“I didn’t say that,” Stone replied. “First, I want to see the lab report on the brick.”
Shelley got up and went to a telephone, held a brief conversation, then hung up and came back to the table. “The lab report is on my desk,” she said.
“And?” Dino queried.
“The blood on the brick is that of Emily Kendrick, so we have the murder weapon.”
“Okay,” Stone said. “What else?”
“There was no deposit of DNA by another individual,” Shelley said.
“Shit!” Dino muttered.
“However,” Shelley said, making sure she had everybody’s undivided attention before continuing, “there was something else deposited.”
Everybody stared at her in silence, waiting for the news.
“Lipstick,” Shelley said. “Don’t you want to know what kind of lipstick?”
“I’m just dying to know,” Dino replied.
“Pagan Spring,” Shelley said, “from a house brand made for a national drugstore chain.”
“What’s a Pagan Spring?” Dino asked.
“In this case,” Shelley said, “pinkish.”
“Pinkish?”
“Not exactly pink, but pinkish.”
Stone interrupted. “I take it this is a cosmetic used by potential
ly tens of thousands of women in the D.C. area?”
“Indeed,” Shelley said.
“Shit!” Dino said again.
11
HOLLY AND SHELLEY HAD LEFT THE SUITE, AND STONE AND Dino were on their second cups of coffee. The phone rang, and Stone got it. “Yes?”
“I’m calling for Director of Central Intelligence Katharine Rule Lee,” a woman’s voice said. “To whom am I speaking?”
“This is Stone Barrington.”
“Director Lee would be pleased if you and Lieutenant Bacchetti could join her for lunch in her dining room today at twelve-thirty.”
“Please tell her we’d be pleased to join her,” Stone said.
“Thank you, Mr. Barrington. There’ll be visitors’ passes for you at the main gate. Would you like directions?”
“Yes, please.” Stone wrote everything down, thanked her, and hung up. “I hope you and Assistant Director Bach haven’t planned a matinee for today,” he said to Dino.
“Funny you should mention it,” Dino said. “I was just thinking about that.”
“Director Lee has invited us to lunch at the Agency.”