Strategic Moves (Stone Barrington 19)

“What’s funny?” Willa asked.

“Herbie is always on the brink of prosecution,” Dino said, “often for something he didn’t do.”

“You’re acquainted with Mr. Fisher?”

“Yes, he’s been in my holding tank a few times.”

“An habitual criminal, then?”

Stone spoke up. “An innocent man who seems to have a gift for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, he was married a short ti

me ago, and the experience seems to be lending stability to his existence. Which of the patently false charges against Herbie are you considering pursuing?”

“How about murder?” she asked.

“In what degree?”

“Has he committed more than one murder?”

“Herbie has never committed a murder, although he was once required to defend his life against Dattila the Hun, whom the press liked to describe as ‘a Mafia kingpin.’ ”

“Oh, yes, I heard about that. He walked.”

“It was, as I pointed out, self-defense.”

“I think he got very lucky,” Willa said.

“Good luck is not something that haunts Herbie’s life,” Stone replied.

“Really? I think he’s very lucky to be walking our streets at this moment. If not for the actions of an inexperienced prosecutor, he would be held without bail as we speak.”

“Wait a minute,” Dino said, “are you talking about the death of his girlfriend, who fell or jumped from Herbie’s penthouse terrace a while back?”

“No, I’m talking about the girlfriend who received, at the very least, a helping hand from Mr. Fisher.”

“Well,” Dino said, “I happened to be in charge of that investigation, and also present at a conference between your prosecutor and Herbie’s attorney—Mr. Barrington here—and I thought, given the feather-light weight of the evidence, your prosecutor made a good call.”

“Thank you, Dino,” Stone said. He turned to Willa. “I was able to demonstrate, through fingerprint evidence, that the young woman in question, Sheila, opened the terrace door without assistance and disappeared over the parapet while Mr. Fisher was spending half an hour or so with a magazine, at stool.”

“And how were you able to prove that?” Willa asked.

“I offered to deliver Mr. Fisher for a colonoscopy, but your prosecutor declined.”

Willa burst out laughing. “That’s preposterous!”

“Not so much as the allegation against my client.”

“He’s right, Willa,” Dino said. “Listen, I like nailing murderers, but believe me, Herbie is not a murderer.”

“Look, Willa,” Stone said, “if you want to charge Herbie, you go right ahead, but believe me, that decision would turn out to be a major embarrassment for your office, and I know you wouldn’t want that.”

“I might enjoy the trial,” she said.

“So would I,” Stone replied, “because I would be very well paid, and I would win. I don’t think you would find a lot of pleasure in that.”

“You let Mr. Fisher know that my office is keeping an eye on him, and that if he makes a wrong move I will fall on him from a great height.”

“Lieutenant Bacchetti,” Stone said, “will you please note the prejudice toward my client in the deputy district attorney’s words, as well as the threat.”