Barrington. Are you ready to answer some questions?”
“Yes, I am.”
“I warn you, some of these questions may sound intrusive, but it’s information we must have in order to employ any person on the campaign.”
“I have nothing to hide.” Stone wondered for a moment if that was true.
Ms. Keaton took him through his birth, parentage, grand-parentage, education from kindergarten through law school, work history since graduation, current employer, every address where he had ever lived, marriages and divorces, club memberships, military service, or lack of same, foreign travel, and political affiliation. “Have you ever been arrested for anything other than a minor traffic violation?”
“No.”
“Ever been arrested for DUI?”
“No.”
“Ever been charged with a misdemeanor or felony?”
“No.”
“Have you ever associated with criminals?”
“Only when arresting or investigating them as a police officer, or when representing them as an attorney.”
“Have you ever been or are you currently a plaintiff or a defendant in a civil lawsuit?”
“No.”
“Have you ever been bankrupt?”
“No.”
“Have you ever had your wages garnished for nonpayment of a debt?”
“No. Wait a minute.”
“Yes, Mr. Barrington? You’ve had your wages garnished?”
“No. A couple of questions back you asked if I had ever been a plaintiff or a defendant in a civil lawsuit.”
“Yes, I did. Do you wish to change your answer?”
“Yes. I was served with a court summons today to answer a lawsuit. It’s nothing more than a nuisance suit. I’ve already instructed an attorney to answer it and to seek its dismissal for lack of grounds.”
“What were you sued for?”
“Ah, alienation of affection.” He felt himself blushing.
“Is this alienation referring to a woman?”
“It certainly isn’t referring to a man.”
“Can you tell me, briefly please, about the circumstances surrounding this lawsuit?”
“Yesterday I had a business meeting with a woman.”
“Her name, please?”
“Crane Hart.”
“Like the poet?”
“The reverse.”
“What sort of business were you conducting, and where?”
“She was sent by my insurance company to adjust a claim I had made, and the meeting took place in my office.”
“What sort of claim?”
“Someone had stolen a large amount of money from me, and I had filed a claim. It was all quite straightforward and businesslike.”
“And now she’s suing you?”
“No, no. She told me she was divorced. Last evening we attended a social event—a fundraiser for Kate Lee—and her former husband was there. It turned out that their divorce was not yet final, but they had been separated for two years. Her former husband—”
“His name, please?”
“Don, presumably Donald, Dugan.”
She made a note of it. “Please go on.”
“Mr. Dugan attempted to speak with Ms. Hart, and she did not wish to speak to him. He had to be escorted from the premises.”
“Did this ‘escorting’ involve violence?”
“I believe it prevented violence.”
“Did he leave voluntarily?”
“Not quite.”
“Please, Mr. Barrington.”
“He was physically pressed into leaving. No one was hurt.”
“And then he filed a lawsuit against you for alienation of affection?”
“Yes, this morning. As I said, they had been separated for two years, so the suit is groundless.”
“Was it a documented legal separation?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know. I do know that they had conducted negotiations for a settlement.”
“Had a settlement been agreed to?”
“Yes, verbally, then Mr. Dugan refused to sign.”
“Mr. Barrington, had you and Ms. Hart had sexual relations?”
Stone took a deep breath. “Yes.”
“When, may I ask? I mean, time was short.”
“Late yesterday afternoon. And later in the evening.”
“Did she stay the night in your house?”
“Yes. And may I point out that we were both consenting adults.”
“But one of you is married.”
“In name only. And at the time I believed her divorce to be final.”
“She told you that?”
“I have already said so.”
Ms. Keaton closed her notebook. “That concludes the interview,” she said. “I must say, Mr. Barrington, I’m impressed by the speed with which you form carnal relationships.”
“Thank you, I think.”
She regarded him with interest for a long moment. “I’m going to hold on to your answers to my questions, for a while,” she said, “instead of submitting them for review. Mrs. Lee is very anxious to have you on board, but I’m going to have to wait until you’ve successfully dealt with this lawsuit before we can formally ask you to join the campaign.”
“I understand. Tell me, Ms. Keaton—”
“Ann, please.”
“Ann, are you an attorney?”
“I finished Harvard Law four years ago, and I passed the New York State Bar shortly after that. Then I joined the CIA. When Mrs. Lee left, I went with her as a personal staffer.”
“That’s very impressive. I’d like you to come and see me about the possibility of joining my law firm, Woodman & Weld, after the campaign is over, of course. Or