Two-Dollar Bill

apartments.'

'If you really want to be near me, you needn't buy an apartment; I have a perfectly good house.'

'I think it's best if we don't rush into things, don't you? Our… distance, for want of a better word… has been a strain, at least on me, and…'

'On me, too.'

'Well, then, let's take it slowly and see where it leads us. Anyway, I can't be here all the time. Peter is starting school in the autumn, so I still have to be in Virginia much of the year.'

'It may surprise you to learn that there are very good schools in New York City.'

'I think the country life and the horses are better for him than adventure trips to Central Park. I'm not sure he's the sort of boy who would thrive in the big city.'

'What sort of boy is he?'

'Sensitive, a bit shy. Happy to ride his pony, or spend the afternoon alone in the barn, grooming him.'

'He sounds a lot like me.'

'Now, let's don't start that again. As far as I'm concerned, Vance was his father.'

'Don't you want to know for sure?'

'What would that solve?'

'It might supply him with a father. Don't you think he needs one?'

'I don't think he needs the confusion, and I would not look forward to explaining things to him. Now, let that be an end to it, please.'

'Whatever you wish.'

'Ah, just the words I long to hear from a man.'

'You've been manless for too long.'

'Oh? What makes you think so? There is an ample supply of men in Albemarle County.'

'Chinless wonders in baggy tweeds; wastrel trust-fund boys with no character.'

'Well, there is an element of that, but there are other types. Tell me, who have you been seeing?'

'Until this morning, the U.S. Attorney, but apparently, never again.'

'Are those the words she used?'

'That was a direct quote.'

'Well, you can hardly blame the woman, can you? What with all this unwanted notoriety.'

'I can't be blamed, either, although she's blaming me, anyway. It's not my fault she has a doppelganger disporting herself on the Internet.'

'But how did this get on the Justice Department Web site?'

'I've no idea, but it seems to have been done to embarrass her before her peers, and I certainly had no reason to do that. It seems the only thing I can do now is to try to stay out of federal court, lest I encounter her.'

'That would seem a good idea, in the circumstances.'

A young man in a bad suit with spiky hair stepped up to their table. 'Hello, Mr. Barrington,' he said, 'and Mrs. Calder.'

Stone looked at him, baffled. 'Could you excuse us, please?'

'Well, yes, but the U.S. Attorney probably won't. Do you have any comment for our viewing audience?'

'What viewing audience?' Stone asked, looking around.

The young man pointed to his lapel, to which was pinned a round object. 'Right here,' he said. 'Twenty million Americans watch us every night, right after the news. Our viewers want to know your side of the Internet sex scandal.'

The headwaiter suddenly appeared at their table, looking distastefully at the young man. 'Is everything all right, Mr. Barrington?' He asked.

'This gentleman seems to be using a hidden camera to videotape your guests,' Stone said. 'I think he needs your assistance in leaving.'

The headwaiter took the young man's elbow and marched him toward the stairs. 'My apologies, Mr. Barrington,' he called over his shoulder.

'I'm sorry about that,' Stone said to Arrington.

Arrington shook her head. 'Not the way I wanted to reenter New York life,' she said, folding her napkin and laying it on the table. 'I'd like to go now, and we'd better find another way out of the restaurant. I have a feeling there will be a knot of cameras at the front door.'

Stone waved for a check.

32

WHEN STONE GOT BACK to his house, after putting Arrington into a cab for the Carlyle Hotel, a thicket of seedy men with cameras surrounded his doorstep.

'What do you want?' Stone asked, playing the innocent.

A hail of questions swept over him. He held up his hands for silence. 'Listen carefully; I'm going to give you a statement.'

They became suddenly rapt.

'This morning somebody called me about a videotape on a government Web site. I haven't seen it; I had nothing to do with it; I'm sure it did not contain images of any government official. Sounds to me like you've all confused that image with some innocent person. Go away.' He elbowed his way through the crowd and let himself into the house, leaning on the door to catch his breath.

'Hi.'

Stone jumped about a foot. 'Sandy, what are you doing here?'

'Lance sent me over to look at your alarm system, remember?'

'Oh, yeah, I forgot.'

'It had been disabled.'

'What?'

'Somebody had set it up so that it seemed to behave normally when you entered your code, either arriving or departing, but it was doing absolutely nothing. They could have kicked in the door, come upstairs and shot you in your bed, and the alarm would have been completely useless. I'm referring to video shooting, of course.'

'Did you fix it?'

'Yes, but-I've already told your secretary this-I would be very careful from now on about who you let into the house. Be suspicious of plumbers and, especially, electricians.'

'I will be suspicious of them. Thank you.'

'Call Lance if you need me again.'

'I certainly will. Maybe you'd better leave through the garden, unless you want to be on Hard Gossip tonight. I don't think Lance would like that.'

'Right.'

Stone let him out into the garden and instructed him on how to reach the street, then he went to his office.

Joan came in. 'Did Sandy tell you about the alarm?'

'Yes, he did.'

'What's going on?'

'I wish I knew.'

She leaned against the doorjamb and grinned. 'So, how's Arrington?'

'As you saw her.'

'She going to be around for a while?'

'Maybe; she's looking at apartments.'

'How nice.'

'Get out of here, please.'

Joan went back to her office, chuckling.