Son of Stone (Stone Barrington 21)

“If you say so,” Ben replied.

“Didn’t you see what Frank just did? He rescued you from making an ass of yourself. You watch Gianni and Frank; they know who’s who around here.”

Frank came over. “I’m sorry about that,” he said.

“Who is she?” Ben asked.

“Kelli Keane. She works on Page Six at the Post. ”

“Didn’t I tell you?” Peter said.

“What did she ask you?” Frank asked.

“She wanted our names,” Peter said. “I lied to her.”

“You’re a smart boy,” Frank said, then went to meet some customers.

Ben sighed. “You were right,” he said, “but I’d still like to jump her.”

28

K elli left Elaine’s pissed off, and her anger kept her awake that night. The following morning she went back to see Prunella Wheaton.

“Good morning, Kelli,” Wheaton said. “Have a seat. Would you like some coffee?”

“Thank you, Prunie, yes,” Kelli replied, taking a chair.

“So, how are things?”

“I’m having trouble on my story,” she said, “and I want to ask your advice.”

Wheaton handed her coffee on a small tray, with milk and sweeteners and a cookie. “Frankly, I get bored around here. I do my work on the phone, more often than not, so I’m glad to have some company.”

“I asked you before about Vance Calder,” Kelli said.

“I remember.”

“Let me go back to the beginning.” She told Wheaton about the wedding at the Bianchi house, the mayor and Stone Barrington and Christine Carter. “I think she may be the woman Calder married, but I just can’t get any confirmation. In the business reports about Centurion last year, she was always referred to as Mrs. Vance Calder. Now, if Carter turns out to be Mrs. Calder, there’s a juicy little story in all this, particularly if she’s as rich as you say she is. There might even be a book in it-a new bio of Calder.”

“Do you know who Eduardo Bianchi is?” Wheaton asked.

“No, except that he’s on a lot of boards. Nobody will talk about him, not even a guy I met in a bar.”

“Who did you meet?”

“Somebody named Anthony Cecchini.”

“I see,” Wheaton said. “The buzz for decades on Bianchi is that he was once a very powerful mover in the Mafia, although entirely behind the scenes. Early on, he saw a better way ahead by becoming a respectable financier and a big philanthropist, though he was said to keep a hand in with his Italian friends.”

“If he’s so respectable now, then why is everybody afraid of him?”

“Sweetie, there are people out there in this life that you never want to mess with.”

“Like Rupert Murdoch.”

“If you work at this paper, sure. Bianchi has so many good friends and contacts in this town that if you spoke ill of him or invaded his privacy, he wouldn’t have to lift a finger to make life difficult for you; his friends would do it for him. A phone call would be made by someone, or a few words exchanged at some club, and next thing you knew, you’d be out of work and never even know why.”

“That’s scary,” Kelli said.