D.C. Dead (Stone Barrington 22)

“Ten months,” Tom replied. “The market is moribund for all the usual reasons, and it probably won’t come back until the change in administrations. That always causes a huge upswing in Georgetown house sales, what with people leaving Washington and others moving in.”

“May I ask what the value of the house is?” Stone asked.

“We were told it would bring four and a half, five million in better times, and maybe three and a half, four million if we can hang on until the change of administrations, which is another year and a half. Or we could take a lowball offer now. We’ve had a couple of those.”

“What’s upstairs?” Stone asked.

“Four bedrooms and baths, a smaller study for my mother, and a kitchenette.”

Stone nodded. “I’m not all that familiar with the market here,” Stone said, “but it sounds like you got good advice from your realtor. What was the estate worth in toto?”

“Six and a half million,” Tom said. “More than half of that is this house, which they owned for more than thirty years. There was no estate tax last year, some legislative quirk.”

“I’m familiar with that,” Stone said. “Did you consider moving into the house until it sold? At least you wouldn’t be paying rent.”

“I pointed that out to Kath, but she’s spooked by the fact that my father hanged hims Kr h/font>

Stone nodded. “By the way, how did he get a rope tied to that beam?”

“He used an eight-foot stepladder. It’s in the garden shed.”

Stone nodded.

Dino spoke again. “Was there anything going on in the life of either of your parents that might have be

en a factor in what happened?”

Tom looked puzzled. “What sort of thing are you talking about?”

“Anything unusual, out of the ordinary. Could either of them have been having an affair?”

Tom emitted a short laugh. “They had been married for nearly forty years,” he said. “Since college. Doesn’t seem likely at this stage of the game, does it?”

“I guess not,” Dino said.

“What really gets me about this,” Tom said, “is that they both died within a day of each other, both violently. I just can’t come up with a scenario that would account for that. It will haunt me for the rest of my life.” He got to his feet. “I have to go to work.” He handed Dino a card. “My cell number is there,” he said. “Please call me if there’s anything else I can tell you, and please, please call me if you start to make any sense of this.”

Stone and Dino shook his hand and walked him to the front door.

“Well,” Dino said when he had gone, “forty years of marriage doesn’t mean a lot if one partner gets the love bug up his ass, does it?”

“

You’re right,” Stone said, “but I don’t think we should explain that to Tom, unless we can prove it.”

8

STONE AND DINO HAD A FOUR O’CLOCK APPOINTMENT WITH the deputy director of the FBI, a man named Kerry Smith, who, they had been told, was the Bureau’s supervising agent for the investigation into the deaths of Brixton and Mimi Kendrick. They presented themselves in his reception room on time and were kept waiting for ten minutes. As they were shown into Smith’s office, Stone saw a door closing on the other side of the room.

“Good afternoon,” Smith said. “I’ve been expecting a visit from you gentlemen.” He indicated a seating area away from his desk. “Please sit down and be comfortable.”

Everyone settled into chairs. “I understand that someone at the White House is not happy with the conclusions reached by our investigators.”

“I think you might say that,” Stone replied equably. “Why do you think that is?”

“You’re asking me?” Smith said with a chuckle. “Why don’t you ask whoever sent you to see me?”

“I just wondered if you feel that the Bureau’s investigation might have left something to be desired.”