Celebrity in Death (In Death #34)(30)

“The way she hit, and where she hit. She couldn’t have fallen, bounced, rolled, fallen into the water. Not on her own.”

“No.”

“Could she have regained consciousness, tried to stand, and fallen in? Off her balance?”

“If she had, I’d expect to see another injury as the water was shallow. This mildly lacerated contusion on her temple is consistent, as you see on-screen, with a roll over the coping. Also, as you noted in your on-scene, her shoes had scraping at the heels. Here—”

He turned to the body again, moved down to the right hip. “Another slight contusion. That’s consistent with her initial fall, and with the sweeper’s report on where they found the blood.”

“Blood that had been washed off. It wouldn’t have been, even if she’d fallen in, splashed up water. It’s not enough, and the distance doesn’t work for that.”

“Not on Carter’s reconstruction.”

Eve saw it clearly. “So she went down, on her own or with help. She’s out cold. And when she’s out cold somebody drags her a couple of feet to the edge, then rolled her into the pool, where she drowned.”

“That’s our conclusion. This wasn’t an accidental death. It’s homicide.”

“That’s all I need.” She turned as Peabody rushed in, stopped.

“Wow. Still really weird,” she said as she stared at the body. “I think her legs are longer than mine. Why can’t my legs be longer?”

Morris stepped around the slab, walked up to her. He took her shoulders, kissed her on the mouth.

“Wow.” Peabody blinked several times. “Um, thanks. That was nice.”

“It’s very good to see you,” he said, and his eyes laughed into Eve’s when he stepped away.

“So far this is the best morning I’ve had in ever.”

“Well, hold on to that,” Eve advised. “We’ve got homicide, a media circus, and a long list of suspects. Let’s get to work. Thanks, Morris.”

“Anytime. And Peabody? I like your legs just as they are.”

“The day gets better and better.” Dazzled, Peabody walked back into the tunnel with Eve.

“Try this. You’re late. And I can see damn well from the bounce in your step you’re late due to sex, which means I have to catch you up on the ME’s findings, and this does not make my day better and better.”

“I couldn’t help it. McNab asked me to marry him.”

The second hard jolt of the morning stopped Eve in mid-stride. “What? Jesus. What?”

“I’m eating fruity yogurt instead of the bagel and schmear I wanted, and he’s sitting there with his bowl of Crispy Crunchie Charms, and he asked if I wanted to get married.” The residual thrill bounced her on her pink boots. “Really, he asked if I wanted him to ask, which is even sweeter and better, and wow oh wow, I had to have sex.”

“Okay.” How many shocks, Eve wondered, was she supposed to rebound from? “So …”

“So we’re going to get married. One day. Not now. We don’t want to get married now.”

“I’m confused.”

“I think he needed me to know it’s what he wants one day, with me. And needed to know it’s what I want one day, with him. And it is.” Peabody hiked up her shoulders in a kind of self-hug. “It really is. It shook him, you know, seeing somebody who looks like me, who’s being me, you know. Dead.”

“Yeah, that I get.”

“And he needed me to know, and he needed to know, so he asked if he should ask, and we … I’m crazy about him, Dallas. But it’s more than crazy. I really absolutely love every bony inch of him.”

“I guess you do.” Eve took a minute as they walked outside. “I may never say these words again, but you’re good together. And you’re both being smart, to wait awhile before you jump to the next level.”

“You didn’t,” Peabody reminded her.

“Nothing about me and Roarke was smart. Nothing about us should’ve worked, when you look at it close.”

“You’re wrong about that. The closer you look, the more it’s clear why it worked. Why it works.”

“Maybe so. But if you’re late due to sex again, I’ll kick your ass.”

“Understood.”

“We’re going to swing by to talk to Mavis and Leonardo before we head in. They left before the body was discovered, but they were there through the evening, and during the gag reel, so we need their statements. Added to it, Mavis played herself so she did some work with the cast and crew. She may have something to add to the mix.”

It was still a little odd to return to the building, and the apartment that had once been hers. Now Mavis, Leonardo, and their baby had the space—and more, as they’d taken the neighboring apartment and taken out walls, redesigned to accommodate the family and their work.

Odder still in some ways that Peabody and McNab had taken an apartment in the same building.

A lot of changes, Eve thought, in a short time.

“It’s early,” she began as they started up the stairs she’d once climbed daily. “But I want to get this done even if we have to wake them up.”

“Dallas, they’ve got a baby less than a year old. Believe me, they’re up.”