Arrington took his hand. “Then I’ll trust you to handle him,” she said.
14
S
tone called Dino and invited him and Ben to join them for dinner, and by eight-thirty they were about to be seated at Elaine’s.
Peter tugged at Stone’s sleeve. “Dad, may Ben and I have our own table?”
Stone looked at Arrington and she nodded. Stone arranged it, two tables down, then the three adults took their seats.
“I’m glad they’re getting along,” Dino said. “Ben doesn’t warm to a whole lot of people.”
“I’m glad, too, Dino,” Arrington said.
“Before I forget,” Dino said, “I’ve been asked to deliver an invitation. Eduardo Bianchi has invited the three of you to join his family for Christmas dinner. Strangely enough, I’m invited, too.” Eduardo was Dino’s former father-in-law.
“Arrington?” Stone asked.
“Yes, of course; we don’t have other plans, do we?”
“The choices are dinner at a hotel or a Chinese restaurant.”
“We’d love to, Dino,” Arrington said.
“Eduardo is very interested to meet Peter,” Dino said. “He’s been hearing about him from Ben.”
“I wonder if the boys will insist on their own table,” Stone said, glancing down to where they sat, talking rapidly and gesticulating.
“Stone,” Dino said, “Ben seems to think that Peter is eighteen. Why is that?”
“I’d better bring you up to date,” Stone said, then he told him about all the arrangements that had been made. “It’s better this way, we think.”
“I think it’s better for Ben, too; I won’t tell him.”
Stone looked up to see Herbie Fisher enter the restaurant in the company of a petite, dark-haired beauty. Herbie brought her to the table. “Good evening, Stone, Dino. I’d like you to meet Gina Carlo.”
Stone and Dino stood and shook hands. “And, Herbie,” Stone said, “you haven’t met my friend Arrington. Arrington, this is my client Herbert Fisher.”
“I’ve heard good things about you,” Herbie said. “Mostly from Joan, Stone’s secretary.”
“I’m glad she has a good opinion of me,” Arrington replied, smiling.
Herbie excused himself, and they were shown to a table at the rear of the restaurant. A moment later, two large men came in and were given a table in Siberia, where the tourists were sent. Then, after another moment, two other large men came in and took seats at their table. Some hard looks were exchanged, and one of the second pair spoke, uninterrupted, for about a minute. The first two men looked at each other, shrugged, and then left the restaurant.
“What was that all about?” Dino asked.
“Herbie,” Stone said, “for reasons too complicated to go into, is now in the care of Strategic Services. The young woman, Gina Carlo, is one of Mike Freeman’s operatives, as are the second pair of men who followed them in. The first two men have been causing Herbie some concern, and, after having been spoken to, they have obviously decided that discretion is the better part of valor.”
“Okay,” Dino said.
“Whatever you say,” Arrington said.
They ordered drinks and looked at the menu.
“Funny thing,” Dino said, “after a trip to Film Forum with Peter, Ben has suddenly acquired an interest in old movies. He can’t stop talking about them.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Stone said. “Peter is obsessed, and it’s good for him to have a friend who shares his excitement.”
“That’s probably what they’re talking about now,” Arrington said.
Dino glanced at the two boys. “I certainly hope so,” he said. “I wouldn’t want Ben to lead Peter astray.”
“Astray how?” Arrington asked.
Dino looked uncomfortable. “Ben has a tendency, when he comes home from school, to be interested in things beyond his years.”
“Like what?” Stone asked.
“Like downtown clubs,” Dino explained. “Once a cop brought him home, after some sort of ruckus in SoHo.”
“Dino,” Arrington said, “you’re not raising some sort of juvenile delinquent, are you?”
“First of all, I’m not raising him; he’s at that school in Connecticut, and his mother and grandfather have a lot more to say about his upbringing than I do. Second, he’s not a juvenile delinquent; he just wants to be twenty-five, at a time when most kids are looking forward to nineteen. For what it’s worth, I think Peter just might be a steadying hand.”
