don’t care if you don’t like it. I’m not going to allow this to be aired publicly, not even from you.”
“Let me get this straight,” Lance said. “You are not going to allow me to do something?”
“You’ve got it straight,” Holly said. “Tell me, who would you like to be the next president of the United States?”
Lance didn’t reply.
“Lance, I have worked for you for many years, and I am very grateful to you for the confidence you have placed in me during those years. But I have worked for Kate Lee, and I’m grateful to her, too. I tell you this: I would do anything to prevent anyone causing damage to Kate’s presidential ambitions. Anything it takes. And if I were unable to prevent that happening, then I would do whatever I possibly could to destroy the person or persons responsible for it. Now tell me you fully understand what I just said to you.”
Lance’s shoulders sagged a tiny bit. “I understand you, Holly.” He looked at her. “And you’re right. I fully concur in your instruction to Scott Hipp to remove Teddy Fay’s name from our watch list. I will do nothing to interfere with Kate’s campaign. You have my word.”
During all the time Holly had worked for Lance, she had never heard him use those last words. And she believed him.
“Can I give you a lift to the office?” she asked.
“Yes, thanks.”
They walked back to her car.
29
Stone and Ann got to Patroon first and ordered drinks. They clinked glasses.
“How’s it going?” Stone asked.
“I think you mean, how is Marty Stanton’s libido playing in the polls?”
“That’s what I mean.”
“Marty has developed a chink in his otherwise impressive armor.”
“Is this incident going to make a difference?”
“Not unless somebody decides to openly criticize him for it, and I don’t think that will happen. No Democrat is going to raise the issue.”
“How about Republicans in the primaries?”
“It could come up in, say, a Republican debate, but it’s problematical for them. They know it could either help or hurt them, but they don’t know which. If you don’t hear about it in a debate, then it means they’ve all agreed ahead of time not to bring it up.”
“But in the general election?”
“If Marty is the nominee, he will be fair game for Republicans. Even if their candidate doesn’t raise it, some super PAC or other will. There’ll be commercials, and they’ll be to the point.”
“And could it cost Democrats the election?”
“In a tight race, it could.”
Stone looked up to see Dino and Viv enter the restaurant, and he got up to greet them, then made the introductions. Scotch was set before them, and the subject changed.
“We got a lead on the Dragos,” Dino said. “It’s being run down now.”
“How good a lead?”
“I’ll let you know before dinner is over,” Dino said.
“These are the guys you think were among the robbers?” Ann asked.
“Two and the same,” Stone replied.
“Will they implicate Don Dugan?”
“That’s our hope.”
“I wish Dugan was a Republican,” Ann said.
Everybody laughed.
“Dino,” Stone said, “have you checked to see if any other of Dugan’s security system clients have been robbed?”
“Yeah, but he’s new to the alarm business, and there are fewer than a dozen of them. Mostly, he’s installing new equipment on existing wiring. That was true of the Coulters’ installation.”
“It would be stupid of him to raid other clients’ homes right now,” Stone said. “I think the Coulter robbery must have been an opportunistic thing—Dugan heard about the party, maybe even saw the guest list.”
“That’s a very good theory,” Dino said. “You were always good at theory, Stone. But practice? Well . . .”
“I practiced as well as you did, pal.”
“Now, boys,” Viv interjected. “Stop being boys.”
Menus were brought and food ordered. A perfect Caesar salad was whipped up at tableside.
Dino’s phone rang, and he answered it. “Bacchetti. Yeah? Good work! Well, that was to have been expected. Get hold of an ADA and work up something to offer them. I’m here if you need me.” He hung up. “We bagged the Dragos, both of them.”
“Hoorah!” Stone half yelled. “Let me guess: they lawyered up.”
“Sure they did, but that won’t prevent us offering them a deal they might not be able to refuse.”
“Are you willing to let them walk to get Dugan?”
“That’s not my call—the DA makes that one, thank God.”
“Are you going to press for it?”
“I may have to, seeing that we don’t have a hell of a lot of evidence against them. It’s not like they were arrested holding a