“Two, I think: a distributorship to buy, or alternately, a property where I can start one, and an ad agency.”

“Let’s start with the ad agency,” Stone said. “I recommend a firm called Kelly & Kelly, a small-to-medium firm that does good marketing and great creative work. Can I set up an appointment?”

“Please do.”

Stone looked up the number and called the agency: “Good morning, Brad, it’s Stone Barrington.”

“Good to hear from you, Stone. What’s up?”

“I have a potential client for you.” He gave the man a brief description of Pepe, including his interest in acquiring or establishing a distribution business.

“Sounds interesting. Is he in town?”

“He’s in my office.”

“Want to bring him over here after lunch? Say, three o’clock?”

“Pepe, is three this afternoon good for you?”

“Good for me.”

“You’re on, Brad. See you then.”

“Hang on, there’s something else.”

“Okay.”

“My brother-in-law, who works here, has a father with a very nice beverage distributorship who’s starting to look at retirement.”

“That’s very interesting.”

“His name is Martin Winkle, and I happen to know he’s free for lunch. You want to get the two of them together?”

“Hang on. Pepe, would you like to have lunch with a man named Martin Winkle, who’s a beverage distributor looking to retire?”

“Sure, why not?”

“Okay, Pepe’s on.”

“Marty can meet him at twelve-thirty at the Four Seasons. He had a lunch date with me there.”

Stone checked with Pepe and made the date.

He hung up. “Okay, you meet Winkle at twelve-thirty, and you and I will meet at the agency’s building at three.” He gave him the address.

“Fine with me,” Pepe said.

“Good.” They shook hands, and Pepe left.

Chapter 3

Dino called shortly after Perado left. “I got something for you,” he said.

“Shoot.”

“The guy named Ryan is one Eugene Ryan, who got busted off the force two years ago, because he was doing strong-arm work, freelance.”

“So, he’s no longer a cop?”

“That is his condition. The other guy is probably one Al Parisi, who was a buddy of Ryan’s. He graduated from the Academy but didn’t last through the probationary period. Ryan had been his training officer, and after Ryan went, so did Parisi. His record says it was for failure to carry out his duties.”

“A catchall phrase?”

“Right. A chat with his captain revealed that Parisi has some family mob connections, too.”

“I remember a Gino Parisi from a long time ago.”

“That was his grandfather.”

“So the kid was mobbed up?”

“Reading between the lines, I think he probably was not. He doesn’t sound like the type to qualify. The old man, Gino, would probably have thought he was a wimp.”

“So he couldn’t qualify for the mob, but he could qualify for the Academy?”