Obsession in Death (In Death #40)(104)

“Twice?”

“She tried for Nadine.”

“Nadine.” The excitement whisked out of Jamie’s face. “Is she okay? Was she hurt?”

“Shaken up, not hurt. Safe, secured.”

“This is the UNSUB – Bastwick and Ledo. I follow,” Jamie said to Eve. “Bastwick wasn’t a fan. I figured you busted Ledo a time or two.”

“His chops, sure.”

Jamie nodded, and his eyes no longer looked so young. He had cop in there, Eve thought, however Roarke might wish the boy would stick with R&D. “Nadine, and now me and Mom. She did the switch. She’s trying for people you care about now.”

“That’s the theory, so take precautions. Nobody comes in the house you don’t know. You don’t open the door, period, to anyone you don’t know. No exceptions. Not for a cop I don’t personally clear, not for a city worker yelling gas leak, not for a delivery, not for anything.”

“Got it. I won’t take chances with my mom, you can believe it.”

She did – he was a good son, and all his mother had, so she did. But she was still leaving the cops.

By the time they got home, Eve felt she’d been gone for days. She needed her office, and an hour, one hour to get everything down, and in order, and out of her head.

Roarke picked up a memo cube from a table in the foyer.

Summerset’s voice droned out.

Ms. Furst is in the Gold Suite as it’s a favorite of hers. I was able to convince her to take a mild soother and allow me to treat the minor injuries to her arm and her calf. While she indicated she would be up, working, when you arrived home, I believe the soother will counteract that intention.

I hope both of you will follow her example and get a reasonable night’s rest.

Eve tossed her coat over the newel post. “It’s good she’s out – assuming he’s right on that. I don’t want to have to deal with her tonight. She’ll have questions, and I don’t want to hear them.”

Roarke tossed his coat on top of Eve’s. “I’ll check on the searches, program another with the images from tonight.”

“I need to look at the feed from Nadine’s, from Jamie’s.”

“I’d like to see those myself. Let’s do that first.” He held out a hand for the discs. “I’ll set it up. You get the coffee. One condition,” he added.

“I don’t like conditions.”

“That’s a pity, but here’s mine. You’ll take a soother before you go to bed. You’re pale, Eve, and you’re tired – mind and body. So I won’t push you not to work, and I’ll help you with it. But when it’s done, you’ll take the soother.”

“I’ll take one if you take one.”

“That’s a deal then.” He gave her butt a pat as they walked into her office. “Into the kitchen now, darling, and make us some coffee.”

“You think that’s cute?”

“It’s adorable, at least at this time of night.”

Whatever time it was, there was work. So she made the coffee, and added a handful of her secret stash of cookies.

Roarke’s eyebrows lifted when she brought it all out. “Well now, this must be love. You sharing the biscuits.”

“They’re cookies. Biscuits are hot bread you smother in butter or gravy. Remember which side of the Atlantic you’re on, ace.”

“Whatever they’re called, they’re welcome.” He took one, bit in. “Computer, run first disc.”

Cradling her coffee, Eve watched the UNSUB buzz at Nadine’s exterior door. Head and face averted, but not covered this time. That straggle of hair showing. No audio, so again the voice was lost. No chance of running a voice print.

“Nothing on the clothing. No labels, emblems, logos. But Nadine’s right. Not five-ten. Five-eight’s about right. Knows the building again,” Eve continued. “Knows how to angle herself to keep her face off camera. We’re going to find somebody who saw her in there. Somebody’s going to have seen her.”

“Here come the girls.” Roarke sipped his coffee as he watched them. “And that is what being in hilarity looks like.”

It looked like being piss-faced drunk, Eve thought, the way they leaned into each other, eyes bright, laughing.

“Look at her hands,” Eve said. “Balling into fists. Angry. At the girls? At life? The girls annoy. All that laughing and talking. They infuriated. Jesus, she’s reaching in her pocket. Right pocket. And yeah, her hand’s shaking some.”

“Barely holding on to control.”

The girls clumped toward the opening elevator door. Eve caught Thea glancing back – just a quick swivel.

“Sensitive enough to have felt something dark, something dangerous,” Roarke said. “Relieved to be away from it.”

“She’s trying to relax again. Slowly flexing, unflexing her fingers, breathing in and out, shaking out her arms.”

When she exited the elevator Eve cursed the lack of hall cams. “Run it forward, will you? Let’s see if she shows more when she leaves.”

“Computer, skip feed until subject reappears.”

Subject does not appear in any further elevator feed. Exterior cam only.