D.C. Dead (Stone Barrington 22)

“Sometimes the people he brought in would be a lady.”

“Did you ever see Mr. Brix and a lady go into or come out of one of the upstairs bedrooms?”

The woman looked more thoughtful. “Sometimes.”

“Do you remember who any of the ladies were?”

h ked more dth="1em">“He sometimes brought the White House decorator upstairs.”

“And what is the decorator’s name?”

“Miss Charles,” she replied. “I don’t know her first name.”

“Did you ever see Mr. Brix take Miss Charles into one of the bedrooms?”

“I guess ... I’m not sure.” Then her face changed, as she seemed to remember something. “Oh,” she said, “do you mean go into a bedroom and close the door?”

“Did you ever see Mr. Brix and Miss Charles go into a bedroom and close the door?”

“No,” she replied, “but once I...” She flushed a little.

“Go on, Mrs. Feliciano.”

“I don’t want to get anybody in trouble,” she said.

“Don’t worry, no one will get into trouble.”

“Well, once I saw that happen, but it wasn’t Miss Charles.”

“Who was the lady?”

“I don’t know. I went upstairs once to bring some linens that had come back from the laundry. It was early in the afternoon, when I’m not usually in the quarters. I clean in the mornings.”

“Go on.”

“Well, I was in the linen closet, putting away some sheets, and I heard some voices—a man and a woman. They were laughing. I stepped out of the closet just in time to see two people go into the Lincoln Bedroom. One of them, the man, was Mr. Brix.”

“And the other?”

“I couldn’t tell. I just saw her back for a second before Mr. Brix closed the door.”

“Think back. Is there anything at all you can remember about the woman? Tall or short? Heavy or slim? Blonde or brunette?”

She closed her eyes for a long moment, then she opened them. “No,” she said.

“What did you do then?”

She looked a little embarrassed. “I won’t get into trouble?”

“No, Mrs. Feliciano, you won’t get into trouble. Please be honest with us, this is very important.”

“Well . . . I went into the bedroom next door, into the bathroom that’s just next to the Lincoln Bedroom, and I . . .”

“Go on.”

“Well . . . I picked up the tooth glass and put it against the wall and put my ear to it. I could hear them talking.”

“And what were they saying?”