InterludeinDeath

(InAnthologyOutofthisWorld)

ByJ.D.Robb

Learning is not child'splay; we cannot learnwithoutpain.--Aristotle

Happy is the child whosefathergoestothedevil.-- sixteenth-centuryproverb

CHAPTERONE

Thefacesofmurderwerevariedandcomplex.Somewere as old as time andthe furrows scoring themfilled with the bloodspilled by Cain. One

brother's keeper wasanother'sexecutioner.

Of course, it had beenratherelementary toclosethat particular case. Thelist of suspects had been,afterall,prettylimited.

But time had populatedtheearthuntilbytheearly

spring of 2059 it socrawled with people thattheyspilledoutfromtheirnativeplanet to jamman-made worlds andsatellites. The skill andability tocreate theirownworlds, thesheernerve toconsider doing so, hadn'tstoppedthemfromkillingtheirbrothers.

The method wassometimes more subtle,often more vicious, butpeople being peoplecould, just as easily, fallback on ramming asharpened stick throughanother'sheartoveranicepatchoflettuce.

The centuries, and man'snature, had developedmore than alternativeways tokill and avarietyof victims and motives.Theyhadcreatedtheneedand the means to punishtheguilty.

The punishing of theguiltyandthedemandfor

justice for the innocentbecame -- perhaps hadbeen since that firstextreme case of siblingrivalry -- an art and ascience.

These days, murder gotyoumorethanashorttriptotheLandofNod.Itshutyou up in a steel and

concretecagewhereyou'dhave plenty of time tothink about where youwentwrong.

But getting the sinnerwhere justice deemed hebelongedwas the trick. Itrequired a system. Andthe system demanded itsrules, techniques,

manpower, organizations,andloopholes.

And the occasionalseminar to educate andinform.

As far as Lieutenant EveDallas was concerned,she'd rather face a hordeoftorked-outchemi-heads

thanconductaseminaronmurder. At least thechemi-heads wouldn'tembarrassyoutodeath.

And as if it wasn't badenough that she'd beendrafted to attend theInterplanetary LawEnforcement andSecurityConference,asifitwasn't

horrifyingenoughthatherown commander hadordered her to give aseminar,thewholeballofgoddamnwaxhad to takeshapeoff-planet.

Couldn't hold the suckerinNewYork,Evethoughtas she lay face down onthehotelbed.Justcouldn't

findonespotonthewholefucking planet that couldsuit up.Nope, just had tosendabunchof cops andtechsoutintospace.

God, she hated spacetravel.

And of all the places inthe known universe, the

site-selection committeehad to dump them on theOlympusResort.Notonlywas she a cop out of herelement, but she was acop out of her elementgivingaseminarinoneofthe conference rooms inone of the ridiculouslyplushhotelsownedbyherhusband.

Itwasmortifying.

Sneakysonofabitch,shethought, and wondered ifany of the muscles andbonesinherbodythathaddissolved during landingon Olympus hadregenerated.He'd plannedit, he'd worked it. And

nowshewaspayingforit.

She had to socialize,attend meetings. She hadto -- dearChrist -- give aspeech.Andinlessthanaweek, she would have toget back on that fancyflying death trap ofRoarke's and face thejourneyhome.

Since the idea of thatmade her stomach turnover, she considered thebenefits of living out therest of her life onOlympus.

Howbadcoulditbe?

The place had hotels and

casinos and homes, bars,shops.Whichmeantithadpeople. When you hadpeople, bless theirmercenaryhearts,youhadcrime. You had crime,you needed cops. Shecould trade in her NewYork Police and Securitybadge for anInterplanetary Law

Enforcementshield.

"I could work for ILE,"she muttered into thebedspread.

"Certainly." On the otherside of the room, Roarkefinished studying a reporton one of his otherproperties."Afterawhile,

you wouldn't think twiceaboutzippingfromplanetto space station tosatellite. And you'd lookcharming in one of thoseblue-and-white uniformsandknee-highboots."

Her little fantasy fizzed.Interplanetarymeant,afterall, interplanetary. "Kiss

myass."

"All right." He walkedover, bent down and laidhis lips on her butt. Thenbeganworkinghiswayupherback.

Unlike his wife, he wasenergizedbyspacetravel.

"If you think you'regetting sex, pal, thinkagain."

"I'm doing a lot ofthinking." He indulgedhimselfwiththelong,leanlength of her. When hereached the nape of herneck, he rubbed his lipsjustbelowtheendsofher

short, disordered cap ofhair. And feeling herquick shiver, grinned asheflippedherover.

Then he frowned a little,skimming a finger alongthe shallow dent in herchin. "You're a bit paleyet,aren'tyou?"

Her deep-golden-browneyes stared sulkily intohis. Her mouth, wide,mobile, twisted into asneer. "When I'm on myfeet again, I'm going topunch you in that prettyfaceofyours."

"I look forward to it.Meanwhile." He reached

down, began unbuttoninghershirt.

"Pervert."

"Thank you, Lieutenant."Because shewas his, andit continuously delightedhim, he brushed a kissover her torso, thentugged off her boots,

stripped off her trousers."And I hope we'll get totheperversionpart of ourprogram shortly. But fornow." He picked her upandcarriedheroutof thebedroom."Ithinkwe'lltrya little post-flightrestorative."

"Why do I have to be

naked?"

"Ilikeyounaked."

He stepped into abathroom. No, not abathroom, Eve mused.That was too ordinary aword for this oasis ofsensualindulgence.

