“Yes, she often wore fine pieces to dinner parties, but Mildred wouldn’t sell her jewelry.”
“Then I’m baffled,” Stone said.
“So am I.”
51
Stone was about to leave his office for the day when a FedEx envelope arrived. Inside was a dinner invitation from Abner Kramer for the coming Saturday night at his house in Connecticut. That was fortunate, he thought, because there was something he wanted to investigate in Kramer’s house.
He walked through the garden and appeared at Tatiana’s kitchen door on time. She was on the phone in the kitchen, and she waved him inside.
Stone walked to the kitchen counter, took a stool and watched her. She was wearing tan slacks and a black cashmere turtleneck sweater that called attention to her breasts. She looked smashing, he thought.
“Henry,” she was saying into the phone, “you’re going to have to get used to the idea of a property settlement. I’m sure your lawyer has explained to you that New York State law requires an equitable division of property. There are two ways we can do this: We can decide between us, with legal advice, or we can go to court and add legal fees to the total costs. I don’t much care, since you’ll end up paying my legal fees anyway.” She gave Stone a big shrug, pointed at the phone and drew a finger across her neck.
“No, I won’t wait six months,” she said. “If we don’t have an agreed settlement by the end of the week, I’m filing suit, and I’m also going to ask the judge for a hundred thousand dollars a month in temporary support while we’re waiting for a trial date.”
There was an unintelligible squawk from the other telephone, followed by some sort of tirade. Tatiana softly replaced the receiver and smiled at Stone, who was applauding.
“Very good,” he said. “I couldn’t have done better myself.”
“He’s probably still yelling,” she said, “thinking I’m still on the phone. Would you like a drink, or shall we go?”
Stone winced and slapped his forehead. “I forgot to book at La Goulue, and they’ll be full by now. Shall we go to Elaine’s instead?”
“Oh, yes! I’ve heard a lot about it, but I’ve never been there.”
Stone glanced at his watch. “We’re a little early for Elaine’s. It will be empty, so let’s have that drink.”
She waved him through the kitchen, then the dining room, then into a lovely living room. “What, sir, is your pleasure?”
Stone smiled. “Well… for the moment, just that drink – bourbon, if you have it.”
She opened a liquor cabinet and checked. “I have four bourbons,” she said.
“The one in the rectangular bottle, there,” he said, pointing.
“What would you like in it?”
“Ice,” he replied.
She poured the drink, then a Scotch for herself, and they settled into the sofa.
“You are the first date I’ve had since Henry and I separated,” she said.
“I’m glad I got here first,” he replied. “After Harlan Deal’s party there would have been a line.”
She laughed. “He called me today.”
“Harlan?”
“Yes. Apparently, he was miffed that I left with you.”
“Oh, good. I’m happy to miff him. He’s a very annoying man.”
“I thought so, too.”
“Great minds… et cetera, et cetera.”