“Oh, God,” Stone breathed, but he did his best to live up to it.

When they had finished and lay on their backs, letting the ceiling fan cool their sweating bodies, Willa said, “I hope what I said about the DA hasn’t disrupted anything for you.”

“What you said hasn’t,” Stone said, “but what the DA said may, before this is over.”

“He wasn’t supposed to know about your meeting?”

“He was told by a participant who was indiscreet,” Stone said. “I’ll take steps to see that it doesn’t matter.”

“I hope that works out for you,” she said.

“So do I.”

The following morning they took a walk along the snowy shore.

“This place is more fun when we can take out a boat,” Stone said.

“Last night made up for the absence of boats,” Willa replied.

“That’s your fault,” Stone said. “You were irresistible.”

“A girl likes to be irresistible,” she replied.

“Tell me, what brought Herbie Fisher to the attention of someone as lofty as you in the DA’s office?”

“As part of my ADA’s supervision, I read a memo describing her—how shall I put it?—negotiation with you.”

“And?”

“It read more like a capitulation,” Willa replied. “I had a few words with her about that, and next time she encounters a defense lawyer she’ll be a lot tougher.”

“The young woman saved your office the expense of a prosecution that you’d have lost and the resulting embarrassment,” Stone said. “Speaking as an ex-cop who enjoyed putting criminals away, I think she made the right call. So does Dino, you’ll remember.”

“I can’t judge my people by what the cops think of them,” Willa said.

“I should have thought that the cops’ opinion of a prosecution would be a very important factor in judging new ADAs,” Stone said. “It doesn’t take any guts to bring a case to prosecution, if there’s any kind of case at all, but it takes some guts and smarts to look at the evidence and see that it’s not enough for a conviction.”

“Maybe, but a different, more experienced prosecutor might have come to a different conclusion about the evidence.”

“No,” Stone said, “if I had been talking to you instead, you would have come to the same conclusion.”

“And why do you think that?”

“Because in a case like Herbie’s, I’m a better defense attorney than I was a lover last night.”

“You think you’re that good, huh?”

“As an attorney, yes.”

“And if I’d tried the case, you think you could have got an acquittal?”

“I’m sure of it, but the greater skill lies in seeing that a case never comes to trial. Look at it this way: I did your office a favor.”

“You have a high opinion of yourself, don’t you?”