Hollywood movies. There’s also a great actress over there in the corner, having lunch with a very good actress, and that guy with a political show on MSNBC. Are there any nobodies in this club?”
“Probably, but none that you haven’t heard of.”
“Who proposed you?”
“Salton, just like you. Bill Eggers was my seconder.”
“It annoys me that Eggers could have proposed me, but didn’t.”
“Relax, it’s considered bad form to propose people you’re in business with. The founders didn’t want this to be a club of businessmen, and there are very few of them on the membership list.”
“Where is the membership list?”
“Downstairs there’s a board on the wall with all the names. When a member comes into the building a peg is put next to his name. When he leaves, the peg is removed. You can tell at a glance who’s here and who isn’t.”
“It’s a very quiet dining room, isn’t it?”
“These are very quiet people, who are accustomed to being heard without raising their voices.”
A well-known literary personage in the center of the dining room raised an index finger without looking away from his companion, and a waiter instantly appeared at his side.
“That’s how you summon a waiter here,” Dino said. “A finger is all it takes.”
The mayor of New York City, formerly the commissioner of police and Dino’s mentor, entered the dining room with the senior senator from New York, Stanley Bauer. He waved at Stone and Dino, then came over to their table in the bar.
“Welcome aboard, Stone,” Tom Donnelly said.
“Thank you, Mayor,” Stone replied, shaking his hand.
“Dino, you seem to be keeping a lid on things.”
“That’s because I sit on the lid,” Dino said. “Something you told me to do a long time ago.”
“It’s always a pleasure to hear my words reverberate from those I instructed,” the mayor said, then returned to his own table.
“He hasn’t changed,” Stone said.
“He’s more relaxed, I think. It’s a little scary to think he finds the mayor’s job less stressful than mine.”
Stone laughed. “Are you finding it stressful, Dino?”
“All the time—you just have to learn to live with it.”
Stone looked up and saw a handsome man in a pin-striped suit and a dark, clipped beard enter the room. He wore a diamond earring in one ear. “Did you see that guy at the Saltons’ house in D.C.?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Holly said something about him, I can’t remember exactly what, but it wasn’t favorable.”
“He’s a Saudi. He’s something either at the embassy in Washington or the UN embassy here, I’m not sure which.”
“What’s his name?”
“I don’t know. I’ve seen it in the papers—always on the party pages—but I can’t remember.”
“Who’s he with?”
“I don’t know the guy. Why are you interested in them?”
“I just feel as though I ought to be interested—something Holly said, I guess. I wish I could remember what it was. Maybe I should call her.”
“Cell phones are a no-no here,” Dino said. “Texting is okay, or e-mails, but not speaking into them.”
They placed their orders but kept the table in the bar.
“So, Dino, what’s keeping you awake nights?”
“Nothing keeps me awake, I sleep like a stone, you should pardon the expression.”
“Not even terrorism?”
“What’s the point of losing sleep?” Dino asked. “It wouldn’t solve any problems. I do better if I sleep when I’m in bed and worry when I’m awake.”
Their lunch arrived. “The food is excellent here,” Stone said.
“There’s a saying here,” Dino said, “if the food were any better, you couldn’t get a table.”
14
HOLLY GOT to her desk on Monday morning at 6:40 AM . Ten minutes later a young woman she didn’t know appeared in the doorway to her office.
“Yes?” Holly said, then looked again. “My God,” she said. “Millie.”
“Is this what you had in mind?” Millicent Martindale asked.
“It’s actually
“Probably, but none that you haven’t heard of.”
“Who proposed you?”
“Salton, just like you. Bill Eggers was my seconder.”
“It annoys me that Eggers could have proposed me, but didn’t.”
“Relax, it’s considered bad form to propose people you’re in business with. The founders didn’t want this to be a club of businessmen, and there are very few of them on the membership list.”
“Where is the membership list?”
“Downstairs there’s a board on the wall with all the names. When a member comes into the building a peg is put next to his name. When he leaves, the peg is removed. You can tell at a glance who’s here and who isn’t.”
“It’s a very quiet dining room, isn’t it?”
“These are very quiet people, who are accustomed to being heard without raising their voices.”
A well-known literary personage in the center of the dining room raised an index finger without looking away from his companion, and a waiter instantly appeared at his side.
“That’s how you summon a waiter here,” Dino said. “A finger is all it takes.”
The mayor of New York City, formerly the commissioner of police and Dino’s mentor, entered the dining room with the senior senator from New York, Stanley Bauer. He waved at Stone and Dino, then came over to their table in the bar.
“Welcome aboard, Stone,” Tom Donnelly said.
“Thank you, Mayor,” Stone replied, shaking his hand.
“Dino, you seem to be keeping a lid on things.”
“That’s because I sit on the lid,” Dino said. “Something you told me to do a long time ago.”
“It’s always a pleasure to hear my words reverberate from those I instructed,” the mayor said, then returned to his own table.
“He hasn’t changed,” Stone said.
“He’s more relaxed, I think. It’s a little scary to think he finds the mayor’s job less stressful than mine.”
Stone laughed. “Are you finding it stressful, Dino?”
“All the time—you just have to learn to live with it.”
Stone looked up and saw a handsome man in a pin-striped suit and a dark, clipped beard enter the room. He wore a diamond earring in one ear. “Did you see that guy at the Saltons’ house in D.C.?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Holly said something about him, I can’t remember exactly what, but it wasn’t favorable.”
“He’s a Saudi. He’s something either at the embassy in Washington or the UN embassy here, I’m not sure which.”
“What’s his name?”
“I don’t know. I’ve seen it in the papers—always on the party pages—but I can’t remember.”
“Who’s he with?”
“I don’t know the guy. Why are you interested in them?”
“I just feel as though I ought to be interested—something Holly said, I guess. I wish I could remember what it was. Maybe I should call her.”
“Cell phones are a no-no here,” Dino said. “Texting is okay, or e-mails, but not speaking into them.”
They placed their orders but kept the table in the bar.
“So, Dino, what’s keeping you awake nights?”
“Nothing keeps me awake, I sleep like a stone, you should pardon the expression.”
“Not even terrorism?”
“What’s the point of losing sleep?” Dino asked. “It wouldn’t solve any problems. I do better if I sleep when I’m in bed and worry when I’m awake.”
Their lunch arrived. “The food is excellent here,” Stone said.
“There’s a saying here,” Dino said, “if the food were any better, you couldn’t get a table.”
14
HOLLY GOT to her desk on Monday morning at 6:40 AM . Ten minutes later a young woman she didn’t know appeared in the doorway to her office.
“Yes?” Holly said, then looked again. “My God,” she said. “Millie.”
“Is this what you had in mind?” Millicent Martindale asked.
“It’s actually
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