Stuart Woods: D.C. Dead

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.

“Will you please tell me what you’re doing?” Dino asked plaintively. “Maybe I can help.”

“Fair Sutherlin’s cell phone has come to life, and it’s right here in front of us!” Stone put his phone to his ear. “Are you still there, Holly?”

“Yes, what do you see?”

“A bunch of traffic, stopped by a traffic cop. There’s a fender bender down the street. What am I supposed to look for?”

“How should I know? It could be in one of those cars. It could be in somebody’s pocket. It could be in the gutter!”

The cop was waving traffic on, now, and the line began to move. “What do you see, Dino?”

“Traffic and pedestrians, what else?”

“Fair’s cell phone is here somewhere.”

“Stone?”

“Yes, I’m here.”

“The phone is moving again and picking up speed.”

“We’re talking about fifty cars, at least,” Stone said. “There’s nothing we can do about it.”

“Are there any unusual vehicles?”

“No, there are half a dozen of those plain vanilla government sedans with government seals you see all over town. There’s a moving van, a tow truck, one Rolls-Royce, and a zillion assorted cars.”

“Shit,” Holly said. “Where is your car?”

“Illegally parked down the street. Don’t worry, you’ll get the ticket.”

“Run for it. I’ll keep an eye on where it’s headed and direct you.”

“I’ll call you back when we’re on the move.” He ended the call. “Come on, Dino, we’re going to chase that phone.” The two of them sprinted a block and a half down the avenue, got into the car, and got it started. Stone called Holly’s cell number.

“I’m here. Go straight ahead for four blocks and turn right on Fourteenth Street. It’s about ten blocks ahead of you.”

“There’s a lot of traffic,” Stone said.

“You’ve got flashers on that car,” she said, “use them, but don’t use the siren.”

“Dino, find the switch for the flashers!”

Dino found the switch. “Have we got a siren?” He found the switch, and the noise began.

“Damn it, Stone,” Holly yelled, “I told you not to use the siren!”

“What? I can’t hear you! Dino, turn off the damned thing!”

Dino found the switch again, and now Stone could hear Holly screaming.

“You don’t have to yell, now,” he yelled. “It’s off.”

“All right. When you get to Pennsylvania Avenue, turn right. The White House will be to your left.”

Stone muscled the car in and out of lanes and began to make headway. “I’m turning right on Pennsylvania!”

“Tell Dino to call out the landmark buildings as you pass them, that way I’ll know whether you’re catching up,” Holly said.

“Dino, call out the names of buildings as you see them!”

“Okay, we’ve got the IRS on the right,” Dino said. “Hoover Building coming up, now the National Archives, now the Federal Trade Commission. I can see the Capitol up ahead.”

“Hold it!” Holly shouted. “I’ve lost it.”

“Where?” Stone asked.

“I don’t know-somewhere on Pennsylvania Avenue. It just vanished.”

“I’m pulling over and waiting until you locate it again,” Stone said, then did so. He sat for fifteen minutes.

“Nope, it’s gone,” Holly said. “Nice try, though.”

“Gee, thanks,” Stone said.

“Well,” Dino said, “that’s gotta be our last clue. The battery is going to run down eventually.”

Stone struck the steering wheel with his open hand. “Shit! We’re not going to be able to claim the March Hare is dead while that cell phone is out there!”

Stone, Dino, Holly, and Shelley dined at Clyde’s,in Georgetown, just to get out of the hotel suite. As they entered, Stone whispered to Holly, “Don’t tell Shelley about Fair’s cell phone. We’re meeting with Kerry Smith tomorrow morning, and we may not want to introduce that information into the mix.”

“I’m invited, too,” Holly replied, “and don’t worry, I don’t want to bring it up either.”

Everybody ordered a steak, and Stone ordered a bottle of a good California Cabernet. The mood was less festive than it usually was.

A camera flash went off, temporarily blinding everyone.

“Who the hell was that?” Dino demanded.

“I can’t even see you,” Shelley replied, “let alone whoever pulled that trigger.”

“My vision is coming back,” Holly said, “and I don’t see anyone with a camera, or even anybody looking at us.”

“I didn’t know Washington had paparazzi,” Dino said.

“Forget that,” Holly said. “Kate Lee got back this afternoon, and we had the conversation.”

“What conversation?” Shelley asked.

“The one where I told her that the investigation is over, that we all think Charlotte Kirby is the March Hare and that she killed herself.” She explained their thoughts about the lack of fingerprints on the magazine and ammo.

“Is that what you’re telling Kerry tomorrow morning?”

“Yep.”

“I’m on board with that. I’m as sick as you are of this whole business.”

“Unanimity can’t hurt,” Stone said. “You think Kerry will back us?”

“Stone, if you believe it, and if I believe it, we can make him believe it, too.”

“That’s fine, unless Kerry suddenly comes up with some evidence we don’t know about.”

“Kerry has been up to his ears with our new budget since you got here,” Shelley said. “He hasn’t had time to deal with anything else.”

“Good. My son is opening his first play at Yale this weekend, and I want to be there.”

“I want to be there, too,” Dino said, “since my boy is the producer. I’m counting on him to make a big success so he can take care of me in my old age.”

“I want Kerry to issue a press release,” Holly said, “saying that the investigation is now closed. We need that.”