“I won’t screw up the warrant, Mr. Willard. And believe me, it will be much simpler for you just to give me Mr. James’s address and phone number than for us to come down there and start tearing your office apart.”

“Actually, I don’t have either an address or a phone number for him. I know it’s peculiar, but like I said, he’s reclusive.”

“How do you communicate with Mr. James?”

“E-mail,” Willard said. “And through his agent.”

“What’s his e-mail address?”

“FJ at frederickjames dot com.”

“And his agent’s name?”

“Tom Jones.”

“The singer or the novel?” Stone asked dryly.

“No kidding, that’s his name. I’ll give you his number.”

Stone wrote it down. “By the way, Mr. Willard, if Mr. James should communicate with you, please don’t tell him I called. It might make you a coconspirator.”

“Oh, jeez,” Willard said. “I won’t say a word.”

Stone hung up, laughing. “This is some kind of publishing house,” he said to Dino. “Just a kid and his pregnant wife. But I’ve got his agent’s name.” He dialed the number.

“Tom Jones,” a voice said—middle-aged, husky from booze and cigarettes. No operator, no secretary, just Jones.

“Mr. Jones, this is Lieutenant Bacchetti of the NYPD.”

“I didn’t do it!” Jones cackled. “She swore she was over eighteen, anyway.” He roared with laughter. It took him a moment to recover himself.

“Mr. Jones, I’m trying to find a client of yours.”

“And which client would that be?” Jones asked, clearing his throat loudly.

“Frederick James.”

“What a coincidence,” Jones said. “He’s my only client!” This time, he nearly collapsed with laughter.

The man has to be drunk, Stone thought. “Mr. Jones . . .”

Jones continued to laugh, cough and clear his throat. “Yeah?” he said finally.

“It’s very important that I see Mr. James.”

“Well, if you can do that, pal, you’re way ahead of me. I’ve never seen him.”

“He’s your client, and you’ve never seen him?”

“He’s reclusive.”

“And how do you communicate with him?”

“E-mail,” Jones said. “FJ at frederickjames dot com.”

“How about a phone number?”

“Don’t have one. I’ve never even spoken with him.”

“And how did you become his agent?”