New York Dead (Stone Barrington 1)

“I’m Edith Bonner,” she said, shaking hands with both of them. She was tall, on the heavy side, but quite pretty and elegantly dressed.

“Edith is my date for the evening,” Barker explained.

A waiter approached and took their drink orders. Bonner excused herself, and Cary pulled Stone to the window.

“It’s quite a view, isn’t it?” she said, pointing at the United Nations building.

“I hadn’t seen it at night,” Stone said.

“Do you know who Edith Bonner is?”

“No, the name doesn’t ring a bell.”

“She’s a sort of society psychic,” Cary explained. “She’s a wealthy widow who does readings of her friends – strictly amateur – but she has quite a reputation.”

The Wheelings joined them at the window and admired the view. “Your leaving the force at this particular time has caused quite a bit of speculation,” he said to Stone.

“Well, I was scheduled for the physical some time ago,” Stone replied. “It was unfortunate that I was in the middle of an investigation at the time.”

“I don’t mean to interview you, Mr. Barrington…”

“Please call me Stone.”

“Thank you, and you must call me Ab; everyone does. As I was saying, I don’t mean to interview, and this is certainly off the record, but do you think this Morgan woman had anything to do with the Nijinsky business?”

Stone nodded toward Bonner, who was returning to the room. “Maybe we should ask Mrs. Bonner,” he said. “I expect she has just as good an idea about it as anyone assigned to the case.”

Wheeling smiled. “You should have been a diplomat, Stone, or somebody’s press secretary. That was as neat an answer as I’ve ever heard, and I couldn’t quote you if I wanted to.”

The maid entered the room. “Dinner is served,” she said. People finished their drinks and filed into the dining room.

Stone was seated between India Wheeling and Edith Bonner and across from Frank Woodman.

“Stone, what are you going to do with yourself, now that you’re a free man?” Woodman asked in the middle of the main course.

“I’m returning to the law,” Stone said. “It seems to be the only thing I know anything about.” He didn’t mention that he would soon be cramming for the bar exam.

“Your career as a detective makes for an interesting background for a certain kind of lawyer,” Woodman said. “I believe Bill Eggers may have an idea for you.”

“I had a message from him this week,” Stone replied.

“When he’s back from Los Angeles, I hope you’ll listen to what he has to say.”

“Surely. At this point, I’m certainly open to suggestions.”

Edith Bonner, who had been quiet up until now, spoke up. “Mr. Barrington…”

“Stone.”

“Stone. Of course I’m aware of what you’ve been investigating recently. I read the papers like everybody else.”

“Why, Edith,” Woodman broke in, “I didn’t know you had to read the papers; I thought you had a direct line to the central source of all knowledge.”

Bonner smiled. “You’ll have to excuse Frank; he’s a very bright man, but his curiosity extends only to the literal – what he can see and hear and touch.”

“That’s right, Edith,” Woodman said.

“What Frank doesn’t understand is that some of us see and hear and touch things that are not quite so literal. Do you see what I mean, Stone?”