She took it, baffled. “Hello? Yes, this is Liz. Oh, it’s you! We were just talking about you. Well, yes, I’d like to see you again. Saturday? I believe I’m free. All right, I’ll look forward to seeing you then.” She handed the phone back to Stone.

“Stone, bring her to the party on Saturday night, aboard Toscana. Seven o’clock.”

“All right.”

“See you then. Gotta run.”

Stone returned the cell phone to his pocket.

“So, you’re a matchmaker, as well?”

“Glad to be of service.”

“He is well known, isn’t he?”

“Yes, in the worlds of computer software and Wall Street, he’s something of a celebrity.”

“I don’t know about these things. I never read the Wall Street Journal.”

“Neither do I.”

She frowned.

“Anything wrong?”

“There is something else.”

“What’s that?”

“Paul Manning.”

“He’s dead.”

She shook her head. “No, he’s not.”

“But he went back to St. Marks and was . . .” Stone stopped. “You bought him out, didn’t you?”

She nodded sheepishly. “I called Sir Leslie, the barrister, remember?”

“Oh, yes. How much did it cost you?”

“Half a million.”

“You got a volume discount?”

“Stone, I couldn’t just let him be hanged.”

“Why not? He’s a triple murderer. And, when he thought you were going to be executed, he didn’t lift a hand to save you from the gallows.”

“That’s true, of course, but still . . .”

A terrible thought struck Stone. “Please tell me Paul doesn’t know you’re alive.”

She slumped. “I’m afraid he does. Sir Leslie let it slip.”

“Good God. Where is Paul?”

“I don’t know, but he was in Easthampton last weekend.”

“You saw him?”

“I was in a shop on Sunday afternoon, and he passed by in the street.”

“You’re sure it was Paul?”

“Absolutely sure. He’s kept all that weight off, and he’s had a nose job, but I recognized him just by the way he walked.”

“Did he see you?”

“No. I mean, I don’t think so. Still, I got the hell out of the Hamptons, and as soon as I got to Palm Beach, I changed my hair color. What can I do about this, Stone?”

“It’s the money he wants, isn’t it? You could try buying him off.”

“Will you deal with that for me?”

“Well, there are two problems with that. First, I don’t know where to find him. Second, the last time he saw me, he wanted to kill me, and since I got him arrested, imprisoned and nearly hanged in St. Marks, I doubt if he feels any more kindly toward me. In fact, it makes me nervous just knowing he’s out there somewhere.”

“Apparently, he wants to kill me, too,” she said. “At least, that’s what he told Sir Leslie.”

“Grateful, isn’t he?”

“Stone, what am I going to do?”