Dirt (Stone Barrington 2)
“Maybe. Listen, Bob, there’s something else.”
“Shoot.”
“How good are you on your feet?”
“I’m okay; I used to study karate pretty seriously, and I box once or twice a week at my gym. What is it you need, Stone?”
“There’s a guy needs talking to, and to tell you the truth, I’m not sure I’m up to it just yet. He’s been harassing a friend of mine, a woman, and I want a stop put to it.”
“So is this guy muscle, or something?”
“She says he gets into fights; I have no idea how good he is at it.”
“What exactly is it that you want done?”
“I want the fear of God put into him. I’m not talking about leaning hard on him, but if he reacts badly, I don’t want him to come out of it with the upper hand.”
“You think this guy might be the one wiring all these places?”
Stone shook his head and pushed a copy of Vanity Fair across his desk. “This is the guy; he’s a male model, at least some of the time. The connection’s with this girl, whose name is Arrington; not with the DIRT thing.”
Cantor looked at the picture. “I can handle it.”
“There’s something else, something I only just found out.”
“Yeah?”
Stone handed him a slip of paper. “His name is Jonathan Dryer; that’s where he lives. Arnie Millman got clipped in the alley next to the building.”
“You think the two things are connected?”
“I can’t see how, but I don’t like coincidences. I thought you ought to know about Arnie, though.”
“Yeah, I’m glad you told me.”
“If your talk with him turns up anything that makes you think he might be connected with Arnie by more than just geography, then we’ll bring Dino into it.”
Cantor nodded. “When you want this done?”
“The sooner the better.”
“You think he might be at home now?”
“Only one way to find out.”
Cantor stood up. “I’ll check him out.”
“If he’s not there, maybe you could take a look around his place, see what he’s about.”
“Sure thing.”
“Give your bill for the other work to Alma, and she’ll cut you a check. What do you want for the Dryer business?”
“Let’s see how it goes,” Cantor said. “He might be a pushover.”
“As long as you’re ready for him, if he isn’t.”