She took his arm and led him across the room and out some French doors to a garden. “And what brings you to London?”

“A client asked me to come over and look into something for him.”

“Sounds mysterious.”

“It is.”

“It’s always mysterious when you’re involved, Stone. Tell me about it.”

“I’m afraid I can’t. Maybe when it’s over.”

“Oh.”

“How is Peter?”

“Growing,” she said. “You must come and see him sometime.”

“I’d like that very much,” he said. “Where are you spending most of your time?”

“I’ve been dividing it between LA and Mother’s house in Virginia. Peter is there for the summer with her, while I’ve been apartment hunting.”

“In London?”

“In New York.”

Stone began to sweat again and sipped the cold champagne. From inside the house a chime was being struck repeatedly.

“Sounds like dinner,” Arrington said. “Shall we?”

“Let’s do.” The thought of Arrington living in New York again thrilled and frightened him. Immediately, his life seemed in turmoil.

They sat at round tables for ten, and there were at least twenty of them. Arrington knew some of the other guests, having “jiggled the place cards,” and she chatted animatedly with them all, leaving Stone with a thousand questions and no opportunity to ask any of them. Dinner was good, for banquet food, and when dessert came, Stone excused himself and went to look for a men’s room. A staffer showed him the way, and he went inside and stepped up to a urinal. A moment later, the door opened and someone walked behind Stone and around the room, then stepped up to the neighboring urinal.

“See anyone you know?” Hedger asked.

“Yes, Arrington Calder,” Stone said.

“The movie star’s widow? I think she killed him, don’t you?”

“No.”

“How do you know her?”

“We’ve been friends for a long time.”

“Oh, wait a minute, I remember now; you were involved with her trial, weren’t you?”

“She was never tried,” Stone replied. “Her lawyer and I got it quashed at a hearing. She was plainly innocent.”

“Yeah, sure,” Hedger said.

Stone zipped up and went to wash his hands. Hedger was right behind him.

“I saw someone else,” Stone said.

“Who?”

“The man who interrogated me. At least, I think it was he; I only got a glimpse of him, and he wasn’t very well lighted the last time I saw him.”

“Where is he sitting?”

“I don’t know; when I looked for him again, he was gone.”

“You mean, he left?”

“I don’t know; he may have just moved elsewhere in the room.”

“Did he see you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Try and spot him again, and find a way to let me know where he is. I’m at table sixteen.”

“All right. There’s something else we have to talk about, but we can’t do it now.”