Lucid Intervals (Stone Barrington 18)

Afterward, at dinner in the member’s grill, Hackett bought the drinks and collected a couple of hundred in cash from Eggers. “You two gave us more of a match than I had anticipated,” he said.

“Where did you find Freeman?” Eggers asked. “At the U.S. Open?” Hackett laughed and shook his head. “Mike was a middling pro a very long time ago, but he made a very fine living for many years allowing gentlemen to nearly win their matches at some of the world’s finest clubs.”

“The man is an assassin,” Eggers said.

“That must be what he does for you these days,” Stone said. “When he’s not assaulting people on the courts.”

“No. Jim is a client’s man; he has great charm, and he’s a fine organizer of teams for special sorts of work,” Hackett said. “Stone, what exactly do you do for this upstanding law firm of Bill’s?”

Stone looked sideways at Eggers. “Oh, I handle the cases that Bill and his white-shoe colleagues don’t want to be seen to handle.”

“Is that a good description, Bill?” Hackett asked.

“Not far off the mark,” Eggers replied, a little uncomfortably.

“You should be very pleased to have Stone,” Hackett said. “Every business needs someone like him, and certainly every law firm.” Hackett passed Stone a business card. “Stone, if Bill ever stops appreciating you, give me a call. You’d find a very comfortable home at Strategic Services.”

“Jim,” Eggers said, “that is an outright attempt at theft, and I resent it. I mean, it’s not like you let me win at tennis first.”

“On the contrary, Bill,” Hackett said, “knowing that you have someone like Stone on the payroll impresses me, makes me more likely to want to hire your firm. He also kept you alive in the second set, even after I knocked him senseless at the net.”

“Stone has his uses,” Eggers said. “Standing between me and cannon fire is one of them.”

“I understand that you two impressed Lord Wight yesterday at lunch,” Hackett said.

“We had a pleasant conversation,” Eggers said, “even if Stone had to leave to get someone out of jail.”

“Hah!” Hackett roared. “I love it! Someone from Woodman and Weld fishing a client out of the pokey!”

“And I have the only record of his arrest in my pocket,” Stone said.

“I hope to God he didn’t murder anybody,” Eggers said.

“No,” Stone replied. “He merely pressed a disagreement over a traffic ticket a little too far and got himself a free ride to the precinct.”

“That’s what I mean,” Hackett said. “A firm needs somebody like Stone.”

AS EGGERS WAS being shown into his chauffeured car after dinner, he turned back toward Stone. “I hope you didn’t take that offer from Jim Hackett seriously.”

“I hope you did,” Stone said, turning toward home.

26

As Stone arrived at Elaine’s, Dino and Felicity were just ordering. He waved away a menu. “No thanks, just a drink; I’ve already eaten.”

Elaine, who was seated with regulars at the next table, reached over and took Stone by a lapel. “What did you say?”

“A business dinner,” Stone said, knowing her views on those who dined before they arrived at her restaurant.

“People do business here,” Elaine said, freeing the lapel from her grasp.

“I was forced to dine elsewhere, sweetheart,” he said.

She looked unconvinced but turned back to her previous conversation.

“So,” Felicity said, “what did you find out about Whitestone?”

“It didn’t come up,” Stone replied. “It would have been awkward to raise the question. Anyway, Hackett probably already knows I’m interested in Whitestone.”