Stone hung up, too, hope renewed.

THAT NIGHT, Stone left the house and settled into the wonderfully comfortable rear seat of Vance Calder's dark green, long-wheelbase Bentley Arnage. Arrington kissed him lightly.

"Do you remember this car?"

"Yes, from LA."

"It's a bit out of place in Albemarle County, but I couldn't part with it."

"It'll be perfect for New York," Stone replied. "The traffic moves at an average of nine miles per hour here, and it's better being stuck in this English drawing room on wheels than suffering the broken-down backseat of a New York City taxicab."

"I suppose it is."

"Have you started looking for an apartment, yet?"

"Not only have I started looking, I've found one."

"Wonderful! Where?"

"Fifth Avenue, overlooking the park. All I need is a designer, and I have some ideas about that."

Elaine's was only half full when they arrived, and they were shown to Stone's usual table. The waiters fawned over Arrington, welcoming her back, and she stopped to speak to a couple of people on the way to the table.

"I'd forgotten what a nice place this can be," she said, as they sat down. "One always knows somebody."

"True. What would you like to drink?"

"A cosmopolitan, I think."

Stone ordered that, and his usual Knob Creek came with it. They raised their glasses.

"Renewed friendships," Stone said.

"We are friends, aren't we?" she asked. "I mean, in addition to having been lovers, we've always been friends."

Well, not always, Stone thought. "Of course we have."

Elaine came through the door at the stroke of nine and spotted them immediately. She came over and gave Stone a hug and a kiss but offered only a hand to Arrington. "Hi," she said, then went to another table.

"Well, that was rather frosty," Arrington said.

"Oh, you know how Elaine is with women," Stone said.

"I know she prefers the company of men, but I thought we always got along well."

"Once you're a regular again, all will be well. Elaine likes regulars. It doesn't matter to her that you haven't been coming because you live in L.A. and Virginia; all she cares about is that you haven't been coming."

"All right," Arrington said, sipping her cosmopolitan. Then her face lit up. Dino was coming through the front door. She waved, and he came over and gave her a big hug.

"It's great to see you back, Arrington," he said.

"And it's always good to see you, Dino. Please join us for dinner."

Stone aimed a kick at Dino under the table, which he deftly avoided. "I'd love to, and I know Stone would love it, too." He waved to a waiter for a Scotch.

"And how are Mary Ann and Benito?"

"My wife and son are both thriving."

"And when did you last see them?" Arrington asked, archly.

"As a matter of fact I just had dinner with them at home," Dino said. "Ben is now doing his homework, and his mother is doing whatever she does when I'm here."

"Which is, what, every night?"

"Only five or six nights a week. We have to go out to her father's for dinner one night."

"And how is the mysterious Eduardo?"

"Old, but hardy."

"Dare I ask about Dolce?"

"Mrs. Barrington is in a rubber room, or Stone would be dead now."

Stone made a face at Dino to ward him off the subject, but it didn't help. He had once been married to Dino's sister-in-law, Dolce, for a few minutes, before she turned out to be raving and murderously mad. "It was never legal in this country," Stone said.

"Thanks to Eduardo," Dino drawled.

"Stone still thinks of himself as a bachelor, not a divorce," Dino said.

Arrington laughed. "Stone still thinks of himself as a virgin."

The two of them thought this uproariously funny, while Stone pretended to be amused.

"So, Stone," Dino said, "you had any offers from the porno industry, yet?"

"Dino…"

"Are you referring to the business of the naked U.S. Attorney on the Justice Department Web site?" Arrington asked.

"What else?" Dino replied. "Hilarious, isn't it?"

"Priceless."

"I want you both to stop this," Stone said. "Both she and I are victims of mistaken identity, and that's the whole of it."

"Sure, Stone," Dino said. "Whatever you say."

"God, it was only on the Web site for a few minutes, and the whole world seems to have seen it."

"I heard that some kid in Jersey taped it and is already selling it on the Internet," Dino said.

Stone groaned. "Anybody hungry?" He waved frantically for a waiter to bring menus.

"Starved," Arrington said.

Stone looked up from his menu to see Tiffany Baldwin walk into the restaurant, accompanied by a well-dressed man.

"Stone, what's wrong?" Arrington said. "You look as if you've seen a ghost." Her gaze followed his toward the door.

"Not a ghost," Dino said. "A video porn star."

34

STONE NEARLY CHOKED on his bourbon. Tiff glided by, flashing Stone a brilliantly threatening smile that seemed to say, "If you speak to me I will cut your heart out."

"Evening, Stone," she said, as she passed.

"Evening, Tiffany."

"Oh," Arrington said, "so that's the fabled United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York."

Dino laughed. "I'm surprised she'd show her face in here."

"Why not?" Arrington said. "I hear she's already shown everything else."

"Stop it, both of you," Stone said through clenched teeth. "She'll hear you."

"She's really quite lovely, Stone," Arrington said. "I hope your roll in the hay was worth the consequences."

"What consequences?" Dino asked.

"From what I hear, Stone is just about the most famous man in New York, and tomorrow's papers aren't even out, yet."

"God, is there no end to this?" Stone said aloud.

Arrington patted his hand. "Probably not, my dear, at least not until someone else does something even more outrageous, if that's possible. Dino, do you think you could get me a copy of that videotape from that fellow in New Jersey?"

"Just go to Google and type in 'U.S. Attorney,'" Dino said. "The tape will be right at the head of the list."

Stone glared at him. "You sound as if you've already been there."

Dino shrugged. "A couple of guys at the precinct stumbled onto it. Several of my detectives have already ordered their personal copies. You're their hero."

"I want both of you to listen to me very carefully," Stone said, keeping his voice low and calm. "Either we are going to have a moratorium on this subject from this moment on, or the two of you can dine together without my company." He was volcanically angry, but he was not going to allow himself to show it.

"Why, Stone," Arrington said, taking his hand, "you're angry. I've never seen you angry before."

"And I hope you never do again," Stone replied. "Now, shall we order?" He thanked God his back was to Tiff. His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He ignored it.

THEY WERE FINISHING dinner when Stone's cell phone vibrated again, and still he ignored it. A moment later, it went off for a third time. He looked at the phone and read the number from caller ID-Lance. "Will you excuse me for a moment?" Stone said.

"Of course," Arrington replied.

Stone got up and walked toward the front door, while answering his phone. "Yes?"

"It's Lance."

Stone stepped outside into the cold. "What is it?"

"I need you right now."

Stone cursed under his breath. "I'm sorry, you're breaking up."

"Don't hand me that," Lance said. "I need you right this minute. A car will pick you up in front of Elaine's in about thirty seconds."

"I'm sorry, I still can't read you," Stone said. "Try again later." He turned off the cell phone and walked back inside, shivering.