Stone Barrington 06-11

her, get her under oath.”
    “Why?”
    “The idea is to find out what the prosecution witness knows.”
    Charlene sighed. “The problem with that, Stone, is you don’t want to know.”
    She had a point, he thought.

    Stone got back to the studio bungalow a little before eleven. Louise Bremen, from the studio secretarial pool, was at Betty’s desk. “Good morning,” she said, handing him a phone message. It was from Dino, and the return number was at the Calder guesthouse.
    “Good morning,” he replied, pocketing the message.
    “Oh, you’ve spilled something on your jacket,” Louise said.
    Stone had forgotten about the gazpacho from the night before.
    “Take it off, and I’ll send it over to wardrobe for you; they’ll get the stain out.”
    “Thanks,” Stone said. He went into the bedroom, took off the jacket, and put the Walther and its holster into a drawer. Then he took the jacket back to Louise. “Have we heard anything from Dolce Bianchi?”
    “Not a peep,” she replied.
    “Good.” He went into the study and called Dino.
    “Hello.”
    “Hi.”
    Dino spoke softly, as if he didn’t want to be overheard. “Let’s meet for lunch,” he whispered.
    “Okay, come over here, and we’ll go to the studio commissary. Borrow a car from Manolo; he’ll give you directions.”
    “In an hour?”
    “Good.” They both hung up. Stone buzzed Louise and asked her to arrange a studio pass for Dino.

    Dino was introduced to Louise, then Stone showed him around the bungalow.
    “These movie stars live pretty well, don’t they?” he said.
    “Better than cops and lawyers.”
    “Better than anybody. That guesthouse we’re staying in is nicer than any home I’ve ever had.”
    “The pleasures of money.”
    “I’m hungry; let’s eat. We can talk over lunch.”
    Stone drove him slowly through the studio streets, pointing out the exterior street set and the sound stages.
    “It’s like a city, isn’t it?” Dino said.
    “It has just about everything a city has, except crime.”
    “Yeah, that happens in Bel-Air and Beverly Hills.”
    Stone parked outside the commissary, which was a brick building with a walled garden. Stone showed the hostess his VIP studio pass, and they were given a table outside, surrounded by recognizable faces.
    Dino took it all in, pointing out a movie star or two, then they ordered lunch.
    “All right, what happened after I left last night?” Stone asked.
    “Not much. What could compare to the scene just before you left?”
    “What was Dolce doing there?”
    “Mary Ann invited her, with Arrington’s permission. It was an innocent thing on both their parts, I guess.”
    “How innocent could it be? Mary Ann was in Venice; she knew everything.”
    “She thought Arrington knew everything, too. You didn’t tell her?”
    “I hadn’t found the right moment,” Stone said.
    “She was pretty upset after you left, even though she tried not to show it. I tried to smooth things over, but she wouldn’t talk about you.”
    “I’ve never been double-teamed like that,” Stone said.
    “I felt sorry for you, but there was nothing I could do. You’re going to have to find some way to square things with Arrington.”
    “As far as I’m concerned, the ball’s in her court. I was ambushed, and I didn’t like it.”
    “That wasn’t her intention, Stone.”
    “Maybe not, but the result was the same.”
    “Fortunately, Dolce left when you did. Did you go together?”
    “No, I outran her.”
    “You can’t run forever.”
    “What else can I do? You can’t talk to her like a normal human being. I’ve got Marc Blumberg working on an Italian divorce.”
    “I have a feeling this is not going to be as easy as divorce.”
    “Funny, I have the same feeling,” Stone replied.

    When they got back to the bungalow, Louise came into the study. “Lou Regenstein’s secretary called. Lou would like you to come to an impromptu dinner party he’s giving for some friends at his house tonight. He says to bring somebody, if you’d like. It’s at seven-thirty.” She laid the address on his desk.
    “Let me make a call,” Stone said. He found the number for Charlene’s RV and dialed it.
    “Hey, sugar,” she said. “How you feeling?”
    “I think I’ve recovered my health. Would you like to go to a dinner party tonight?”
    “Sure, but I won’t be done here until six-thirty or seven.”
    “Have you got something that you could wear? We could leave from here.”
    “I’ve