The maitre d’ declined the money. “Don’t worry, Mr. Barrington, we will see that your privacy is respected.” He bowed and left.
They ordered dinner and another drink, and suddenly, Stone picked up the words “two cops from New York” from the banquette at his back. Holly heard it, too. They stopped talking and listened to the woman’s voice.
“I think this proves that Will Lee is trying to pin that murder on somebody,” she said. “He’s got these out-of-towners in to write a report that he’s going to leak to the media, saying Brix Kendrick didn’t kill his wife. And after he’s already confessed!”
“It is odd,” her companion replied.
“What none of the investigations has turned up is Brix’s affairs,” she said.
“Brix was having affairs?” her companion asked. “I don’t believe it.”
“Well, one of his lovers is a friend of mine, and she lives in terror that she’s going to get pulled into the investigation and get her name in the paper and her husband will divorce her.”
Then another couple joined the two, and the subject of their conversation changed.
Holly kept her voice low. “I don’t know which is more interesting: that she knows you’r knrsae in town, or that Kendrick was having affairs.”
“Neither do I,” Stone said. “I thought our investigation was a closely held secret.”
“Well,” Holly said, “it may be a secret, but it’s apparently not closely held.”
“Apparently not.”
“You remember in the movie when somebody says to Jack Nicholson, ‘Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown’?”
“Yes.”
“Welclass="underline" Stone, it’s Washington.”
“I learn a little more about it every day,” Stone said.
“Oh, by the way, don’t make any plans for lunch tomorrow.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re going to be invited to have it with the president.”
“How do you know that?” Stone asked.
“Stone, it’s Washington.”
18
Stone and Dino were kept waiting at the White House for more than half an hour before being ushered into the Oval Office, where a waiter was setting up a table.
The president greeted them with handshakes, then they sat down. “You’re having lobster salad,” Will Lee said, “because I’ve heard you like it.”
“That’s entirely true,” Stone said, while Dino nodded.
“I’m having something unspeakable,” Lee said. “Kate has me on a diet. I mean, I exercise five days a week, I don’t know why I have to be skinny, too.”
“You look just fine to me, Mr. President,” Dino said.
“You know, I think so, too,” Lee said. “I’d order the lobster salad, but it would get back to Kate in a heartbeat.”
The waiter returned with a cart and served lobster salad to Stone and Dino, then put something before the president, who grimaced. “I’ve learned not to ask what it is,” he said.
“If it’s any consolation, Mr. President,” Stone said, “when we had lunch with Mrs. Lee, she had something fairly awful-looking.”
“That’s comforting,” Lee said wryly.
“But she made us eat it, too,” Dino said. “Or tried to. We had lunch at a diner later.”
The president laughed heartily. “Serves her right,” he said, “but don’t ever let her know. You’ll never hear the end of it. Wine, anyone?”
“We wouldn’t dare,” Stone said.
“All right,” the president said, swallowing without chewing, “tell me what you’ve got.”
“Gossip,” Stone said.
“We have gossip?” Dino asked, looking confused.
“I’m sorry, Dino,” Stone said, “I didn’t have a chance to tell you. Mr. President, Holly Barker and I had dinner last night at Maison Blanche, and-”
“I heard she was wearing a smashing yellow dress,” Lee said.
Stone’s jaw dropped.
“It’s Washington,” the president said.
“Yes, sir,” Stone said. “Well, anyway, we were sitting at a banquette, and there was another one back-to-back with us, and we overheard a conversation between a couple that was an eye-opener.”
“I can’t wait to hear this,” Dino said.
“Dino, I said I was sorry. Anyway, Mr. President, the woman at the table said that Brixton Kendrick had had a number of affairs.”
“Brix?” Lee asked, looking astonished.
“Yes, sir.”
“So we’re reduced to restaurant gossip?” Dino asked.
“It’s the best lead we’ve had so far,” Stone said.
“What about the lipstick?” Lee asked.
“I’m afraid that’s gone nowhere, sir,” Stone replied. “But it was the rest of the conversation that was interesting.”
“I can’t wait,” Dino said.
Stone shot him a dirty look. “The woman said that a friend of hers had been having an affair with Kendrick, and that she was terrified that she would be questioned by us, and her husband would divorce her.”
“By you?” the president asked. “She knew about you?”
“Mr. President, it’s Washington.”
Lee nodded. “So she said she actually knew someone who was having an affair with Brix?”
Stone nodded. “I thought that gave the conversation more weight than mere gossip.”
“Who was this woman at the restaurant?” Lee asked.
Stone produced his notebook. “I got that from the maitre d’ before we left: the couple were Mr. and Mrs. Biddle Trask.”
“Biddle Trask? He’s the secretary of commerce. I appointed him.”
“I don’t know his wife’s name,” Stone said.
“Elizabeth-Betty. I think you’d better have a word with her, and you tell her I sent you-personally.”
“Yes, sir.”
“My secretary will give you her address.”
“Thank you, sir.”
The president looked thoughtful. “That puts a whole new complexion on this affair, doesn’t it?”
“Well, it’s something we didn’t know,” Stone said.
“Or just found out,” Dino said.
“I handled a few murder cases when I was a young lawyer,” Lee said. “Well, one murder case. Anyway, if this information is true, then it might make Brix’s suicide more understandable. He could have feared his past coming out.”
“I’m afraid this information, if it’s true, might go against your contention that Kendrick didn’t kill his wife,” Stone said.
The president nodded. “I must admit, it took the wind out of my sails. I hope I haven’t gotten you two down here for nothing.”
Stone didn’t know what to say to that.
“Well, since the word is out that you are in town, we’re going to have to be very careful here,” Lee said.
“We haven’t been paid anything,” Stone said, g,” Ssailawyer,and it’s not necessary that we are paid. I think it might be better if we can honestly say that we aren’t on the government payroll.”
The president sighed. “Dick Nixon would have had a pile of cash in somebody’s safe to handle a situation like this.”
“Mr. President, I think we would prefer not to be paid.”
“Then I will respect your wishes in that regard,” Lee said.
“There’s something else to consider here,” Stone said.
“What’s that?”
“So far, everyone we’ve interviewed has been a White House staffer,” Stone said. “But if we interview Elizabeth Trask, then we lend credence to her gossip.”
“I take your point, Stone,” Lee said, “but if you’ve interviewed anybody, then it’s out there. I don’t think talking to Betty will make things worse. Oh, you might tell her that I said to shut up or I’ll tell her husband she’s spreading this stuff.”
“Mr. President, it was her husband to whom she was telling it.”
“Oh, yes,” Lee said. “I forgot about that. Well, Biddle Trask is not the kind to spread gossip, though I’m sure he was very interested in hearing it.”
“Mr. President, as long as we’re talking about Brixton Kendrick’s sex life, was there anyone here in the White House that he seemed to have an unusual interest in? Any woman, I mean.”
“Well, Brix wasn’t gay,” Lee said, “I’d bet on that. Of course, I would have bet he never had an affair with anybody.”