DC By the Book

Excerpt: He looked around to get his bearings and smiled. Directly across the street stood the National Geographic Society. Booker decided to take that as a positive sign. He jogged over to the wide shallow steps that rose toward the white square building, dark now except for the trim of lights around the exhibit windows. Low slabs of marble served as benches and Booker sat with his back to the street to open his case.

Excerpt: The doorman at the St. Regis pulled the heavy brass door open for him with a flourish, his eyes momentarily raking over Booker’s damp shirtsleeves. The doorman wore a long wool coat, a scarf, and a furry hat and he still looked cold. Booker smiled and stepped inside. The lights were low in the lobby, the chandeliers casting a glow over the wide marble floor. High-backed couches and low-slung armchairs clustered together in intimate groupings. Booker headed for the rear of the room. He knew the client. If he had been told to stay in the hotel, he would want to stay somewhere public.

Excerpt: The memorial spread the length of a football field, and was ringed with tall columns etche with the names of states and the U.S. territories. Broad steps opened up at the center of the wall along which they walked and led down to a shallow fountain lit from below. Dani knew that if they went down the steps, they would be invisible from the street. She also knew that if they went down those steps, despite their easy shallow slope, she would never have the energy to walk back up. As it was, the soft gurgling of the fountain and the low, broad marble walls they stopped beside made her want to lie down, let the rain wash over her, and forget everything she had already pushed to the back of her mind.