Origin in Death (In Death #21)(58)

"In that case, I'll just have to check my schedule."

"If the time you put in helps me close this case, you get the sweaty and illegal sex act of your choice."

"Well, fancy that. As luck would have it, I believe I have a couple hours free tomorrow."

She laughed, and led the way through the gates toward home.

"I don't think we've ever done this before," she said when they both stepped out of their vehicles. "Gotten home at the same time."

"Then let's do something we rarely do, and take a walk."

"It's getting dark."

"Plenty of light yet," he disagreed, and slung a friendly arm around her shoulders.

She fell into step with him. "What do you know about Unilab?"

"A multipronged organization, roots in the Urban Wars. Humanitarian prong provides permanent and mobile laboratories for volunteer medical groups. UNICEF, DWB, Peace Corps, and so on. Its medical research prong, with its main base here in New York, is considered one of the top in the country. It also has clinics in urban and rural areas worldwide to provide care for the financially challenged. Your first victim was one of the founders."

"And with him dead, his cofounder dead, his son dead, Unilab might be interested in an outside source with plenty of moolah."

"Most are interested in moolah, but why do you suppose the board of directors of Unilab would be interested in mine, particularly."

"Because it goes along with your brain, your contacts, your savvy. Seems to me if you made interested noises they'd agree to a meet, and a grand tour."

"More likely to get a warm welcome if there was the carrot of a substantial donation or endowment."

"If you took that angle, would it look wrong for you to take along your medical expert?"

"No. It would look wrong if I didn't have an entourage." As they walked, soft lights winked on at ground level, triggered by motion. He wondered if he should plan any outdoor activities on the grounds for the children. Perhaps he should have some playground equipment installed.

Perhaps he was making himself crazy.

"What are we looking for?" he asked Eve.

"Anything. The place is huge. I'd never get a warrant to go through the whole facility. If I tried they'd get a TRO, tie me up for months. If there's anything to find it'd be gone if I ever broke that down. If they're doing illegal gene engineering or manipulation, it's likely they're doing the serious work elsewhere. Private property."

"Like the school."

"Yeah. Or some underground bunker in Eastern Europe. Or off planet. It's a great big freaking universe. But it strikes me that Icove, both Icoves, would want somewhere to work close by. The Center's the likely candidate."

She gave him a thumbnail progress report as they strolled around the house. Twilight softened and cooled toward dark.

"Perfect children," Roarke declared. "That's where you're headed"

"I think that's what drove him. He worked with children in his early career. He had a child. He lost one along with his wife. A female child. He has the ability through surgery not only to rebuild or rep-" but to change-improve. Perfect. His close friend and associate is a geneticist, with radical leanings. I bet he learned a lot about gene research and treatment. I bet the good doctors had a lot of intense conversation."

"Then another child falls into his hands."

"Yeah. With a connection to Samuels. Funny Wilson and his wife weren't named guardians-and I have to dig there. But they control her. Adults control children, especially if they isolate them."

Roarke turned his head, brushed a kiss over her hair. A silent message of understanding and comfort.

"Wilson could have screwed around with Avril even before she was born." The idea made Eve's stomach roll. "I'm damn sure they experimented on her in one way or another after. Maybe her kids were part of the project, too. That could be what snapped her. Having her kids under the microscope."

By the time they'd circled the house-the equivalent, Eve thought, of hiking four crosstown blocks-she caught the glint of headlights turning through the gates.

''Damn. I guess the circus is coming to town after all."

A circus, he thought. Maybe he could .. . stop the madness.

"I love a parade."

She might've tried to bolt up the steps, hide out at least for a bit. But Summerset merely stood like a statue at the base.

"Hors d'oeuvres are in the parlor. Your first guests are arriving."

Even as Eve curled her lips into a snarl, Roarke was nudging her away. "Come on, darling. I'll pour you a nice glass of wine."

"How about a couple of double Zingers?" She rolled her eyes when he merely chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, a nice civilized glass of wine before the torture."

He poured, leaned down to buss her lips with his as he handed her the glass. "You're still wearing your weapon."

She brightened immediately. "Yeah, I am."

But the brightness dimmed as she heard Trina's voice riding along with Mavis's chirpy tones as Summerset let them in. "Might as well take it off," Eve grumbled. "She doesn't have a nervous system to compromise."

She wasn't sure how she'd ended up with a gang of females, or why all of them seemed so thrilled with the prospect of getting their faces, bodies, hair slathered with goo. They really didn't have that much in common, to Eve's mind. The dedicated doctor with blue blood, the ambitious and savvy on-air reporter, the stalwart cop with a Free-Ager background. Add in Mavis Freestone, the former street thief and current music vid sensation and the terrifying Trina with her bottomless case of glops and goos, and it was a strange mix.