D.C. Dead

26

“The Yankees, of course,” Dino said.

“You want to wait until it’s over before I tell you what happened?”

Dino muted the TV. “You ended up in the sack with her, didn’t you?”

“I don’t like your accusatory tone,” Stone said, “and a gentleman would never answer that question.”

“You just did,” Dino said.

“Never mind that. Milly had a lot to say, and I think you’ll find it interesting.”

“There was time for talking?” Dino asked “You’re losing your touch.”

“You want to hear this, or you want to watch the fucking ball game?”

Dino switched off the TV. “All right, I’m all ears.”

“First of all, she didn’t fall on hard times after her husband’s death-quite the contrary. And she doesn’t take money from men.”

“And you bought it?”

“She has a list of lovers, all or most of them married, but she’s not a hooker-she just likes sex.”

“She told you that?”

“No names, except the guy we saw yesterday, and of course Brix Kendrick. He was her first lover after her husband died.”

“Did anything she say have anything to do with why we’re here, or are we just gossiping?”

“Dino, she says that Brix told her he had a lover in the White House.”

“Anybody we know?”

“He wouldn’t give her the name, but they were doing it in the White House.”

“That’s impossible.”

Stone explained why it wasn’t.

“And you think it’s the first lady?”

“No, of course not, even though Milly said that was a possibility.”

“Why don’t we go back to New York and let Milly solve this?” Dino asked.

“You’re not paying attention, Dino. Now we have a motive for the murder.”

“I must have missed that.”

“Jealousy. Brix’s lover was jealous of his wife, or she wanted her out of the way so she’d have a clear shot at Brix.”

“Sounds like she had already hit the bull’s-eye,” Dino pointed out.

“The bull’s-eye was to have Brix all to herself.”

“I can’t say I like your theory all that much.”

“Have you got a better one? Have you got a theory at all?”

“Yeah, I think Brix had a scene with his wife, offed her, then, out of remorse, offed himself.”

“No,” Stone said, “Brix left ahead of Mimi-they were in separate cars, remember, and when he heard she was dead he knew who had done it. His remorse was that his affair led to his wife’s death.”

“Why do you always like the complicated motives?” Dino asked. “What’s wrong with s he knew wsimple?”

“This is just one step removed from simple,” Stone said. “His lover saw Mimi leave the tennis court. Maybe there was a confrontation, words were exchanged, names called. Mimi turned to leave, and the lover grabbed the first thing handy-the brick-and hit her with it or threw it at her.”

“Having first paused to kiss the brick, leaving her Pagan Spring lipstick on it,” Dino said. “I like that part.”

“All right, I don’t know how the lipstick got on the brick,” Stone admitted. “I’ll give you that one.”

“Thanks, I feel so much better.”

“Oh, come on, you know this scenario works.”

“So tell me, how are we better off than before you and Milly did the deed?”

“We’re better off because we know who to talk to now,” Stone replied.

“We do? I missed another one.”

“The maids who clean the family quarters.”

“You’re saying Brix was using the family quarters to fuck his girlfriend?”

“I explained that, being in charge of the house, he had all the keys, and he knew the maids’ cleaning schedule.”

“Oh, yeah, I forgot about that.”

“Look, Dino, our backs are against the wall here. We can either send the president and first lady a nice note accepting the FBI report and go home, or we can run down this lead. What’s it going to be?”

“I think ‘lead’ is too strong a term,” Dino said, “but what the hell? You talk to the maids, I’ll listen. Then we’ll write the Lees a nice note and go home.”

“Okay, I’ll set it up with the White House,” Stone said. “And, Dino, you cannot roll over in bed and tell Shelley about it. She has a vested interest in protecting the FBI in all this and she could screw it up for us.”

“You think she’d do that?” Dino asked.

“Inadvertently, maybe, but she might mention it to Kerry Smith, and that would not be good.”

“What about you, pal? You going to roll over in bed and tell Holly about this?”

“We’re working for Holly, sort of,” Stone pointed out. “God knows, we’ve had little else to tell her.”

“You seeing her tonight?”

“Yes. Here.”

“Then lock your door. I’m seeing Shelley here, too.”

“Will do.”

“Gee, I hope you won’t be all worn out after your matinee,” Dino said.

“You have a point. It’s been a while since I’ve had a matinee.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re back in the game,” Dino said. He clicked on the TV. “And so am I.”

The phone rang, and Stone answered it. He listened for a moment. “All right,” he said, “send them up.” He put down the phone.

“Send who up?” Dino asked.

“The front desk said there are two D.C. cops downstairs.”

The doorbell rang, and Stone let in two men he could have spotted as cops from has c”lf a mile.

“I’m Paulson,” one of them said, “this is Padgett.” He nodded toward his partner. “Are you Barrington?”

“I am,” Stone said. “Nice to meet you, gentlemen. That’s Lieutenant Bacchetti, NYPD, over there, glued to the ball game.”

Dino gave them a little wave.

Stone led them to a sofa. “What’s up?”

The two men sat down. “Well,” Paulson said, consulting his notebook, “the head doorman at the Watergate apartments tells us that you paid a Mrs. Hart a visit this afternoon.”

“I had lunch with her,” Stone said.

“And what time did you leave her apartment?”

“Around four.”

“Then maybe you can tell us how the lady got dead.”