Stone Barrington and Dino Bacchetti were enjoying dinner at Patroon, their frequent restaurant of choice ever since Elaine’s had closed. Stone was enjoying osso buco, Dino rack of lamb.
They were just finishing up their entrées and contemplating dessert when a cell phone rang.
“Is that mine?” Stone said.
“It must be,” Dino said. “My ringtone plays ‘Hail to the Chief.’” Dino Bacchetti was New York City’s police commissioner. Since the two men had once been beat cops together, Dino often joked about the importance of his office.
Stone Barrington answered his phone. “Hello?”
“Stone. It’s Billy Barnett.”
“Hi, Billy. How are you?”
“Is that Billy Barnett?” Dino said. “Say hi for me.”
“Thanks, but this isn’t a social call,” Teddy said. “I’m in jail.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“I wish I were. I’m in the L.A. county lockup awaiting arraignment.”
“On what charge?”
“Murder.”
“Did you do it?”
“Not this time.”
“How’d you get arrested?”
“The police found me at the crime scene examining the corpse.”
“That’s usually what they call ‘caught red-handed.’”
“Well, it wasn’t what I’d planned to be doing.”
“No, I would imagine not.”
“Anyway, I’m in a bit of a sticky situation. I was hoping you could recommend a lawyer who could handle it for me.”
“You’re talking to him.”
“Thanks, but that won’t work.”
“Why not?”
“Peter started filming his latest picture. I don’t have a scene tomorrow, but I have to be on the set first thing the following day.”
“You should have thought of that before you found a dead guy.”
“Thanks, Stone. That’s just the type of legal advice I was hoping for.”
“Relax. I have no pressing business in New York at the moment. I’ll fly out to L.A. and have you out in time for dinner tomorrow.”
“I don’t think the police will be inclined to let me go.”
“I won’t deal with the police. I’ll deal with the prosecutor. What have they got on you, anyway?”
“I’m not sure they’ve figured it out yet. So far they just caught me at the scene.”
“Did you have a motive to kill the guy?”
“Never met him.”
“Then what were you doing there?”
“The guy was a gossip columnist. He was spreading rumors about Tessa Tweed, and I wanted to find his source.”
“What kind of rumors?”
“That she’s a drunk who can’t say her lines right, so her voice had to be dubbed.”
“This guy was saying that?”
“Yeah.”
“But you didn’t kill him?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Stone hung up the phone to find Dino looking at him.
“What’s up?” Dino said.
“Billy’s accused of killing a gossip columnist for saying nasty things about your daughter-in-law. Care to come to L.A.?”
Dino’s eyes blazed. “Try and stop me.”