D.C. Dead (Stone Barrington 22)

“You’re on,” Stone said.

49

STONE AND DINO STOOD UNDER A HIGHLY POLISHED DC-3, with Eastern Airlines markings, suspended from the ceiling of the museum. “Isn’t that gorgeous?” Stone asked.

“It sure is,” Dino said. “I took my first airplane ride in one of those, from the old La Guardia Marine Air Terminal to Boston.”iv>

“That airframe could really take it. Some of them did more than a hundred thousand hours.”

Dino tapped Stone’s elbow. “Look at that,” he said.

Stone followed Dino’s gaze to where a woman had set down a large handbag and was rummaging through it for something. This went on and on, with objects being removed from the bag, until she finally came up with a tiny camera. She took a photo of the DC-3, then tossed the camera back into her bag, along with all the things she had removed.

“Can you believe it?” Dino asked. “Why do they carry all that stuff around? Shelley has one just as bad.”

“Holly, bless her heart, takes a more male attitude,” Stone said. “She actually has pockets in some of her clothes.”

They moved on to another exhibit.

They were standing in front of the first American spacecraft when Stone’s cell phone buzzed.

“Hello?”

“Stone, it’s Kerry Smith, at the FBI.”

“Hello, Kerry.”

“I wonder if you and Dino could come and see me tomorrow morning? I’d like an update on your investigation, if you have the time.”

“Actually, Kerry, tomorrow morning might be an ideal time to brief you. What time?”

“Eleven o’clock, in my office?”

“See you then.” Stone hung up and turned to Dino. “Kerry Smith wants a briefing on our investigation tomorrow at eleven.”

“Sounds like a good time to pull the rip cord and bail out of this mess,” Dino said.

“And maybe by that time Holly will have been able to brief Kate Lee, and she, the president.”

“I like it,” Dino said. “We can burn all our bridges at once.”

“Yeah, then we can beat it out of town before another body turns up.”

“I’m not going to be responsible for explaining any more corpses after that,” Dino said.

Stone’s phone went off again. “Hello?”

“It’s Holly. I went back to the cell phone locator program, and Fair Sutherlin’s phone is alive again and on the move.”

“Where is it?”

“Let’s see: it’s moving right past the Smithsonian Institution right now. Seems to be stuck in traffic outside the Air and Space wing.”

“Holy shit! That’s where we are!” Stone grabbed Dino’s arm and ran for the door. “Come on!”

Dino was trying to keep up with the longer-legged Stone. “What the fuck is going on?”

“It’s Fair’s cell phone!” They hit the front door running, attracting the notice of a uniformed security guard. Stone stood on the front steps of the museum, looking up and down the street.