Stone went to his desk and picked up the phone. “Did I forget something?”

“No. I spoke to Carling Steadman. His order will be issued tomorrow, and you’ll have a dozen certified copies of the new birth certificate by FedEx on Monday. Peter will need them for school applications, et cetera. A couple of other things: we’ve got a partner here, Willard Powers, who is an alumnus of Peter’s school in Virginia and who is a trustee. He’s going to speak with the headmaster about changing the name on Peter’s records. He knows of another case where this was done, so he doesn’t think it will be a problem.”

“That’s wonderful.”

“And do you know of a grand dame actress named Letitia Covington?”

“The new Helen Hayes? Of course.”

“She’s the mother of a client of ours, and she was a founding board member of the performing arts program at Knickerbocker Hall. Peter has an appointment to meet her on Monday afternoon at three o’clock. Tell Peter to bring some sort of example of his film work.” Eggers gave Stone the address.

“Wow, Bill,” Stone said, “I don’t know how to thank you.”

“All part of being a partner of the firm,” Eggers said. “This won’t be the last time the relationship will work for you.”

Stone hung up. Joan came in and handed him a FedEx package from Leo Goldman. “This just arrived,” she said.

12

Later in the afternoon, Herbie Fisher called.

“Yes, Herbie?”

“Stone, the two guys are still outside. I can see them from my terrace. If I can’t get a carry license, I’m going to have to carry anyway.”

“Herbie, if you have ambitions to practice law, then you do not want a felony weapons charge on your record. You can understand that, can’t you? It would mean no law license, and the one you illegally obtained would be shredded.”

“Oh.”

“Exactly.”

“Then what can I do?”

“We can call your uncle Bob and get a couple of his guys put on the job. They can watch your back.” Herbie’s uncle Bob was Bob Berman, a retired police officer who often did technical and security work for Stone.

“I don’t want to bring Uncle Bob into this,” Herbie said. “He’s getting used to my being a straight character, and I want nothing to change his mind.”

“Very well, I’m on the board of a very large, very able security company called Strategic Services. I can arrange for them to supply you with anything from a bodyguard to a fleet of black helicopters, bristling with air-to-ground missiles.”

“Sounds good. Let’s talk to them about something at the low end of that range.”

“I’ll get right on it,” Stone said, then hung up and dialed Mike Freeman.

“Yes, Stone?”

“Mike, I have a small security job for you.”

“How small?”

“Two armed men, round the clock?”

“Tell me about it.”

“A client of mine, a wealthy young man named Herbert Fisher, a law student, is attempting to disentangle himself from a poor decision called marriage. Although his wife has agreed to the terms of the divorce, she appears to be having him followed by two men who, on one occasion, have driven him off a yacht at knifepoint into New York Harbor. They’re still on him.”