“What’s Ben doing about college?” Arrington asked.
“He’s got an early acceptance from Columbia,” Dino replied, “with the help of his grandfather, who is a major contributor. Of course, he’s always made good grades, with little apparent effort, so he’s not exactly being foisted on the school.”
“That’s wonderful!” Arrington enthused. “An Ivy Leaguer in the family!”
“How about that?” Dino said.
Later, when they had all dined and were leaving, Stone noted that Herbie and Gina were deep in conversation at their table. He had a feeling they weren’t discussing personal security.
The two bodyguards looked sleepy.
They arrived home and good nights were said. Back in the master suite, Arrington got into bed next to Stone. “Have you noticed,” she said, “that Peter’s clothes have gotten a little too snug?”
“Yes, I have,” Stone said. “I’ll deal with that tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” she sighed. “He hates it when I buy clothes for him.”
The following morning Stone took Peter up to Madison and Seventy-second to the Ralph Lauren men’s store. He found the right department and bought Peter a blue blazer, a couple of tweed jackets, a blue suit, and some odd trousers, making sure there was room for growth in all of them. Peter picked out a handsome topcoat, some shirts and shoes. Everything would be delivered in a couple of days.
Stone went home feeling very fatherly, a condition he was becoming accustomed to.
15
M
id-Monday morning, two FedEx packages arrived—one containing a dozen certified copies of Peter’s new California birth certificate, with a covering letter from the court stating that his former certificate had been sealed by court order. The second envelope contained Peter’s high school diploma, with the notation “With Honors,” a copy of the transcript of his academic record, and a “To Whom It May Concern” letter from the headmaster describing Peter as a true scholar and a perfect gentleman. All these materials were in the name of Malon Peter Barrington II. Only the Virginia name-change order remained to be received.
Stone buzzed Peter in his room and asked him to come down to his office for a chat. They sat on the leather sofa, and Stone gave Peter the documents he had received. “This is all official, now,” he said. “Joan has made copies of your transcript, of which this is one, and she has put the other eleven certified copies of your birth certificate in my office safe, where they will be secure. You’ll need them at various times.”
“Thank you, Dad,” Peter said, tucking the documents back into the envelope.
“When you see Letitia Covington this afternoon, you might take those documents along, just in case they’re needed, and don’t forget a copy of your screenplay and the DVD of your edited footage.”
“I won’t.”
“By the way, I had a call from Leo Goldman, who was very impressed with the work you’ve done on your fi lm—so impressed that he immediately wanted to buy it for Centurion.”
“You mean it’s going to be released?”
“Not yet, and probably not for some time.”
“What’s the delay?”
“I swore Leo to secrecy about you and the screenplay. If he released it, say, at Sundance, as the work of a sixteen-year-old, a sensation would ensue, and a number of things would happen: first, you would become famous way before your time, which could wreck your desire for some anonymity and a good education. Fame can be a good thing, but not in this case. You would forever be known as a boy wonder, and it would be very difficult for you to outgrow that.”
“Like Orson Welles?”
“Something like that. Of course, Welles was twenty-four when he made
Citizen Kane
, but that was still very young, and in spite of his brilliance he was ill-equipped to deal with the studios and the smart, ruthless men who ran them, and his career suffered for the rest of his life.”
“I read a good biography of Welles,” Peter said, “and he’s one of my heroes, along with Elia Kazan, but you’re right about how the studios treated him.”
“Welles was a genius,” Stone said, “but Kazan is a better career role model. He started as an actor, then was an extraordinarily successful director in theater before he tackled film, and by the time he did he was a mature artist.”
“I see your point. I’ll finish the film, then put it aside until you think the time is right, Dad.”
“I don’t want you to think I’m going to make all your decisions for you,” Stone said, “but I want you to learn to think about them hard before you go off half-cocked.”
“I understand.”
