For the rest of the week, Stone turned his attention to the study. When the books had all been unpacked, dusted, and arranged on the shelves, he waxed the floor, then unrolled the beautiful Aubusson carpet that had come back from cleaning. He got the old desk, now refinished, back in its place, then hung two of his mother’s paintings, along with some of his great-aunt’s pictures. By Saturday, the room gleamed, but it looked as though someone had always lived in it.

Stone spent a month on the professional suite, ripping out the partitions Feldstein had installed for his treatment rooms, hiring a plumber to replace the old pipes, ducting the new central heating into the space, and stripping and refinishing the original oak paneling. He finished up with a reception room and two offices, plus a storeroom for a copying machine and supplies. He had a discreet brass plate made for the front door that read THE BARRINGTON PRACTICE. He would install it when news of his passing the bar exam came.

He began thinking about a secretary, but, before he could place an ad, Bill Eggers came up with someone who wanted to return to Woodman & Weld after raising children. She was a plump, motherly woman named Helen Wooten, very bright and capable, and she suited his needs perfectly. Not having much else for her to do yet, he put her in charge of his personal finances and the construction costs on the house. She began saving him money immediately.

Bill Eggers arranged a three-hundred-thousand-dollar mortgage on the house that let him pay off his old bank loan and gave him the funds to complete work and furnish the house and office.

Three months passed. Cary never called.

Every couple of weeks he had dinner with Dino, usually at Elaine’s. Elaine liked Dino; he made her laugh.

“Stone,” Dino said one evening, “you’re not going to believe this.”

“What?”

“I’m thinking of getting married.”

“You’re right, I don’t believe it.”

“A girl from the neighborhood. We know each other since grammar school.”

“I don’t believe it.”

“Mary Ann Bianchi, a good Italian girl.”

Stone turned to Elaine. “He’s hallucinating.”

“I think you’re right,” Elaine said. “It must be the Sambuca; he’s had too much.”

“I kid you not,” Dino said. “Will you stand up for me, be my best man?”

“I know what this is,” Stone said to Elaine, “it’s an elaborate practical joke. I’ll turn up for the wedding, and the whole 19th Precinct will be there, laughing like hell, because I believed this ridiculous story.”

“Stone, I swear to God, I’m doing it. We already got the church booked. I bought her a ring, for Christ’s sake.”

“You stole it from the evidence room.”

Dino looked wounded. “I paid cash money. I know a guy in the Diamond District.”