Barker ushered them into the living room, where two other couples and a woman waited. “Meet everybody,” he said. “This is Frank and Marian Woodman.”
Stone shook their hands. “Mr. Woodman and I have met,” he said.
“Oh?” Barker said. “You’re better acquainted around town than I thought.”
“All in the line of duty,” Stone said, “just the way I met you.”
“That’s right,” Woodman said. “Sasha Nijinsky was my client, and Detective Barrington came to see me. Or, I should say, Mr. Barrington. My congratulations; I hear that sort of medical retirement is every police officer’s dream.”
“Most of the cops I know would rather serve the thirty years healthy,” Stone said.
“Oh, the penny just dropped,” Mrs. Woodman said. She was a small, handsome woman some years her husband’s junior. “You’re the detective in the papers.”
“I’m afraid so,” Stone said.
“You’ll have to interrogate him later, Marian,” Barker said, pulling Stone and Cary away. “He has other guests to meet.” He took them to the other couple. “This is Abbott Wheeling and his wife, India. Stone Barrington and Cary Hilliard.”
Wheeling was an elderly man, a former editor of the
“I’m Edith Bonner,” she said, shaking hands with both of them. She was tall, on the heavy side, but quite pretty and elegantly dressed.
“Edith is my date for the evening,” Barker explained.
A waiter approached and took their drink orders. Bonner excused herself, and Cary pulled Stone to the window.
“It’s quite a view, isn’t it?” she said, pointing at the United Nations building.
“I hadn’t seen it at night,” Stone said.
“Do you know who Edith Bonner is?”
“No, the name doesn’t ring a bell.”
“She’s a sort of society psychic,” Cary explained. “She’s a wealthy widow who does readings of her friends – strictly amateur – but she has quite a reputation.”
The Wheelings joined them at the window and admired the view. “Your leaving the force at this particular time has caused quite a bit of speculation,” he said to Stone.
“Well, I was scheduled for the physical some time ago,” Stone replied. “It was unfortunate that I was in the middle of an investigation at the time.”
“I don’t mean to interview you, Mr. Barrington…”
“Please call me Stone.”
“Thank you, and you must call me Ab; everyone does. As I was saying, I don’t mean to interview, and this is certainly off the record, but do you think this Morgan woman had anything to do with the Nijinsky business?”
Stone nodded toward Bonner, who was returning to the room. “Maybe we should ask Mrs. Bonner,” he said. “I expect she has just as good an idea about it as anyone assigned to the case.”
Wheeling smiled. “You should have been a diplomat, Stone, or somebody’s press secretary. That was as neat an answer as I’ve ever heard, and I couldn’t quote you if I wanted to.”
The maid entered the room. “Dinner is served,” she said. People finished their drinks and filed into the dining room.
Stone was seated between India Wheeling and Edith Bonner and across from Frank Woodman.
“Stone, what are you going to do with yourself, now that you’re a free man?” Woodman asked in the middle of the main course.
“I’m returning to the law,” Stone said. “It seems to be the only thing I know anything about.” He didn’t mention that he would soon be cramming for the bar exam.
“Your career as a detective makes for an interesting background for a certain kind of lawyer,” Woodman said. “I believe Bill Eggers may have an idea for you.”
“I had a message from him this week,” Stone replied.
“When he’s back from Los Angeles, I hope you’ll listen to what he has to say.”
“Surely. At this point, I’m certainly open to suggestions.”
Edith Bonner, who had been quiet up until now, spoke up. “Mr. Barrington…”
“Stone.”
“Stone. Of course I’m aware of what you’ve been investigating recently. I read the papers like everybody else.”
“Why, Edith,” Woodman broke in, “I didn’t know you had to read the papers; I thought you had a direct line to the central source of all knowledge.”
Bonner smiled. “You’ll have to excuse Frank; he’s a very bright man, but his curiosity extends only to the literal – what he can see and hear and touch.”
“That’s right, Edith,” Woodman said.
“What Frank doesn’t understand is that some of us see and hear and touch things that are not quite so literal. Do you see what I mean, Stone?”
“I believe I do, Edith, but I have to tell you that my experience as a police officer has made me not unlike Frank. I tend to put my faith in what I can see and hear, and I don’t have your gifts with the less than literal.”
“I believe I might be able to tell you something about what happened to Sasha Nijinsky,” Bonner said.
All conversation ceased at the table.
“Would this be something material, or would it be more… ephemeral?” Stone asked, trying to keep the tone light.
Bonner smiled. “I believe you might think it ephemeral,” she said, “but I assure you it is material to me. I would not speak if I didn’t feel quite certain about what I want to tell you.”
“I’m all ears,” Stone said.
“I feel strongly that two persons are responsible for what happened to Sasha Nijinsky,” Bonner said.
“Well, since two things happened to Sasha – her fall and her disappearance – it seems quite possible that two people could be involved.”
“I was referring to Sasha’s fall from her terrace,” Bonner said, “and only one of these persons was present when she… fell.”
“That’s very interesting,” Stone said. It’s not very interesting at all, he thought. So much for ESP.
“I warn you, Stone,” Barker said, “Edith does not make such statements lightly. You should take her seriously.”
“Unfortunately,” Stone replied, “I’m no longer in a position to do so, and I have no reason to believe that anyone assigned to the case would be interested in hearing from me about any theory whatsoever. Edith, if you feel strongly about this, perhaps you should contact Lieutenant Leary, who is commander of detectives at the 19th Precinct.”
Bonner shook her head. “No,” she said, “he wouldn’t listen to me. I’ve done what I can, now; I’ll have no more to say on the subject.” She returned to her dinner and her silence.
Soon the party moved back to the living room for coffee and brandy. Stone chatted at some length with Frank Woodman and found that he liked the man.
Later, when people made a move to leave, Bonner appeared at Stone’s elbow. “There’s something I didn’t want to mention at the table,” she said.
“Yes?”
“Sasha Nijinsky is not finished with you.”
“Well, I’m afraid the NYPD has finished with me.”
“But not Sasha. There’s a connection between the two of you that you don’t seem to know about.”
“A connection?”
“A… well, a spiritual connection.”
“But I never knew her.”
“Do you think it was a coincidence that you were there when she fell from that balcony?”
