Rapture in Death (In Death #4)(31)

Peabody wandered off, scanning the entertainment units lining the wall, wondering what it would be like to be able to afford any amusement available: music, art, video, holograms, VR, meditation chambers, games. Play a set of tennis with the latest Wimbeldon champ, dance with a hologram of Fred Astaire, or take a virtual trip to the pleasure palaces on Regis III.

Daydreaming a bit, she turned into the kitchen. The AutoChef was already programmed for coffee, so she ordered two, carried the steaming mugs back into the office. She waited patiently while Eve continued to mutter.

Peabody sipped her coffee. “God. Oh God. It’s real.” Blinking in shock, she cupped both hands reverently around the mug. “This coffee is real.”

“Yeah, you get spoiled. I can hardly stomach the slop down at Cop Central anymore.” Eve glanced up, caught Peabody’s dazed expression, and grinned. It hadn’t been so long before that she’d had a similar reaction to Roarke’s coffee. And to Roarke. “Pretty great, huh?”

“I’ve never had real coffee before.” As if sipping liquid gold — and with the depletion of the rain forests and plantations it was equally dear — Peabody drank slowly. “It’s amazing.”

“You’ve got a half hour to OD on it while we work out the day’s strategy.”

“I can have more?” Peabody closed her eyes and just inhaled the scent. “You’re a god, Dallas.”

With a snort, Eve reached for her beeping ‘link. “Dallas,” she began, then her face lit with a grin. “Feeney.”

“How’s married life, kid?”

“It’s tolerable. Pretty early in the day for you electronic detectives, isn’t it?”

“Got a hot one working. A scramble at the chief’s office. Some joker hacked into his mainframe and nearly fried the whole system.”

“They got in?” Her eyes widened in surprise. She wasn’t sure even Feeney, with his magic touch, could break the security on the Chief of Police and Security’s system.

“Looks that way. Tangled shit all to hell and back. I’m unknotting it,” he said cheerfully. “Thought I’d check in, see what’s what since I haven’t heard from you.”

“I hit the ground running.”

“You don’t know any other speed. You primary on Fitzhugh?”

“That’s right. Something I should know?”

“No. Smart money’s that he iced himself, and nobody around here’s too sorry. That oil slick loved squeezing cops on the stand. Funny though, second big suicide in a month.”

Eve’s interest spiked. “Second?”

“Yeah. Oh, that’s right, you were off honeymooning and making cow’s eyes.” He wiggled his bushy red eyebrows. “Senator in East Washington a couple weeks ago. Jumped out the window of the Capitol Building. Politicians and lawyers. They’re crazy anyway.”

“Yeah. Could you get me the data on it when you have the chance? Transfer it to my office unit.”

“What, you going to keep a scrapbook?”

“Just interested.” The feeling was back in her gut, “I’ll pick up the tab next time we’re in the Eatery.”

“No problem. As soon as I get this system unknotted, I’ll feed it to you. Don’t be a stranger,” he told her and signed off.

Peabody continued to take miserly sips of coffee. “You think there’s a connection between Fitzhugh and the senator who took the dive?”

“Lawyers and politicians,” Eve murmured. “And autotronic engineers.”

“What?”

Eve shook her head. “I don’t know. Disengage,” she ordered her unit, then swung her bag over her shoulder. “Let’s go.”

Peabody struggled not to pout about the lack of another cup of coffee. “Two suicides in two different cities in a month isn’t such a weird thing,” she began, lengthening her stride to catch up with Eve.

“Three. There was a kid on Olympus who hanged himself while we were there. Mathias, Drew. I want to see if you can find a connection, anything that ties them together. People, places, habits, education, hobbies.” She rushed down the stairs, gearing up.

“I don’t know the politician’s name. I didn’t pay attention to the reports on the East Washington suicide.” Busily, Peabody tugged out her personal palm computer and began searching for data.

“Mathias was in his early twenties, autotronics engineer. He worked for Roarke. Shit.” She had a bad feeling she was going to be forced to drag Roarke into her work once again. “If you run into a snag, ask Feeney. He can pop the data handcuffed and drunk, faster than either of us.”

Eve wrenched open the door, scowled when she didn’t see her car at the top of the drive. “Goddamn Summerset. I’ve told him to leave my car when I park it.”

“I think he did.” Peabody flipped on her sunshades, pointed. “It’s blocking the drive, see?”

“Oh, yeah.” Eve cleared her throat. The car was just as she’d left it, and fluttering in the mild breeze were a few torn articles of clothing. “Don’t ask,” she muttered and started to hoof it down the drive.

“I wasn’t going to.” Peabody’s voice was smooth as silk. “Speculation’s more interesting.”