Page 38 (1/2)

Elaine’s, late

Stone Barrington opened the taxi door “Wait for ot out of the cab and looked around The yelloning was gone, but “Elaine’s” was still painted on the darkened s A film of soap obscured the interior, but Stone found a bare spot and put his hands up to shield fro

The book jackets, photographs, and posters that had adorned the walls for forty-seven years were gone The bar and mirrors behind it were still there, but there were no stools The dining room contained no tables or chairs and no blue-checkered tablecloths The two old pay phones still hung on the wall near the cashier’s stand at the bar; they had always been the only phones in the place

For a tiny moment Stone could hear the babble of a crowded rooth of the roo bus obliterated the sounds and returned Stone to the present He got back into the cab and gave the driver his home address

His cell phone buzzed at his belt “Hello?”

“It’s Dino Where are you?”

“At Elaine’s”

A brief silence, then: “You shouldn’t do that”

“You’re right,” Stone said “The memory is better than the reality Have you had dinner?”

“I was just thinking about it”

“Where’s Viv?”

“She’s working”

“Come over and I’ll make you some pasta”

“You, yourself?”

“Me, myself I can cook, you know”

“There was a rumor, but I never believed it”

“Fifteen minutes”

“Okay Oh, how are we dressing?”

“Unarmed,” Stone said

“I’m always armed”