“Why Dino?”
“Why not? Hackett, being in the business he’s in, would love to get to know an NYPD lieutenant.”
“We need someone who’s not a drinking buddy of yours.”
“Do you have a request?”
“You know the former police commissioner, don’t you?”
“Yes, we have a cordial acquaintanceship. It might be a little uncomfortable, though.”
“Why?”
“He’s married to a woman I, ah, knew… rather well.”
“Ask him, and get over it.”
“I am over it.”
“Not if you’re uncomfortable inviting her to dinner with her husband.”
“Oh, all right. I’ll get Joan on it; we have to find an evening when everyone’s available.” He picked up the phone, buzzed Joan and asked her to arrange the dinner.
Their breakfast arrived on the dumbwaiter, and they sat up in bed with trays on their laps. Felicity stole his orange juice.
“You didn’t order orange juice,” Stone pointed out.
“I just did,” she said. “Oh, all right, we can share.”
Stone refilled the glass from the pitcher, and they shared.
“I was just thinking,” Felicity said, stabbing a sausage link and making it disappear.
“Uh, oh,” Stone said. “What now?”
“You said that Hackett had offered you employment.”
“On three occasions,” Stone said.
“Why don’t you accept?”
“Well, first of all, I’m very happy with my current employment status.”
“Take a leave of absence. Hackett would probably pay better, anyway.”
“I can’t argue with that,” Stone said. “The problem is, you want me to work for him so that I can prove he’s Whitestone and you can destroy him. That would leave me out of work, and I’d have to go crawling back to Bill Eggers, not to mention my own clients.”
“Why do you think I want to destroy Hackett?” she asked.
“You clearly would like for something bad to happen to Whitestone, and if he’s Whitestone…”
Stone’s phone buzzed. “Yes?”
“Your dinner is arranged for tomorrow evening,” Joan said. “You may expect your guests at seven.”
“Wow,” Stone said, “that was fast work.”
“Yes,” she said, “it was, wasn’t it?” She hung up.