“Nice and warm and fuzzy?”
“How did you know?”
“I sprained my ankle once.”
“I hope you have fully recovered.”
“I have, thank you. I don’t think you will need any further medical attention.”
“Oh, but I will. In fact, I think I will need medical attention at dinner this evening. Would you like to join Lieutenant Bacchetti and me at Elaine’s at eight-thirty?”
“And just what sort of medical attention do you think you will need?”
“Well, the Heimlich maneuver, perhaps. I eat too quickly.”
She chuckled.
“Or CPR, maybe?”
“I’m sure Lieutenant Bacchetti can handle that.”
“Lieutenant Bacchetti can be curiously inept at times, and I want only the best professional assistance.”
“Where is Elaine’s?”
“Second Avenue, between Eighty-eighth and Eighty-ninth, west side of the street. You’ll see the yellow awning.”
“Eight-thirty, you said?”
“That would be perfect.”
“How does one dress at Elaine’s?”
“In clothes; there are no other requirements.”
“You are a typical male. What should I wear?”
“A tight skirt with a deep slit and
a pushup bra. Or better, no bra at all.”
“Big help.”
“Anything but scrubs.”
“See you then.” She hung up.
Stone was feeling rosy, not only from the pill but also from the thought of seeing Dr. Larkin again. Then the phone rang.
“Hello?”
“It’s Celia. Can you talk?”
Stone felt unaccountably guilty, as if by having dinner with Eliza Larkin, he was jilting Celia. “Sure, how are you?”
“There was someone outside last night.”
“Did you call nine-one-one?”