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Stone and Jack were sitting in Jack’s suite in the middle of being interrogated by a pair of detectives when Dino entered.

“I’m really finding it hard to believe you’ve never met them before,” Detective Hanson said.

He was the younger of the two.

“I don’t know what else to tell you, Detective,” Stone said.

“It’s the truth.”

“So you say. Let’s take it from the beginning again.”

“Let’s not,” Dino said.

The detectives looked back.

The older one smiled upon seeing Dino, then stood and walked over.

“Commissioner Bacchetti, good to see you again,” he said.

“Detective Lyne.” Dino shook the man’s hand.

“How are the kids?”

“Not kids for much longer. Thomas Junior is about to start college, and his sister is just a year behind.”

“They grow up so fast, don’t they?”

“Truer words have never been spoken. Have you met my new partner, Detective Hanson?”

The younger detective was on his feet now.

“Commissioner Bacchetti, a pleasure to meet you, sir. We’re in the middle of interrogating the suspects.”

“Actually,” Lyne said.

“I believe we’re done for now.”

Hanson looked at him, alarmed.

“We need to go over their stories again. I’m sure they’re holding something back.”

“Trust me, son. We’re done.”

He put a hand on Hanson’s back and pushed him toward the door.

“But—”

“No buts.”

They left.

Dino took a seat across from the couch where Stone and Jack sat.

“Who wants to tell me why I’m not lying in bed, sleeping right now?”

“Would you like to do the honors?” Stone asked Jack.

“I’m more than happy to leave that to you.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Stone told Dino about his and Jack’s encounter with Estrada and Kroger.

“And shooting them was not part of the plan?” Dino asked when Stone finished.

“Neither of us shot Estrada,” Stone said.

“But you did shoot Manny Kroger, who, I might remind you, is the man who destroyed your car and put Fred in the hospital.”

“Well, I’m not going to lie and say that I’m devastated that he’s no longer with us, but my hand was forced when he shot at me.”

“The shot that you say hit Kroger.”

“The first shot hit Kroger. The second one he fired right after was not similarly obstructed.”

“But it didn’t hit you.”

“It did pass through the spot I’d been a moment before.”

“You want to know what the most surprising part of this whole story is?” Dino asked.

“Please, enlighten us,” Stone said.

“That you actually hit him.”

“Three times,” Jack said.

“Three times,” Dino echoed.

“Have you been practicing?”

“He told me he hadn’t even been aiming.”

“Ah, then it makes perfect sense. I would have been worried if he had been trying to hit him on purpose.”

“I was trying to hit him on purpose,” Stone said.

“I just wasn’t looking when I fired.”

“You should try that more often.”

“That’s what I said,” Jack said.

“At least this means Jack’s extortion problem has been eliminated.”

“About that,” Stone said.

“Seems there’s a third party of whom we were previously unaware.”

“I thought you said you weren’t able to talk to Estrada and Kroger.”

“That part is true.”

“There’s a part that’s not true?”

“No, but there is a part I haven’t told you about.”

“Are you going to tell me now?”

“I will, but unofficially for the moment.”

“You’re not planning on killing whoever this third part is, too, are you?”

“As a refresher, we weren’t planning on killing Kroger, either,” Stone said.

“Or Estrada.”

“We didn’t kill Estrada, remember?”

“Oh, that’s right. He took a bullet for you.”

“I doubt he did that on purpose. And to answer your question, no, our goal is not to kill the third party.”

“You have goals now?”

“Everyone should have goals. Ours is to take him alive so we can question him and find out if anyone else might be coming after Jack’s money.”

“Isn’t that the same plan you had for Estrada and Kroger?”

“Are you purposefully trying to annoy me or is it just by chance?”

“A bit of both, I think. So, how do you know about a third party in the first place?”

“That was the thing I was going to tell you next.”

“The unofficial thing,” Dino said.

“Correct.”

Stone told Dino about the phone call from the extortionist Jack had received at the bar, that there was no question it was the same person who had called the first time, and how it couldn’t have been either Estrada or Kroger since Stone had had eyes on them the whole time, and neither had been on a phone.

“Also, the deadline has been moved up to tomorrow,” Stone said.

“And will now be handled in person.”

“In person?” Dino said.

“That sounds like the perfect opportunity for my people to swoop in during the exchange.”

“Not as perfect as you think,” Stone said.

“He’s sending a proxy.”

“And if he finds out we double-crossed him…” Jack said, then shook his head.

“I can’t risk anyone else getting hurt because of me.”

“I’m confused,” Dino said.

“How are you going to grab him if he’s not there?”

“Simple,” Stone said.

“We follow the money to him.”

“You said he’ll be checking for tracking bugs.”

“I think I might know a way around that, but I need to make a call first.”

“I suppose you’ll want me to have people on standby, just in case.”

Stone smiled.

“I knew we could count on you.”

Dino grimaced.

“You’re going to owe me more than a dinner at P. J. Clarke’s.”

“If all goes well,” Jack said, “I’ll gladly buy both of you dinner every night of the week for the rest of your lives.”

“Careful, Jack. Dino might take you up on that. I, on the other hand, will simply bill you for my hours.”

As soon as Stone arrived home, he called Mike Freeman.

“Good evening,” Mike answered.

“I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“Not at all. Still at the office. In fact, I’m meeting with Tamlyn.”

“She was going to be my next call. Can you put me on speaker?”

“Of course.”

A moment later, Tamlyn’s voice came over the line.

“You’re up late.”

“I’ve had an eventful evening,” Stone said.

“Is everything all right?”

“It will be, I think, with Strategic Services’ help.”

As succinctly as possible, he brought Mike and Tamlyn up to speed with Jack’s situation and the latest developments.

He then explained in what manner he was hoping to receive Strategic Services’ assistance.

“That’s a question for Tamlyn,” Mike said.

“Is it ready?”

“If it isn’t, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure it is by morning,” she said.

“Don’t worry, Stone. You’ll have it.”

“Thank you,” Stone said.

“And the other item?”

“That one’s easy.”

“I knew I could count on you. Would nine a.m. be too early for me to come by and pick them up?”

“If that’s when you need them, that’s when they’ll be ready,” she said.