe. Come on, Stone.” He turned and led the way back into the restaurant. Once inside he tossed the camera to the photographer. “Let’s see some I.D.,” he said.
The man produced a wallet.
“Who do you work for?”
“I’m freelance, but this job is for The Sheet,” he said, naming a gossip rag.
“I ought to arrest you for entrapment,” Dino said.
“Hey, wait a minute, I haven’t entrapped anybody. Daltry just asked me to stand inside and take pictures; I didn’t know what was going to happen.”
“If you’ll testify to that, I’ll let you go,” Dino said.
“Sure, I’ll testify.” He handed Dino a card.
“Beat it,” Dino said. “I’ll be in touch.”
The man beat it, and Dino and Stone returned to their table and Eliza Larkin. “Retired police hero?” Stone asked Dino.