Page 59 of Near Miss

“Indeed. I think you can call off your men.”

“Are you sure?”

“Gromykos have a notoriously hot temper,” Stone said. “If the new Greek suspected I had anything to do with his nephew’s death, I wouldn’t be talking to you right now.”

“I’m inclined to agree with you.”

“Go put your men on a more exciting task.”

“Very well. But if you sense even a hint of a problem, I can have them back in a hurry.”

“Thanks, Mike.”

The next day, Stone attended a meeting with Carly’s new clients, Jones & Jones, in Bill Eggers’s office, then walked downstairs with her, so she could show him her new office.

Stone looked around, impressed. “I had to move out of the building and into my house before I got an office this big,” he said.

“That makes me feel good,” she said, switching on MSNBC.

Stone walked two doors down to Herb Fisher’s office and found him looking glum. “What’s the matter, Herb?”

“Nobody comes to see me anymore. They all come to look at Carly and see if she’s real.”

“They’ll get over it, then you’ll be the star of the floor again.”

“You promise?” Herb asked expectantly.

“Sure. I just came from a meeting with her new clients, in Eggers’s office. Turns out they own two other businesses that are coming aboard, too.”

“Please,” Herb said, holding up his hands in surrender. “No more good news.”

“Take the rest of the day off and go to the zoo,” Stone suggested. Then he left the building and walked home.

When he arrived, Joan looked up from her desk, and said, “You look a little winded.”

“It’s called exercise,” Stone replied.

“It’s called heavy breathing,” she said. She scrutinized him. “You aren’t carrying, are you?”

“No,” he admitted.

“I’m gonna tell Dino,” she said, reprovingly.

“Don’t you dare. I’m getting enough stick from him about that.”

“You never believe that somebody’s after you, until there’s a bullet on the way, you know that?”

“I think a bulge in the armpit attracts more attention.”

“It repels more attention,” she said.

“You may have a point.”

“Dino has the same point, and he’s usually right.”

“I hear enough of that from him. I don’t need to hear more from you.”

“Message received. There’s a Mr. Greco waiting in your office. He didn’t have an appointment, but his suit was nice, so I put him in there. Who is he?”

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