“I’m afraid it’s very serious,” Cantor said. “As you can see at the bottom, the penalty for violating the order is thirty days in jail and a thousand-dollar fine. Oh, and did I mention that New York State has a very effective antistalking law? You could get a lot more time by violating that.” Cantor reached up and took the taller man’s arm, high under the armpit, and gently steered him down the street toward Broadway. “There will be people watching you every moment you’re in New York or Atlanta,” he said, “so don’t give Stone Barrington an opportunity to put you in jail.”
Cantor had not lied about Long’s being watched, because as he held his arm, he had attached a tiny bug to the armpit of Long’s raincoat that emitted a radio signal. Cantor stopped walking. “Bye-bye,” he said. “Enjoy your stay in our city.” He turned and walked back toward the theater, then stopped at the entrance to the alley and looked back. Long was moving quickly toward Broadway.
Cantor ducked into the alley and went to the stage door. When he opened it Willie Leahy was standing there. “I served him the order,” Ca
ntor said, “and warned him off. I got a bug on him, too, so we’ll know if he’s within five hundred yards.” He handed Willie a small, black object that looked like a pager. “If this beeps, he’s around. A distance in yards will appear on the display.”
“Gotcha,” Willie said, looking at the thing. “He’s two fifty and moving away.”
“Okay,” Cantor said. “You don’t need me anymore, so I’m outta here.”
“Thanks, Bob,” Willie was saying as Cantor closed the stage door.
Cantor went back to his van and called Stone.
“HELLO?”
“I caught up with our friend Max outside the theater. I served him, gave him a little talk about the antistalking law, and attached a bug to his raincoat at the armpit, where he’s unlikely to notice it. Willie Leahy has a pager thing that gives him a distance on Max if he’s within five hundred yards.”
“Good day’s work, Bob.”
“I mentioned your name, since you apparently want him pissed off at you.”
“Better me than Carrie,” Stone said. “Let’s hope he makes a move, so Dino can fall on him from a great height.”
“Yeah,” Cantor said. “I’d feel a lot better with him in jail. Oh, I also left him a message from you at the front desk of his hotel. He’s gonna feel surrounded by you.”
Stone laughed. “I like it.”
“Listen, you watch your ass,” Cantor said. “It wouldn’t do to underestimate his guy. I did a background check, and in his youth he was a marine. Those guys don’t lack confidence.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Stone said. “Thanks, Bob.” He hung up and called Carrie’s cell phone, got voice mail, and left her a message.
She called back an hour later. “What?” she said.
“Max is in town. Bob Cantor served him with the protection order. He’s now wearing an electronic bug that will let the Leahys know if he’s near.”
“Wow, how did you do that?”
“It’s the sort of thing, among many other things, that Bob Cantor does.”
“Why don’t you come over to my place tonight, and we’ll order in some Chinese?”
“Sounds good. You’re sure you’re not going to be too tired?”
“No. I’m wired, but you can give me a back rub.”
“I’ll rub anything you like,” Stone said. “See you at seven.”
STONE ARRIVED on Carrie’s doorstep at the same time as the deliveryman from the Chinese restaurant. He paid the man and rang the bell.
“Yes?” Carrie said on the intercom.
“Chinese delivery,” Stone said, and was buzzed in.
Carrie met him at the door. “Very funny, Chinese guy,” she said, laughing and taking the food from him. She went into the kitchen and made a little buffet of the containers, and they served themselves. They had dinner on the floor in front of the living room fireplace and shared a bottle of wine, while a Leahy waited outside her apartment door.
“I’m in love with Bob Cantor,” she said. “How do you know him?”