Swimming to Catalina (Stone Barrington 4)

The waiter arrived with their salad, and they tucked into it.

“This is the best Caesar I ever had,” Betty said.

“If the goombahs can’t make a Caesar salad, who can?”

“It isn’t an Italian dish, you know.”

“I thought it was.”

“Nope, it was invented by a Mexican at some famous restaurant in Acapulco, or someplace like that. I can’t remember his name.”

“Caesar, maybe?”

“Nobody likes a smartass, Stone.”

Their main courses came, and Stone tasted the wine. “Absolutely perfect,” he said to the waiter.

“Of course,” the waiter replied, pouring the wine.

Stone tasted the rabbit. “Words fail me,” he said.

“Me, too,” Betty said, tasting her pasta. “Why does nobody know about this place?”

“We like it that way,” the waiter said, then he left them alone.

“I think everybody knows about this place that they want to know about it,” Stone said.

“God, the wine is good!”

Stone made a note of it. “I want some for home,” he said.

“I want the chef for home,” Betty cried, stuffing more pasta into her mouth. “I could make him very happy.”

“Heads up,” Stone said. “One of them is coming this way.” He addressed his rabbit as the man walked past and entered a hallway at the rear of the restaurant. “He was looking right at me; do you think he recognized me?”

“Really, Stone,” she replied, “he was looking at me.”

“Oh. I wonder what’s in the rear hallway.”

“The men’s room. See the sign?”

“Oh.”

Stone watched as the man returned to his table. “You’re right, he was looking at you.”

“I’m accustomed to that,” she said, twirling the last of the pasta on her fork. “That is the first time in ten years I have finished a whole meal in a restaurant,” she said, swallowing. “If you bring me here again I’ll be able to audition for Roseanne’s replacement.”

The waiter appeared and began gathering their dishes. “How about some of our cheesecake?” he asked.

“Don’t say that,” Betty said, throwing up a hand. “I could gain weight just listening.”

“A double espresso for me,” Stone said.

“I’ll have a cappuccino,” she said.

The waiter left.

“I want to have a look around the back,” Stone said, rising.