Rapture in Death (In Death #4)(36)

“That isn’t a hell of a lot of help,” Eve muttered. “Okay, let me give you two more.” Briskly, with a cop’s dispassion, she related the other suicides. “Pattern?”

“What did they have in common?” Mira tossed back. “The lawyer, the politician, and the tech.”

“A blip in the brain. Maybe.” Tapping her fingers on the cloth, Eve frowned. “I’ve got some chains to pull to get all the data, but it could be the motive. The reason behind it all might be physiological rather than psychological. If there’s a connection, I’ve got to find it.”

“You’re veering out of my field, but if you find data linking the three cases, I’d be happy to do a workup.”

Eve smiled. “I was counting on it. I don’t have a lot of time. The Fitzhugh case can’t stay a priority for much longer. If I can’t nail something down soon and use it to convince the commander to keep the file open, I’ll have to move on. But for now — “

“Eve?” Reeanna slipped up to the table, looking stunning in an ankle-skimming robe of bleeding rainbow colors. “Well, how nice. I was lunching with an associate and thought I recognized you.”

“Reeanna.” Eve worked up a smile. She didn’t mind looking like a street hawker next to the glamorous redhead, but she did mind having her consult lunch interrupted. “Dr. Mira, Reeanna Ott.”

“Dr. Ott.” Gracious, Mira offered a hand. “I’ve heard of your work and admired it.”

“Thank you, and I’ll say the same. It’s an honor to meet one of the top psychiatrists in the country. I’ve scanned a number of your papers and found them fascinating.”

“You flatter me. Won’t you sit down, join us for some dessert?”

“I’d love to.” Reeanna flicked a questioning glance at Eve. “If I’m not interrupting official business.”

“We seem to be finished with that part of the program.” Eve looked up at the waiter summoned by a discreet flick of Mira’s finger. “Just coffee. House brand. Black.”

“I’ll have the same,” Mira said. “And a dish of the Blueberry Trifle. I’m weak.”

“So am I.” Reeanna beamed at the waiter as though he would personally prepare her selection. “A double latte, and a slice of Chocolate Sin. I’m so tired of processed food,” she confided to Mira. “I intend to gorge myself while I’m in New York.”

“And how long will you be in town?”

“It depends a great deal on Roarke” — she smiled at Eve — “and how long he finds it useful to have me here. I have a feeling he’ll be shipping both William and me off to Olympus within a few weeks.”

“The Olympus Resort’s quite an undertaking,” Mira commented. “All the blips I’ve seen on the news and entertainment channels have been fascinating.”

“He’d like to have it up and fully operational by next spring.” Reeanna ran her hand up and down the trio of gold links she wore around her neck. “We’ll see. Roarke usually gets what he wants. Wouldn’t you agree, Eve?”

“He didn’t get where he is by taking no for an answer.”

“No, indeed. You were just on the resort. Did he give you a tour of the Autotronics Arcade?”

“Briefly.” Eve’s lips quirked a little. “We had… a lot of ground to cover in a short time.”

Reeanna’s smile was slow and sly. “I imagine you did. But I hope you tried a few of the programs that are in place. William’s so proud of those games. And you did mention you’d seen the hologram room in the Presidential Suite of the hotel.”

“I did. Made use of it several times. Very impressive.”

“Most of that’s William’s doing — the design — but I will take partial credit. We plan to utilize that new system to enhance the treatment of addicts and certain psychoses.” She shifted as their coffee and dessert was served. “That might be of interest to you, Dr. Mira.”

“It certainly would. It sounds fascinating.”

“It is. Wickedly expensive right now, but we hope to refine and bring the cost down. But for Olympus, Roarke wanted the best — and he’s getting it. Such as the Lisa droid.”

“Yeah.” Eve remembered the stunning female droid with the sultry voice. “I’ve seen her.”

“She’ll be in PR and customer service. A very superior model that took months to perfect. Her intelligence chips are unmatched by anything on the market. She’ll have decision making and personality capabilities well beyond the current available units. William and I — ” She broke off, chuckled at herself. “Listen to me. I just can’t get away from work.”

“It’s fascinating.” Mira dipped delicately into her trifle. “Your study of brain patterns and their genetic thrust on personality, and their application to electronics is compelling, even to a dug-in-at-the-roots psychiatrist such as myself.” She hesitated, glanced at Eve. “As a matter of fact, your expertise might lend a new angle on a particular case Eve and I were discussing.”

“Oh?” Reeanna forked up some chocolate and all but hummed over it.

“Hypothetical.” Mira spread her hands, well aware of the official ban of layman consults.