Stone started to walk again. “Once again, you have a point, but couldn’t he have hired some private security people? Somebody with a little more discretion?”

“Then strangers would know his business,” Dino said, “and Eduardo doesn’t want anybody outside the family to know his business. To tell you the truth, I’m a little surprised he hasn’t had you capped. After all, you’re not exactly family, although you almost were.”

“I guess I dodged that bullet,” Stone said.

“Not yet, pal,” Dino replied. “But at least you’re not bound to them by a Catholic marriage and family obligations.”

“I still feel obligated to Dolce.”

“Eduardo doesn’t feel you have any obligation to her, so why do you?”

“He has been very apologetic about this,” Stone said.

“You’re lucky he’s Italian,” Dino said. “If you’d been through the same experience with the daughter of some high Episcopalian, the old man would be out there ruining your reputation, even as we speak. He wouldn’t have you shot, but you’d never get invited to dinner again by anybody with an Anglo-Saxon name, and you’d be kicked out of your clubs—if you belonged to any clubs.”

“Yeah, keep telling me how lucky I am,” Stone said. He turned into Tiffany & Company. “Come on, I’ve got to find a wedding present for Thad and Liz.”

“Listen, those people ought to be giving you a wedding present,” Dino said.

“Nevertheless.” Stone looked, first at crystal, then moved up to sterling. “What do you think of this?” he asked, holding up a handsome silver bowl.

“What would they keep in that, their money?”

“Fruit.”

“Oh.”

“I’ll take this,” Stone said to a saleslady. “Could you gift wrap it?”

“Of course,” the woman said. “I’ll just be a moment.” She vanished into a back room.

Dino went rigid. “Don’t turn around,” he said. “Dolce’s looking in the window.”

Involuntarily, Stone turned around and looked. He saw a disappearing flash of color.

“You stay right here,” Dino said. “Don’t move.” He walked quickly to the front door and outside, looking up and down the street.

Stone waited impatiently until the saleswoman returned, then waited even more impatiently while she rang up the sale and had his credit card authorized. Finally, blue shopping bag in hand, he hurried to the front door. He looked up and down the street as far he could see, then stepped outside. Dino was nowhere in sight, and neither was the red Cadillac.

Stone stood in the bright sunlight, feeling helpless, not knowing which way to turn. He waited for five long minutes, then made a decision: He turned right and walked rapidly along the street, checking shopwindows for Dolce and looking up and down the street for the red Cadillac.

Suddenly, Dino stepped out of a doorway and ran head-on into Stone. “Didn’t I tell you to stay where you were?” he demanded.