“Well, I’m just guessing here, but you’re fucking right it would.”

“Well, then, you fax me a legal definition of the property and all the usual stuff, and I’ll fax you a signed offer before noon—all cash, condition as is, closing Friday at noon. I’ll wire you three hundred and fifty grand of earnest money. And you and the wife can dine out grandly this evening on your commission.”

“I’ll call up Mr. Greco, and get his verbal approval, before I put us to all that trouble.”

“All right. You can tell him I’m the buyer, if you like, but not why I’m buying.”

“Well, you haven’t told me why you’re buying, have you?” Billy said.

“No. But we both know, don’t we?”

“You can assume that.”

“Let’s get it done before that corporate buyer hears about it, shall we?”

“All right by me.”

“Call me if there are any problems. But let’s not have any problems, okay?”

“Avoiding problems is my life’s work,” Billy said, and they both hung up.

Stone buzzed Joan.

“Yes, sir?”

“In about a minute, you’re going to get a fax about a house in Dark Harbor from Billy Hotchkiss. When it comes in, transfer the relevant information on it to a boilerplate offer, and print it out for my signature and your notarizing. Also, wire transfer three hundred and fifty grand to Billy’s real estate office account as earnest money. Got that?”

“Yes, but let me be sure I’ve got it right: you’re buying yet another property. This one in a place where you already own a house?”

“That is correct, and I don’t have time to explain why. We just need to get that offer into Billy’s hands fast. And call Charley Fox at Triangle Investments and tell him to find another three million somewhere in my checking account, because we’re closing before noon on Friday. Oh, and I’ll need a cashier’s check for the three million in Billy’s hands on Thursday, and make my attorney of record Herbie Fisher. And print me a power of attorney for Ed Rawls to act for me at the closing, and send that to Billy, too.”

“Mine is not to reason why,” Joan muttered on her way out.

“Keep thinking that!” Stone shouted after her.

Stone called his old NYPD partner, Dino Bacchetti, now New York City’s police commissioner.

“Bacchetti.”

“We need to have dinner tonight,” Stone said, “because my news won’t wait any longer than that.”

“Here’s an idea,” Dino said. “Let’s have dinner. Viv is out of town, of course.”

“Seven at Patroon.”

“Yep.” Dino hung up.

Joan buzzed. “Billy Hotchkiss on one.”

“Thanks, and book me at Patroon, two at seven.” Stone pressed the button. “Hey, Billy.”

“Hey, yourself. I talked to Greco about your offer.”

“What’d he say?”