Worst Fears Realized

“Of the L.L. Beans?”

“No, and not of the Merrill, Lynch, Pierce, Fe

“Stone Barrington.”

“I believe I’ve heard the name. Of the Massachusetts Great Barringtons, I presume?”

Stone shook his head. “Of the Massachusetts Lesser Barringtons.”

“And how did you come to be in the big city?”

“It was easy; I was born here. After my parents had bailed out of Massachusetts.”

“Are you hungry?”

To his surprise, he was. He’d hardly touched his di

“The canapés were already gone when I got here. You want to get some di

“I do.”

She stood up, and she was taller than he had expected. Quite beautiful, too. Stone got out of his chair. “Did you have a coat?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s go find it.”

He took her arm, and, just for a moment, he thought the pain had gone away. Not quite, but a little. He steered her toward the front door, avoiding their hosts. Dino gave him a surreptitious wink, and a moment later, they were on the sidewalk.

“It’s nearly eleven,” Stone said, glancing at his watch. “I wonder if anyplace is still serving around here.”

“My apartment is only a couple of blocks away,” she said, “and there’s a good Chinese place that delivers.”

“Perfect,” he said.

“It’s not perfect, but it delivers.”

“I wasn’t talking about Chinese food.”

2

THEY WALKED AT A LEISURELY PACE, CHATTING idly. Her voice was low and musical, and Stone enjoyed listening.

“I recall that you are a lawyer, but I forget with whom,” she said.

“I’m in private practice.”

She laughed. “At Yale law we were taught to believe that ‘private practice’ meant you couldn’t get a job with a good firm.”

“That’s probably a fair characterization, but my excuse is that I was a cop for fourteen years and came to the practice of law, as opposed to the upholding of it, late in life. I’m of counsel to Woodman and Weld, but I work out of a home office.”

She wrinkled her brow. “That’s kind of weird, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is, I guess.”

“Oh, I get it; you do the dirty work, the stuff they don’t want to be seen to handle.”

“You’re very quick.”

“That’s what they say about me down at the DA’s Office,” she said. “‘Susan Bean is very quick.’ Of course, that’s not all they say about me.”

They stopped for a traffic light. “What else do they say?”

“Some call me the conscience of the office; others call me a pain in the ass. I guess it’s pretty much the same thing.”

“What are you working on now?”

“I was second chair to Martin Brougham on the Dante case,” she said.

“Congratulations,” Stone replied. “That was a big win.”

“I guess so.”

“You don’t sound very happy about it.”

“Oh, I’m glad we won,” she said. “I’m just not very happy about how we won.”

He was about to ask her what she meant when they arrived at her apartment building. She dug for a key and let them in; they took the elevator to the top floor, which was marked PH on the button.

“The penthouse?” Stone said. “Pretty fancy for an ADA.”

“It’s the top floor, the twelfth. That’s its only qualification as a penthouse.”

They rode up, and she opened the door to the apartment. It was small – living room, a dining alcove, bedroom, and kitchen. There was a small terrace overlooking the street. Any skyline view was blocked by a taller building across the street.

She went into the kitchen, dug a menu out of a drawer, and picked up the phone. “Trust me on the selections?” she asked.

“Sure, but nothing too spicy for me.”

She dialed the number and read off a list of dishes. “How long?” she asked. She listened, then covered the phone. “The delivery boy is out sick; would you mind picking it up? It’s not far.”

“Glad to,” Stone said.

“How long?” she asked again. “Okay, twenty minutes.” She hung up. “Can I get you a drink? Twenty minutes really means thirty.”

“Maybe some wine?”

She dug a bottle of chardo

Stone opened the bottle and poured them a glass. He threw his coat on a chair, and they sat on the sofa.

“That was quite a list of dishes you ordered,” he said.

“I exist on leftovers from takeout,” she replied. “So what fascinating dirty work are you doing for Woodman and Weld at the moment?” she asked.

“A personal injury suit,” he replied. “Dirty work isn’t always fascinating.”

“Is it a fascinating injury?”

“Not in the least. A Woodman and Weld client’s daughter was hurt in an automobile accident, and the other driver’s insurance company has been recalcitrant about paying her for her pain and suffering.”

“They usually are.”

“What’s next for you at the DA’s Office, now that you’ve put Dante away?”

She sighed. “I don’t know; I’m thinking about giving it up. It wears on me, you know?”

“I think I do, but it sounds like Brougham is on his way up. Won’t he take you with him?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure I want to go. When I joined the DA’s Office I was pretty idealistic, I guess. I saw it as the good guys against the bad guys, but now I’m not sure there are any good guys.”

“Life is a gray area,” Stone said.

“It’s charcoal gray and getting darker,” she said. “Did I ask you if you’re married?”

“No; I’m not.”

“Divorced?”

“Nope.”

“A lifelong bachelor? My God! Are you gay?”

“Nope.”

“Why did you never marry?”

“Just lucky, I guess.” He had been using that answer for a long time. “What about you?”

“A spinster at thirty-two,” she replied.

“Not for want of offers, I suspect.”

“I’ve had my moments.” She looked at him oddly. “May I kiss you?”

Stone laughed. “I’ve been kissed, but I’ve never been asked.”

“May I?”

“You don’t need to ask,” he said.

She leaned over, put her fingertips on his face, and drew him to her.

Her lips were firm and purposeful, and her tongue lay in waiting, darting into his mouth from time to time. He snaked an arm around her and pulled her closer, but she broke off the kiss and looked at her watch.

“Uh-oh, our di

Stone got into his coat.

“Here,” she said, “take my key, so I won’t have to buzz you in.” She handed it to him.

Stone pocketed the key, kissed her quickly, and left the apartment. It was a block and a half to the restaurant, and he had to wait a bit for the food. It came in a large paper bag, and he paid and left, walking quickly back to the apartment house. He let himself in, went to the elevator, and pressed the button. He looked up at the lights and saw that the elevator was on the top floor. Shortly, it began to move. Elevators in short buildings moved slowly, he reflected. It stopped on the sixth floor, then began moving down again, finally reaching the ground floor. Stone pressed PH and the car crept upward.

He let himself into the apartment. Music was playing, and a loud whistling noise emanated from the kitchen. The kettle was boiling. He set the food down on the dining table, shucked off his coat, and walked toward the whistling noise. The kitchen light was off, and the single living-room lamp didn’t offer much illumination. He groped for the light switch but couldn’t find it. Blindly, he groped his way toward the stove, aiming at the gas flame. Susan must be in the john, he thought. Now that he was closer, the kettle’s whistle had become a scream.

He took another step, and, suddenly, he was slipping, falling. He hit the floor with a thump, groaning, as his elbow took most of his weight. He put a hand on the floor to help himself up, but it was slippery, and he fell again. She had apparently spilled something on the floor. The kettle screamed on.