Ceremony in Death (In Death #5)(85)

“You could spot somebody pulling the same grift?”

“Shit, are you kidding? From three blocks with sunshades on.”

“You were good,” Eve considered. “I never saw you in that gig, but you were good in the others.”

“You busted me.”

“I’m better.” Eve flashed a smile and felt the glop on her face ooze. “Listen; there’s this place you could check out for me,” she began as Trina marched over and shoved her back into the horizontal. “Both of you,” she added, eyeing Trina.

“Hey, is this a cop deal?”

“Maybe.”

“Frigid,” Trina said and pushed Eve back toward the rinsing bowl.

“You could scope it out.” Eve squeezed her eyes shut as water flooded. “See if you can get the clerk — her name’s Jane — to talk. Give me a rundown. They don’t come clean with cops.”

“Who does?” Trina wanted to know.

“I want impressions,” Eve continued. “You’re interested in herbs, in mind expansion, love potions, sex enhancers. Soothers.”

“Illegals?” It didn’t take Mavis long to catch on. “You think they might be dealing?”

“It’s a possibility I need to confirm or eliminate. You could spot it every bit as quick as an undercover. And you could spot a grift. If they’re hosing customers. If they’re playing any cons. The money’s coming from somewhere.”

“This could rock, Mavis.” Trina grinned. “You and me, a couple of detectives. Like Sherlock and Dr. Jekyll.”

“Decent. I thought it was Dr. Holmes, though.”

Eve closed her eyes again.

Must be the fumes, she decided.

When she arrived home, Mavis and Trina were there, entertaining Roarke with their exploits. Eve scooped up the cat and followed the laughter.

“I bought this lotion to rub on,” Trina was saying. “It’s supposed to bring out the animal in men. Like pheromones.” She stuck her long arm under Roarke’s nose. “What’s it do for you?”

“If I wasn’t married to a woman who carries a weapon, I’d…” He trailed off, grinned. “Hello, darling.”

“You could finish the thought,” Eve told him and dumped Galahad in his lap.

“I’ll wait until you’re unarmed.”

“Dallas, it was so, so decent.” Mavis popped up, waving her glass of wine so that the straw-colored liquid sloshed to the rim. “I can’t wait to get home and tell Leonardo. But Trina and I, we wanted to grab some nutrition, you know, and come right over and report. You should see all the stuff I bought.”

She started to dive into one of several shopping bags with the Spirit Quest logo. Eve resisted groaning and tugged Mavis’s arm. “Talk now, show later. I must have lost my mind, sending the two of you in there. I tell you,” she said whirling to Roarke. “It’s the fumes in those places. That’s what makes people sit there and let themselves be shaved and painted and pierced.”

His eyes clouded briefly. “Pierced? Where, exactly?”

“Oh, she wouldn’t go for the nipple job.” Trina waved a hand. “Said she’d zap me if I came near her with the jabber.”

“Good girl,” Roarke murmured. “I’m proud of your restraint.”

Because her head was starting to ache, Eve poured herself a glass of wine. “Did the two of you do anything in there but spend your credits?”

“We had readings,” Mavis told her. “Genuinely iced. I’ve got an adventurous soul, and my narcissism is balanced by a generous heart.”

Eve couldn’t help it; she laughed. “You don’t have to be psychic to read that one, Mavis. You just have to have eyes. You did go in dressed like that, right?”

Mavis dangled her neon sneaker. “Sure. Jane, the clerk, was real helpful, seemed to know her herbs. We judged her sincere, right Trina?”

“Jane was sincere,” Trina agreed, soberly. “Kinda dull. I could fix her up with a couple sessions. A little highlighter, some body work. Now, the goddess, hard to improve on that one.”

“Isis.” Eve sat up. “She was there?”

“She came out of the back while we were doing the herb thing,” Mavis put in. “I was saying how I wanted something to improve my performance level, boost my stage energy. See, when you’re working a grift, you hang better if you believe the con. So if you can do true, it’s mag.”

“I was looking for sex stuff.” Trina smiled sinuously. “Stuff to attract men, lift sexual performance. And I said how I had this stressful job. Kept me tense and edgy. Over-the-counters just weren’t cutting it for me. So I thought they might have something more potent, and I didn’t mind the cost.”

“They had lots of blends.” Mavis took up the story. “I didn’t see anything off. Fact is, she said how drugs weren’t the answer. What we wanted was the natural way. Like holistic.”

“Holistic,” Trina agreed. “We nudged her, flashed credits and stuff, but she wasn’t buying. Or I guess that would be selling.”

“The Amazon Queen went into the back.” Mavis picked up the story. “Came back with this mix.” Hair flying, Mavis dug into her shopping bag, tossed the smaller, clear bag to Eve. “Said I should sample it, and wouldn’t charge me. She wants me to let her know if it worked for me. You can test it out, but I’d say it’s clean.”