Obsession in Death (In Death #40)(103)

“She wants to be important, special, noticed.” She pulled out her ’link as they stepped out into the cold, then frowned at it. “I was going to check on Jamie and his mother.”

“But we’d both feel better if we did that in person. It won’t take long.”

“Unnecessary, but yeah. It’ll be off my brain. The smell,” she began as they got into the car. “Sealant maybe. Sealed up, top to toe, that could be it. Or part of it.”

“There’s a whiff of chemical in it, if you’re sensitive enough to smells, but you don’t use sealant when you clean vomit – and she was specific there.”

“Disinfectant, some of that. Chemicals. Maybe treated the coat. Maybe had disinfectant in the bag? Clean up anything that needed cleaning. Antiseptic? Subtle, because the other kid didn’t catch it. Maybe more a sixth sense than one of the five. The same that told her female, and gave her the sense of meanness where the other, Savannah, just saw a dull, dorky-looking person, a little annoyed maybe with a couple of girls in – what’s it? – hilarity.”

Eve scanned the streets as Roarke drove.

“She’s hurting, unless she got medical treatment – and so far no one’s reported anyone matching her description seeking it – and she’s shaken. Angry, in pain, confidence blown. Three misses in two days. What will she do now? Crawl into her hole, lick her wounds? Or find release somewhere else?”

“If she’s really hurt, I’d think she’d tend to herself first.”

“Maybe. But rage and revenge are damn good painkillers.”

When they arrived at Jamie’s the lights on the main level blazed. The holiday tree shone defiantly through the glass. And through the glass Eve saw the living room screen, all color and movement.

The uniform who answered the door looked a little abashed. And no surprise, Eve thought, considering the volume of the basketball game running on screen, and the shouts of the other uniform and Jamie at a three-point swish.

“Ah, we thought we’d keep him entertained,” the uniform said.

Eve glanced at the spread of chips, soft drinks, Christmas cookies, some sort of chunky salsa.

“I can see that.”

Jamie, young, fit, his sandy hair a little longer than the last time she’d seen him, jumped up from his slouch on the sofa. He’d caught Eve in a hug before she could stop him. Which offset, she guessed, catching two uniforms gorging on junk food and sports.

He gave Roarke the same treatment, then shook back his hair. “Good you came by, but you didn’t have to. We’re all tucked. Appreciate the badges, too, but nobody’s getting in I don’t want in. They made Mom feel better though.”

“Where is she?”

“I finally talked her into going to bed. About twenty minutes ago.”

“She can sleep through this?”

“Gave her a soother, and earplugs.” He grinned. “Glad I was home when this went down, but like I said, nobody was getting in. Even a master would set off an alarm. I rigged up a system,” he told Roarke. “Full-house program – motion, weight shift, light sensitive, with the master alert. Layered it over your basic shutdown and scream.”

“Did you now?”

“A prototype – experimental yet. I’ve been working on it with your R&D on winter break. Deal’s a deal.”

“It is indeed.”

Roarke paid for Jamie’s college, in exchange for the work as he considered the boy a blooming genius in electronics.

“Glitch is – I hadn’t thought of it,” he continued, “using a master that doesn’t work. I’m going to fiddle with that some. If it had worked, the secondary locks would’ve engaged, and the alarm would’ve sounded. As it was, you took care of that.”

“You’ve got cams?” Eve asked.

“Oh, damn straight.” He pulled a micro disc, sealed, out of his pocket. “Got your copy here. I viewed the feed. Can’t see much of her face, but maybe you can enhance that. She’s favoring her right arm, and you’ll see her left’s shaking some when she tries the master. Shoves it in twice, then actually thumps her fist on the door a couple times. That’s what alerted me – just before you tagged Mom. I was up working – sort of – and the contact with the door set off an alert. No big, I figured. I got some friends might come by anytime. I switched my screen to the cam – nobody there. Hey, you want a drink or something? Mom stocked up on everything for the holidays. We’re flush.”

She could see that from the coffee table spread. “No, thanks.”

“Well, anyway, I was going to go down, check the system, and that’s when you tagged my mom. I could hear her, tell she was freaked over something. I got the gist, hit total lockdown – and full lights.”

He grinned.

“Neighbors might be a little steamed, but if anybody was out there, still thinking about trying to get in, that would make them think a lot more.”

“I’d like a look at the system,” Roarke told him.

“Yeah, sure.”

“Later.” Eve held up a hand to stop the two geeks. “I’m leaving the uniforms, keep your mother feeling settled. And I’m going to add a patrol, but I don’t think you’re going to get another visitor. She missed twice tonight, so if she hits again, it’s not going to be a place as secure as the freaking Pentagon.”