22
THE TERIYAKI WAS GOOD. Stone tried not to watch the others eating raw animals. As soon as he had finished his main course, Stone asked to be excused and left the table. He found a quiet corner of the restaurant and called Rita Gammage.
“Hello?”
“Rita, it’s Stone. We’ve got problems.”
“Did something go wrong?”
“If anything, it’s all gone too well,” Stone said.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that Mitzi has gotten a little too much in the swing of things. She’s impressed Sharpe and, incidentally, Hildy, too much. Among other things, she has told them that she bought a Hockney from you, and the way things are going, next she’ll be inviting them over for drinks.”
“Oh, God.”
“Does Philip have a Hockney in the gallery?”
“Yes, he does.”
“Borrow it, will you? And will you please call him right now and tell him that Mitzi bought it? I have the feeling Hildy is going to call her father tonight and ask him.”
“I’m sure he’ll loan it to me for a few days when I explain why,” she said. “I’ll get right on it.”
“Another thing,” Stone said. “Mitzi has told them that Ralph Lauren personally decorated her apartment.”
“That’s outrageous!”
“I know, but she did it.”
“Fortunately, most of my upholstered furniture is from Mr. Lauren’s store.”
“That will be a big help,” Stone said, “but there’s a further complication.”
“Now what?”
“When Hildy questioned whether Lauren personally does decorating jobs, Mitzi told her that Lauren and her father are very old friends and that he was one of Lauren’s early investors.”
“Oh, shit. If I know Hildy, she’ll find a way to track that down.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of. Do you know Lauren?” “I’ve met him a few times, but I don’t think he’d recognize my name.”
“Does Philip?”
“I think he sold him a picture once, a few years back.”
“Do you think Philip would call him and try to get him to back up this story?”
“I’m not at all sure about that,” Rita said. “Let me think about how to do this, and in the meantime, I’ll call Philip and ask about the Hockney.”
“I’m afraid that I don’t know Mitzi’s father’s first name,” Stone said.
“It’s Mike. She told me.”
“Good, I’ll leave it with you.”
“Are you home? I’ll call you back.”
“No, we’re in a sushi restaurant downtown with Hildy and Sharpe.”
“Call me when you get home. I’ll be up late.”
“Will do.” Stone hung up and returned to the table.
“Oh, Stone,” Mitzi said, “Derek and Hildy are coming for drinks tomorrow evening.”
“How nice,” Stone said, very glad that he had called Rita. Then he had a terrifying thought: Had Hildy ever visited Rita’s apartment?
THEY FINALLY WRAPPED up dinner, and the check came. It sat there. Stone was damned if he was going to pick it up; this had been at least a seven-hundred-dollar dinner, given the wine Sharpe had ordered, and it wasn’t Stone’s party. He decided to take the bull by the balls. “Thank you so much for dinner, Derek,” Stone said, pushing the check across the table. That was very extravagant of you.” He thought he saw Sharpe turn pale. He turned to Mitzi. “Shall we go?”
“Yes, let’s do,” she replied. “Can we drop you?” she asked Hildy and Sharpe.
“We’re going to have an after-dinner drink at the bar,” Sharpe said. “We’ll make our own way home.”
Stone hustled Mitzi out of the restaurant and into the car. “How’d that go?” Tom Rabbit asked.
“Wonderfully well,” Mitzi said.
Stone thought she was a little drunk. “You really threw a monkey wrench into the works,” Stone said.
“How’s that?” She seemed baffled.
“Well, first of all, that business about the Hockney.”
Mitzi giggled. “Oh, yes, I forgot about that.”
“I spoke to Rita. She’s going to borrow a Hockney from Philip Parsons.”
“Well, that’s all solved, then, isn’t it?”
“Not quite. Now we have to deal with your chummy relationship with America’s most famous designer, who has personally decorated your apartment.”
“Well, it looks as though he decorated it,” she said innocently.
“And that stuff about your father investing with Lauren years ago.”
“Oh, that’s perfectly true,” she said.
Stone looked at her skeptically. “Are you sure about that? Because that’s a loose end that can’t be left untied.”
“Of course, I’m sure.”
“All right, then we’re okay on that story about your father and Ralph. What are we going to do if Hildy gets to him and asks if he decorated your apartment?”
“Oh, I’ll call Ralph in the morning and square that with him.” She turned and took him by a lapel. “Did you really think I would spout all that stuff without being able to back it up?”
“Frankly, yes. I had no idea where that was coming from, and it would have been nice if you had tipped me off before you said it.”
“Oh, ye of little faith,” she said.
“And what about the Hockney? Did you have that all squared, too?”
“Well, Rita took me to the gallery, and I saw a Hockney there. I figured something could be done.”
“Mitzi, if you continue this high-wire act, you’re going to give me a coronary,” Stone said.
“Yeah,” Tom echoed from the front seat, “she gives me coronaries all the time. You’d better get used to it.”
“Tell me about your own little monkey wrench,” Mitzi said.
“What are you talking about?” Stone asked.
“I’m talking about Carrie Cox,” she said. “God, what a scene.”
“Well, I had no idea she was going to be there,” Stone said lamely. “I hustled her out of there as fast as I could.”
“And did you tell her I’m a cop?”
“I had to; she would have blown you on the spot.”
“Talk about high-wire acts,” Mitzi said, laughing. “You know, I think she actually lent some credibility to our little farce. Even her jealous act helped.”
“I hope you’re right,” Stone said.
“So, you and Carrie are an item,” Mitzi said.
“I told you, I’ve done some legal work for her.”
“Well, I guess it was legal,” Mitzi replied. “I mean, she is of age, isn’t she?”
AT 740 PARK,Stone walked Mitzi to her door.
She kissed him on the cheek. “By the way,” she said, “you acquitted yourself very well yesterday afternoon.”
“I must say, that was a surprise,” Stone said.
“Judging from the look on your face, I’d say it was a shock!”
“Well . . .”
“Let’s do it again sometime.”
“Absolutely,” Stone tried to say with confidence. He was still a little rattled by the experience.
“And Rita feels the same way,” Mitzi said. “Good night.” She gave him a little wave and went into the building.
Stone got into the front seat of the Bentley. “That woman is something,” he said to Tom.
“You don’t know the half of it,” Tom replied.