"Sort of," Mary Ann replied. Her face made it clear she wasn't going to say any more.
"I think she's been stalking me," Stone said.
"What?" Mary Ann said.
"She's shown up in a couple of places where I was. Unexpectedly, you might say. She registered at the Bel-Air as Mrs. Stone Barrington. She was on my flight home last night."
"Oh, shit," Dino breathed.
"I thought about trying to talk to her again, but I don't even want to be in the same room with her."
"That's a good policy," Dino said.
"I don't know what to do," Stone admitted.
"I'd watch my back, if I were you," Dino said. "Remember what happened to the husband…"
"Oh, shut up, Dino," Mary Ann spat. "She's my sister; don't talk that way about her."
"I'm sorry, Hon, but Stone's in a jam, here, and we've got to help him figure this out."
"Well, you're not helping by… what you're saying."
"Are you carrying?" Dino asked.
"Dino!" his wife nearly shouted.
"It wouldn't surpise me if Dolce is," Dino continued, ignoring her.
"No, I'm not," Stone said. "I don't think it's come to that."
"Listen, Stone," Dino said. "At the point when it comes to that, it's going to be too late to go home and get a piece."
Their waiter stepped up with a dessert tray.
"Nothing for me," Stone said.
"I'll have the cheesecake," Dino said.
"Nothing for him," Mary Ann said, pointing a thumb at her husband. "Especially not the cheesecake."
Dino sighed.
"Nothing for anybody," Mary Ann said to the waiter.
They got a check, and declined the offer of an after-dinner drink from Elaine. Dino grabbed the check and signed it, before Stone could react.
"That's completely out of character, Dino," Stone said, chuckling.
"Who knows how many more opportunities I'll have," Dino replied, getting an elbow in the ribs from Mary Ann for his trouble.
They made their farewells to Elaine and started out of the restaurant. As they shuffled toward the door, Stone felt Dino slip something fairly heavy into his coat pocket.
"Don't leave home without it," Dino whispered.
Chapter 32
Stone reached into his coat pocket, took out the pistol, and placed it on the bedside table. It was a little.32 automatic, not a service weapon, but the kind of small gun a cop might keep in an ankle holster, as a backup.