Divided in Death (In Death #18)(67)

"Of course they are."

"We're going to jam sometime, right?" Mavis asked Morris.

"Name the time, name the place."

"Too mag to lag!" she danced off and into Leonardo's arms.

"That's a very happy young woman."

"You wouldn't've thought so if you'd seen her two hours ago."

"Gestating ladies tend to swing. They're entitled. Want a beer?"

"What the hell." She snagged one from the cooler. "What've you got for me?"

"Nothing as wonderful as this cow patty. Chloe McCoy. No evidence of recent sexual activity. But... it would appear she'd expected some as she'd inserted protection. An over-the-counter product called Freedom. This coats the vaginal area with both spermicide and a lubricant, which protect against STDs and conception."

"Yeah, I know what it is. You can use it up to twenty-four hours before you rock. When did she use it?"

"My best guess? An hour, possibly two premortem. And she'd also ingested fifty milligrams of Sober-Up at approximately the same time."

"Well now, isn't that interesting?"

To show their unity on that point, he tapped his bottle of beer against hers. "At least one hour before she ingested the termination pills. And if those were purchased on the black market, someone has a very valuable source. They weren't generic or clones or homemade. And, the kicker: They were dissolved in the wine before they were ingested."

"So she protects herself against pregnancy or STD, sobers herself up, cleans her apartment, gets herself a sexy outfit, and does her face and hair. Then drops a couple of fatals in her wine and offs herself." Eve took a long pull on the beer. "And you said you didn't bring me anything as interesting as that burger."

"You haven't tasted the burger yet."

"I'll get to it. What's the ruling on this matter by the Chief Medical Examiner of New York City?"

"Homicide, staged to look like self-termination. That girl didn't knowingly eat those pills."

"No, she didn't." And that made Chloe McCoy hers. "Termination pills require a prescription-after considerable testing and counseling. If she didn't get them that way, and she didn't, and they weren't black market, would you say that a strong possible source for meds of that type and potency would be a covert government organization?"

"I wouldn't say no."

"Neither would I." She pondered for a few minutes. "There's something I'd like you to check out."

When she was finished with Morris, Eve headed over to the grill. "I've got some new juice," she said to Feeney, then found a plate shoved into her hand.

"Take a minute. There's always time for meat."

The scent of the burger had saliva pooling in her mouth. "A lot of new juice, Feeney. ME's ruling homicide on McCoy, and I've got the gears oiled in Jamaica so Peabody and McNab can haul the evidence back here. Mira says-"

"Go ahead." Roarke lifted the burger off her plate and to her mouth. "Take a bite. You know you want to."

"This isn't the time for a family picnic."

"Think of it as a combination family and company event."

"You gotta eat, Dallas," Feeney told her. "That's primo cow. You don't wanna waste it."

"Fine. Fine." She bit in. "Mira says-okay, this is really good, and I see absolutely no reason I can't sit down and eat this while I brief you."

"Just let me set this on auto, and you can brief both of us."

She moved to a table, and sitting, gripped the burger in both hands. Even as she took another bite, Roarke was dumping some sort of grilled vegetables on her plate.

"To balance it out," he told her.

"Whatever." If he wanted to play as if everything was dandy between them, she could get on board. There was enough inside her head without marriage weirdness. "Okay, here's how I think it went down, and I need EDD to dig into McCoy's links and verify. Whoever took her out contacted her. She's happy and excited enough to take some Sober-Up to counteract the wine she's been guzzling with her neighbor. She uses birth control. She fixes up the place, and herself."

"Sounds like someone expecting a hot date, not a girl getting ready to pop termination pills." Feeney shook his head. "She's been rolling with Blair Bissel, and Bissel's dead. You figure she had another guy dangling?"

"Possible. More possible that whoever contacted her made her think one of several options. That he had news on Bissel-the whole thing was a mistake, a coverup, maybe an operation. He's going to bring Bissel to her place, for hiding out until it's safe. Or he made her think he was Bissel."

"That'd be a trick."

"Not if you're the man's brother. You got a strong resemblance, and you could augment that. You've been jealous of the bastard all your life, and here's your chance to get some young stuff on his back."

Feeney contemplated the beer he'd brought to the table. "That's a good one. Damn good one. Had to contact her, though, if she had time to prep herself. We'll go deep on the 'links, and put her unit in the mix. If he used e-mail, it's going to be a bitch to find."