“There’s something else. Your mother and I are delighted that you and Ben have become friends so quickly, but you have to remember that Ben, in spite of your newfound age, has two important years on you, and that’s a lot of experience you haven’t had yet. Ben is an impulsive young man, and sometimes his impulses have gotten him into trouble. You’re going to be put in the odd position of sometimes being the grown-up in the friendship, instead of just going along with what he wants. And, I’ve no doubt there’ll be times when you should just walk away from him, if you disagree with his actions. Being his friend doesn’t mean you have to be his abettor.... I’m sorry, do you know that word?”
“As in ‘aid and abet’?”
“Yes, exactly. New York City is a very fast track for a young man, especially one like Ben, who thinks he’s all grown up. You’re going to have to have some rules of behavior in this city, and since you’ll be living with me, I’m going to make them.”
“Yes, sir.”
“The first thing is, you must never, ever drink alcohol in any form until after you’re legal, at twenty-one, and that means twenty-three for you.”
“I’ve done some reading on the Internet about that, and I know that alcohol can have a bad effect on young brains, and that the brain isn’t really mature and fully formed until around the mid-twenties.”
“That’s true,” Stone said, “and I’m glad you understand the reasons for the rule. It applies to marijuana, too, and that has the additional problem of being illegal. No matter how you feel about whether it should be legal or not, it remains illegal, and the next rule is, you must not allow yourself to commit illegal acts. If you so much as walk into one of the downtown clubs Ben is fond of, you will have committed an illegal act, even if you don’t drink. Those places are watched by the police and sometimes raided, and believe me, a night in jail is something you don’t want to experience. I was a policeman for fourteen years, and I saw young people make mistakes all the time that had a bad effect on their future. You must make every effort to get through your youth with a clean record, and again, that sometimes means just walking away from situations. If you were living in rural Virginia, this might be a lot easier to handle, but not in New York. You’ll have to watch yourself all the time. For the time being, you must not be outside this house after eight in the evening without permission, and that means I must know where you’re going and with whom. You are to carry your cell phone at all times, and you are to answer it when I or your mother call.”
“I understand, Dad, and I’ll try my best.”
“I know that your best is very, very good, Peter. There’s something else. I think, especially with Ben as a friend, you’re going to meet a lot of girls who are older and more experienced than you. Am I correct in assuming that you are acquainted with the rudiments of sex?”
“Oh, yes. I’ve read a lot about it, and, of course, we had a class at school. I haven’t done it yet, though.”
“You’re going to have to decide for yourself when to start having sex, Peter, because I can’t be there with you all the time. But I urge you to act with restraint. You can’t get into trouble restraining yourself, but you can get into one hell of a lot of trouble by just plunging into that life. When you think this might happen to you, you must always wear a condom. You are too young to be a father, but nature has made you very fertile. Disease is a problem, too, as you no doubt learned in school.
“Another thing is, now that you are legally eighteen, you must be careful with girls younger than you. Do you know what statutory rape is?”
“Sex with somebody under eighteen, right?”
“Right, and that means even if it’s consensual. A girl of fifteen or sixteen can’t waive the law on that subject, and girls’ fathers can become very angry at young men who violate it. It’s a dangerous situation, and you should avoid it at all costs.”
“I understand.”
“Finally, you’ll find it much easier to deal with problems if you’re willing to come to me and talk about them. I know you won’t always take my advice, but I give advice for a living, and I’m good at it. Take advantage of that.”
Peter smiled. “I have no problem talking with you, Dad.”
“Good. Now that we’ve made you into the perfect son, you get on with your day, and I’ll work on becoming the perfect father.”
Peter ran back to his room, and Stone heaved a huge sigh of relief.
“I heard all that,” Joan said from the door.
“Eavesdropper!” Stone said.
“You should take your advice,” she said.
16
S
tone pressed the button for Joan’s extension. “Joan, please find a Timothy Rutledge at the University of Virginia and get him on the phone for me. If he’s not there, see if information has a number for him.”
“Hang on, boss,” Joan said. Thirty seconds later she buzzed him. “Line one.”
Stone picked up the phone. “Mr. Rutledge?”