D.C. Dead (Stone Barrington 22)

“I’d certainly like to find out,” Dino replied. “Holly?”

“Don’t point that thing at me,” Holly said. “You want to tiptoe in there and take a peek, it’s on your head.”

“Nah,” Dino said, “it’s on Stone’s head. He’s the only one here who doesn’t have a government job to hang on to.”

“Oh, all right,” Stone said. He slipped off his shoes and tiptoed across the rose-colored carpet to the bedside table and, with his pen, engaged the drawer pull and slid it open. He poked around in the drawer with the pen, then closed it and tiptoed back to the door. “No diary,? “No d” he said. “Just condoms, lubricant, and tissues.”

“Charlotte was ready for anything, wasn’t she?” Holly asked.

Stone started down the hall, back toward the front of the house.

“Where are you going?” Holly asked.

“I want to see what else is in this house,

” Stone replied.

Dino followed, producing a pair of latex gloves from a pocket and donning them.

Holly trailed the two. The three of them stood in the neat living room and looked around, then Stone walked into what turned out to be a den.

There was a desk and some bookcases and a filing cabinet. “You do this one, Dino,” Stone said. “You’re gloved.”

Dino started with the filing cabinet. “Bills, tax returns, a file of clippings from travel magazines,” Dino said, after a minute’s look.

“Try the desk,” Stone said.

Dino walked to the desk and opened the three top drawers. “Bingo,” he said.

42

SOMEONE HAMMERED ON THE FRONT DOOR. HOLLY WENT TO answer it, and Dino stuffed the diary under his belt in the small of his back. Holly returned with two police detectives and a couple of people with satchels. Holly directed them to the bedroom, but one detective remained with them.

“So,” he said to Holly, “I know who you are. Who are these two?”

&nb

sp; “Lieutenant Dino Bacchetti, NYPD, and Stone Barrington, NYPD, retired.”

The detective nodded. “I read the papers. This got something to do with that lady from the White House?”

“The corpse in the bedroom is the lady from the White House,” Holly replied.

“Be right back,” the detective said. “You three stay here.” He walked down the hall toward the bedroom.

“Don’t you dare give him that diary,” Holly said to Dino.

“I hadn’t planned to,” Dino replied.

The detective returned. “How come you’re gloved?” he asked Dino.

“Because I’m the only one carrying gloves.”

“What did you touch with those gloves?”

“I had a look in the filing cabinet in the study and in the top desk drawers.”

“What did you find?”