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hung up.
    Stone gave Joan her instructions.
    “All right, I’ll get the i-stuff on my lunch hour.”
    “You can still take a lunch hour,” Stone said. “Tell the Woodman & Weld operator to pick up.” They had a telephone arrangement with the law firm so that Stone could be called there, and the caller patched through to his home office or a message taken.
    Stone hung up and started on the crossword.

8
    S tone was at his desk at mid-afternoon when Joan buzzed.
    “Seth Keener on one.”
    Stone picked up. “Yes, Seth?”
    “My client has agreed to accept Mr. Fisher’s terms.”
    “Good. When can I expect the paperwork back for his signature?”
    “Will you accept a fax?”
    “Does she have access to a color fax?”
    “Possibly.”
    “Have her sign in blue ink and fax without a heading, then FedEx the originals. What is her proposal for a settlement?”
    “She has a little over three million in her account at the family firm.”
    “I think he might accept that.”
    “She’s willing, but the account is frozen. He’ll have to wait until the feds unfreeze it.”
    “And that will be about the same day as Antarctica unfreezes.”
    “If you say so. She has no other assets available. I’m sure Mr. Fisher wouldn’t want ... questionable assets.” He paused. “There is another possibility, but we’ll have to go off the record.”
    Stone pressed the record button on his phone. “What is her proposal?”
    “She’s willing to backdate a transfer of her assets to a date before her departure of the country.”
    “That would be felonious. Let’s go back on the record.”
    “All right.”
    “What is the family firm’s position? I would be surprised if they or their insurance company haven’t made a pass at that account.”
    “I’m looking at a printout from online,” Keener said. “There’s no notation to that effect. I’ll e-mail you the user name and password when we receive Mr. Fisher’s signed documents.”
    “Is there a notation from the feds?”
    “Yes, from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.”
    “I’m willing to recommend to my client that he accept the account as full settlement in the divorce.”
    “With a notation mentioning the federal freeze order, of course.”
    “Yes.”
    “All right, send me an addendum to the divorce complaint and I’ll get it taken care of.”
    “Right,” Stone said, and hung up. He buzzed Joan and dictated the addendum. “And get me Herbie,” he said.
    Herbie came on the line. “Yes, Stone?”
    “I hope you didn’t catch cold.”
    “No, your suggestion of the hot bath and the brandy worked very well.”
    “I have a proposal from Stephanie’s attorney.”
    “Shoot.”
    “She’ll agree to the divorce with her abandonment as the cause, and she’ll sign over to you her account at the family firm, which amounts to three million dollars.”
    “Really?”
    “There’s a catch: the feds have frozen the account.”
    “Any chance it will ever be unfrozen?”
    “Slim and none, but I can have a go, and the best part is, you win. That will look just fine in the papers, if it makes the papers.”
    “I like that,” Herbie said. “Send me the documents.”
    “Will do.” Stone hung up and buzzed Joan. “Have you noticed Herbie becoming more sane?” he asked.
    “Maybe it’s a prolonged lucid interval,” she replied. “He does seem more together.”
    “Do you have any idea why?”
    “I don’t think I’m supposed to tell you this, but he’s been going to law school for the past three years.”
    Stone was astonished. “But he already has that bogus Internet law degree, and he ostensibly passed the bar exam.”
    “I think he feels guilty about that, and after all, what else would he do with his days? It’s not like he works for a living.”
    “You have a point.” The doorbell rang. Stone hung up and ran upstairs and opened the door. Arrington stood there, looking sharp in a Chanel suit with a gorgeous sable coat over her