Michael nodded and went away.

“Since when does a limey girl drink bourbon?” Dino asked.

“Since Stone extolled its virtues,” she replied. A glass was set before her, and she sipped appreciatively.

“And what brings you to New York?” Stone asked. “Besides me, I mean.”

“Well,” she said drolly, “you were the most important consideration, of course, but there is a little job I have to do with an agency of your government that will require every waking moment that I can tear myself away from your presence.”

“I’ll see that there are not many of those moments,” Stone said. “Dare I ask which agency of my government?”

“The FBI,” she said.

“Oh, yes, they would be the folks who are roughly analogous to your own outfit, wouldn’t they?”

“Perhaps,” she said coolly.

“C’mon, Stone, she’s not going to tell you anything,” Dino said.

Elaine came back and pulled up a chair.

“Elaine Kaufman,” Stone said, “let me introduce . . .” He waited for Carpenter to fill in the blank.

“Felicity,” Carpenter said, offering her hand to Elaine and shooting Stone an amused glance.

“Really?” Stone asked.

“Sometimes,” Carpenter replied.

Stone’s cell phone rang.

3

Stone stood up. “Excuse me for a moment,” he said to Carpenter. He walked toward the kitchen and turned into the empty dining room that Elaine used for parties and overflow. “Hello?”

“This is Herbie Fisher. You called?”

“Yeah, I spoke to your uncle Bob a few minutes ago, and he recommended you for a job.”

“What kind of job?”

“It involves a camera.”

“I’m up for photography,” Herbie said. “Tell me more.”

“The job’s tomorrow evening, so clear your schedule. Come to my office tomorrow morning at ten.” Stone gave him the address. “It’s the professional entrance of the house, lower level.”

“What’s it pay?”

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow morning.” Stone hung up and went back to his table. Elaine had moved on to somebody else’s.

“Late date?” Carpenter asked.

“Business,” Stone said.

“Ah, business.”

“How long are you in town for?”

“A few days, unless I can think of a reason to stretch my stay.”

Dino stood up. “I’ll leave you two to work on some reasons.”

“Good night, Dino,” she said. “I hope I’ll see you again while I’m here.”

“Count on it,” Dino said, then he left.

“Sweet man,” Carpenter said.

“If you say so. Felicity, huh? I like it.”

“It’s just as well; I’m not going to change it.”

“Have you had dinner?”

“I had a business dinner earlier.”

“Where are you staying?”

“With friends.”

“Where, with friends?”

“In the East Forties.”

“Very near me. Will you come to my house for a nightcap?”

“All right.”

They got into their coats and, outside, Stone started to hail a cab.

“Don’t,” she said. “I have a car, courtesy of my firm.” She nodded toward a black Lincoln idling at the curb.