“Nah, we saw you coming and dove out in the nick of time,” the tall one said.
“Like stuntmen,” his buddy added, sounding proud.
Stone glanced around to see what other damage had been done and spotted the BMW. It appeared to be unoccupied.
He pointed at it and asked, “Was there anyone in that?”
“Only a driver,” the tall guy said. “He’s over there.” He jutted his chin toward a man sitting at the curb, his head in his hands. “I think he’s okay, though.”
“He doesn’t look okay.”
One of the lookie-loos, standing nearby, said, “He’s just upset. He said he bought the car today.”
The delivery guys both winced in commiseration.
Stone’s phone vibrated. He pulled it out and saw that it was Dino. “I was just about to call you.”
“You really know how to ruin someone’s evening, don’t you,” Dino said.
“How so?”
“I was looking forward to a good night’s sleep, but I hadn’t even reached home yet when I receive a heads-up that a green Bentley with your license number has been involved in an accident.”
“Are you routinely notified every time there’s an accident in the city?”
“Only for ones that my people know will sour my mood if I’m the last to find out.”
“Then I regret to inform you that the heads-up was correct.”
“Where and what happened?”
“The intersection of Second Avenue and East Forty-Ninth. What happened is a bit more involved.”
“Scratch the second part for now. You can tell me when I get there.”
“See you soon.”
As Stone hung up, he realized that there was something missing from the accident scene. “What happened to the garbage truck?”
“It’s gone, man,” the tall delivery guy said. “That guy didn’t even slow down. He just smacked into you and bolted down the street.”
His partner nodded in vigorous agreement. “You should get yourself a good lawyer and sue the city.”
“I’ll take that under advisement,” Stone said.
Stone and Tamlyn were climbinginto the back of a second ambulance when Dino showed up.
“Are either of you hurt?” Dino asked.
“More rattled than anything,” Stone replied.
“Same for me,” Tamlyn said.
“They’re just taking us in as a precaution.”
Dino glanced around the accident site. “Were you driving? I don’t see Fred.”
“No, he was,” Stone said. “He’s already on the way to the hospital.”
