Dirt

my old detective partner.”
    “Are the police involved in this?” she asked, alarmed.
    “No, this was completely unofficial. We think Dryer has been pulling off burglaries to support himself, and a gun that was stolen from one of the apartments may have been used to kill a retired cop, but we can’t prove anything yet.” “I see,” she said, relieved. “And where do you intend to go from here?”
    “I intend to find Dryer,” Stone replied. “He’s the key to this whole thing.”
    “And that’s it? That’s everything?”
    “That’s everything.”
    “Thank you, darling; see you soon.” She hung up and dialed Richard Hickock’s private office number.
    “Hello?”
    “Dick, it’s Amanda. Break your lunch date today; we have to meet.”
    “Is this really important?”
    “I think you could call it vital. Twelve-thirty at Twenty-One?”
    “See you then.”
     
     
    When they had settled into a banquette in the inner horseshoe of the bar at “21,” and after Hickock had ordered his steak and baked potato and Amanda her grilled salmon, no butter, and after Hickock had been served a double vodka martini and Amanda her San Pellegrino, she got down to business.
    “Dick, darling,” Amanda said, “I’m afraid that, through no fault of your own, you have been placed in a very dangerous position.” She did not mention the danger to herself.
    “Oh?” he said, not particularly alarmed, “How so?”
    She gave him a brief rundown on what Stone Barrington had learned about the
DIRT
business.
    “Well, at least he’s making progress,” Hickock said, taking a sip of his huge martini.
    “Dick, my dearest, he may be making
too
much progress.”
    Hickock frowned. “Too much progress?”
    “Yes. You see, while Stone has been conducting his investigation, I have been conducting one of my own, and, as is my wont, I have been looking into more than
who
is doing this; I have been learning
why.
” “And just
why
have this Dryer and Power, or whatever their names are, been doing this?”
    “It seems, my darling, that they harbor some grudge against you.”
    “Me? You mean only me?”
    Amanda nodded gravely. “Apparently they’ve gone after me only because of my connection with you.”
    “What did
I
ever do to these guys? I don’t even know who they are.”
    “Who knows? What’s important is, they seem to know a very great deal about you and your business affairs.”
    Hickock put down his martini. “Just what the hell is that supposed to mean, Amanda?”
    “It means, Dick, that they seem to have unearthed information about your connection with an entity called Window Seat.”
    All expression left Hickock’s face. “That’s impossible,” he said. “I mean, I never heard of anything like that.”
    “Dick, my dear, you don’t have to worry about me; I’m on
your
side.”
    “Amanda, how did you find out about this?”
    “About what, darling?”
    “About Window Seat, goddamnit!”
    “Dick, keep your voice down,” she said, looking around them. “You know that I have a great many sources for all sorts of information.”
    “Yeah, well, how the hell did you hear about Window Seat? And don’t you think for a moment you can plead the confidentiality of a journalist’s sources. I want to know
now.
” “Well, your Glynnis is in possession of this knowledge, and she’s a pretty unhappy woman at the moment, isn’t she?”
    “Don’t try that with me, Amanda; Glynnis and I have reconciled our differences, and she would
never
mention this to
anybody.
”
    Amanda had misjudged Hickock; she was not going to be able to play him quite as she had imagined. Inwardly, she shrugged; well, that little vermin Peebles would just have to be sacrificed. “From Allan Peebles,” she said.
    “He
told
you about Window Seat?” Hickock asked, unbelieving.
    “Everything. About the
Infiltrator
and the porno magazines. The
gay
porno magazines.”
    Hickock blanched. “I’ll have his balls by close of business,” he said.
    “Well, now, Dick, that might not be the wisest move; not just yet, anyway.”
    “Why not?”
    “Well, these two little creeps Dryer and Power are still out there. If you do something so public as sacking Peebles, it’s bound to cause a new round of faxing, reporting the whole business, and I don’t think you want that to happen, do you?” “I see your point,” Hickock said, returning to his martini. “I’ll have to be more subtle.”
    “Oh, Dick, I’m sure you can deal with