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By Root 658 0

The Kennedys had a special fondness for the Jockey Club, a distinctly nonpartisan choice since the Republican Reagans also were regulars there. President and Laura Bush made it known when they arrived on the Washington scene that they missed the Texas-based restaurant Jeffrey’s, and so Aquarelle gave way to that Tex-Mex establishment until 2003, when it closed, in part due to the stay-at-home Bush family’s lack of presence. Aquarelle was brought back, much to the delight of many Washingtonians, particularly those residing in the Watergate apartments, for whom Southwestern food was not the be-all, end-all.

“Consistently good,” Mac offered as a waiter placed menus before them. “Crab cakes?”

“Why not

“So, Ray, you say you have some interesting developments in your investigation of the murder. I’m anxious to hear

“Where do I start?” He motioned for a waiter and ordered a Bloody Mary. Mac declined a drink. “I spent time with the victim’s friend from Toronto, the pianist, Christopher Warren. In fact, I just left him at Takoma Park

“And?”

“He’s high on my suspect list

“Based on what?”

Pawkins laughed. “You sound the way you did when you were trying cases and grilling me on the stand

“Old habits die hard. Tell me more about this pianist

“He’s a former boyfriend of the deceased. Toronto. She jilted him for some Arab stud, which would make any guy angry, maybe enough to kill

“You got that out of him?”

“I had a little advance info that greased the skids

“What about those agents?”

“They’re next on my agenda, Mac. And there’s a guy at the Kennedy Center I’m taking a closer look at

“Who’s that?”

“No names at this point. Let’s just say that he’s known to have a thing for Asian women

Smith’s immediate thought was of the attractive Asian woman who waited for Pawkins at the supers rehearsal the previous night, but didn’t comment. Most men, he knew, tended to gravitate to a certain type of woman—blonde, redhead (certainly true in his case with Annabel), brunette, tall, short, plump, skinny. Second wives tended to mirror in some fashion first wives, although not always. Smith’s first wife, who’d died along with their only son in that dreadful auto accident, had been a brunette and considerably shorter than Annabel. No hard-and-fast rules, but tendencies.

“Was he there the night Ms. Lee was killed?” Smith asked.

“What? Oh, sorry, My mind wandered. It tends to do that more these days

Pawkins was thinking of his meeting later that afternoon with Detective Berry.

“The pianist,” Mac repeated. “Was he there the night she was killed?”

“Sure he was. Genevieve pressed him into duty as a super

“Yes, I remember him at the first get-together

“I’ll know more about him later today. I’m meeting with MPD after I leave here

As they ate, Pawkins said, “So, tell me, Mac, how your first brush with opera is going

“Going well,” he replied.

“Good. I’d hate it to be an unpleasant experience for you. Heard the latest bit of scuttlebutt?”

Mac’s raised eyebrows called for an explanation.

“Seems our diva in this production is unhappy with the soft drinks. They’re using Coke onstage for the drinking scenes. She’s a Pepsi fanatic and refuses to go on unless they change to Pepsi

“So,” Mac said, enjoying a final bite of crab cake, “give her Pepsi

“My thought exactly,” Pawkins said. He looked at his watch. “I’d better go. I’ve got a busy afternoon on tap

“Don’t let me stop you

Mac’s cell phone rang. It was Annabel. When the brief conversation was over, Mac said to Pawkins, “Annabel has just come from a meeting of the Opera Ball committee. I have a bit of scuttlebutt to report, too

“Oh?”

“Not only are the president and first lady attending the opening night of Tosca, they plan to make an appearance at the ball

“How did the ladies get so unlucky? It’ll be crawling with Secret Service

“I’m sure they’ll manage. Go ahead and run, Ray. I’m going to have coffee. The check is mine

“If you insist.” He started to get up, but sat down again. “Mind a word of advice, Mac Smith?”

“Depends on what it’s about

“Opera,” Pawkins said. “I couldn’t help