Barton Cabot was sitting at his table, talking in a companionable way with Elaine, who was sitting with him.
“Stone,” Lance said, “this is my brother.”
Barton rose and extended his hand. “Barton Cabot,” he said. “Elaine and I were just catching up.”
“You know Elaine?” Lance asked.
“He’s an old customer,” Elaine said. “Haven’t seen him for at least twenty years.”
“I remember being here,” Barton said, “but not how I got here or why.”
“That’s good,” Lance said. He sat down and turned to his brother. “Barton, I have to return to my office right now, but Stone, here, who is a good friend, is going to put you up at his house for a few days. You’ll be very comfortable there.” He slipped a card and some money into his jacket pocket. “My number is there, if you need to reach me. We’ll catch up in a few days.”
Barton nodded. “It’s very good of you, Stone, to put me up,” he said. “After all, I’m a perfect stranger, even to myself.”
Stone shrugged. “Any brother of Lance’s.”
Lance stood up and motioned for Stone to follow him. “I’m very grateful for this, Stone,” he said as they walked toward the door. He took a card from his pocket and scribbled a number on the back. “That’s my cell number,” he said. “I’ll call you tomorrow to see how he is, but if there’s any sort of emergency, you can reach me, night or day, at that number. He seems to be about your size; can you loan him some clothes?”
“Sure, but first let him have some dinner, then I’ll get him home and to bed.” They shook hands, and Lance went outside, got into a black SUV at the curb and was driven away.
Stone turned and went back to Barton Cabot’s table. As he passed his own table he heard Genevieve and Dino.
“If you would just tell me what this is about,” Dino was pleading.
“You know what it’s about,” Genevieve replied.
Stone kept walking. He sat down with Elaine and Barton and ordered some pasta, and the three of them had a quiet chat for a while. Barton kept up nicely, offered an opinion once in a while, and was charming, even witty. But he said nothing that seemed to require any direct memory of his circumstances.
Stone gave Barton his card, and he tucked it into a jacket pocket. “Thank you, Stone,” he said.
Well, Stone thought, at least he can remember my name. He excused himself to go to the men’s room, and when he returned, both Barton and Elaine were no longer at the table. He saw Elaine sitting up front with some customers and walked up to her. “Where’s Barton?” he asked.
“He left,” she said. “Got into a cab. I put his dinner on your tab.”
Stone hurried outside and looked up and down Second Avenue. There was no sign of Barton Cabot.
“Oh, shit,” he said aloud to himself.
3
Stone went back into Elaine’s and sat down with Dino and Genevieve, both of whom, he was grateful to see, had fallen silent.
“Dino, I need your help,” he said.
“I’d better be going,” Genevieve said, standing up.
“No, don’t go,” Stone said.
“I’ve got a night shift starting in a few minutes,” she said. She pecked Stone on the cheek, fetched Dino a sweeping, openhanded blow to the back of the head, mussing his hair, and left.
“Why do I think you got off light?” Stone asked.
“I still don’t know what it’s about,” Dino said, smoothing his hair.
“You may never know,” Stone said. “I need your help.” He explained about Lance’s brother.
“And you let him walk out of here?” Dino asked, incredulous.