The tubwas a lake, deepblue and fedbygleamingsilver tubes twinedtogether in flower shapes.Rose trees heavy withsaucer-size white bloomsflanked the marble stairsthatledintoashowerareawhere a waterfall alreadystreamed gently downgleaming walls. The tall

cylinders of mood anddrying tubes weresurrounded by spills offlowers and foliage, andshe imagined that anyoneusing one of them wouldlook like a statue in agarden.

Awall of glass offered aview of cloudless sky

turned to gold by the tintoftheprivacyscreen.

He set her down on thesoft cushions of a sleepchairandwalkedtooneofthe curved counters thatflowed around the walls.Heslidopenapanelinthetilesandsetaprogramonthe control pad hidden

behindit.

Water began to spill intothe tub, the lightsdimmed,andmusic,softlysobbing strings, slid intotheair.

"I'm taking a bath?" sheaskedhim.

"Eventually. Relax. Closeyoureyes."

But she didn't close hereyes. It was too temptingjust to watch him as hemoved around the room,adding something frothyto thebath, pouring somepale gold liquid into aglass.

He was tall and had aninnate sort of grace. Likea cat did, she thought. Abig, dangerous cat thatonlypretendedtobetamewhen it suited his mood.His hair was black andthick and longer than herown. It spilled nearly tohis shoulders and

provided a perfect framefor a face that made herthink of dark angels anddoomedpoetsandruthlesswarriorsallatonce.

When he looked at herwith thosehot andwildlyblue eyes, the love insideher could spread so fastand strong, it hurt her

hearttoholdit.

Hewashers,she thought.Ireland's former bad boywhohadmadehislife,hisfortune,hisplacebyhookor--well--bycrook.

"Drinkthis."

He liked to tend her, she

mused as she took theglassheoffered.She, lostchild, hard-ass cop, couldnever figure out if itirritated or thrilled her.Mostly, she supposed, itjustbaffledher.

"Whatisit?"

"Good." He took it back

from her, sipped himselftoproveit.

When she sampled it, shefoundthathewasright,asusual. He walked behindthe chair, the amusementonhis faceplainwhenhetipped her back and hergaze narrowed withsuspicion. "Close your

eyes," he repeated andslipped goggles over herface. "One minute," headded.

Lightsbledinfrontofherclosed lids. Deep blues,warm reds in slow,melting patterns. She felthis hands, slicked withsomething cool and

fragrant, knead hershoulders, the knottedmusclesofherneck.

Her system, jangled fromthe flight, began to settle."Well, this doesn't suck,"she murmured, and letherselfdrift.

Hetooktheglassfromher

hand as her body slippedinto the ten-minuterestorative program he'dselected.He'dtoldheroneminute.

He'dlied.

Whenshewasrelaxed,hebenttokissthetopofherhead, then draped a silk

sheetoverher.Nerves,heknew, had worn her out.Added to them the stressand fatigueofcomingoffa difficult case and beingshot directly into an off-planetassignmentthatshedetested, and it was nowonder her system wasunsettled.

He left her sleeping andwent out to see to a fewminor details for theevening event. He'd juststepped back inwhen thetimer of the programbeeped softly and shestirred.

"Wow." She blinked,scooped at her hair when

hesetthegogglesaside.

"Feelbetter?"

"Feelgreat."

"A little travel distress iseasy enough to fix. Thebathshouldfinishitoff."

Sheglancedover,sawthat

the tub was full, heapedwith bubbles that swayedgentlyinthecurrentofthejets. "I just bet it will."Smiling, she got up,crossed the room to stepdown into the sunkenpool. And loweringherself neck-deep, she letoutalongsigh.

"Can I have that wine orwhateverthehellitis?"

"Sure." Obliging, hecarried it over, set it onthe wide lip behind herhead.

"Thanks. I've gotta say,thisissome..."Shetrailedoff,pressedher fingers to

hertemple.

"Eve? Headache?" Hereached out, concerned,andfoundhimselfflippingintothewaterwithher.

When he surfaced, shewas grinning, and herhand was cuppedpossessively between his

legs."Sucker,"shesaid.

"Pervert."

"Oh, yeah. Let me showyou how I finish off thislittle restorative program,ace."

Restored, and smug, shetook a. quick spin in the

drying tube. If she wasgoing to live only a fewmoredaysbeforecrashinginto a stray meteor andbeing burned to a cinderby exploding rocket fuelon the flight back home,she might as well makethebestofit.

She snagged a robe,

wrappedherself in it, andstrolled back into thebedroom.

Roarke, already wearingtrousers, was scanningwhat looked like encodedsymbols as they scrolledacross the screen of thebedroom tele-link. Herdress,atleastsheassumed

itwasadress,waslaidoutonthebed.

She frowned at the sheerflow of bronze, walkedovertofingerthematerial."DidIpackthis?"

"No." He didn't bother toglanceback, he could seeher suspicious scowl

clearly enough in hismind. "You packedseveral days' worth ofshirts and trousers.Summerset made someadjustments in yourconferencewardrobe."

"Summerset." The namehissed like a snakebetweenherlips.Roarke's

majordomo was a majorpain in her ass. "You lethim paw through myclothes? Now I have toburnthem."

Though he'd madeconsiderable adjustmentstoherwardrobeinthepastyear, there were, in hisopinion,several items left

that deserved burning."He rarely paws. We'rerunning a little behind,"he added. "The cocktailreception started tenminutesago."

"Just an excuse for abunchofcops toget shit-faced. Don't see why Ihavetogetdressedupfor

it."

"Image, darling Eve.You're a featured speakerand one of the event'sVIPs."

"I hate that part. It's badenoughwhenIhavetogotoyourdeals."

"Youshouldn'tbenervousaboutyourseminar."

"Who said I'm nervous?"Shesnatchedupthedress."Canyouseethroughthisthing?"

His lips quirked. "Notquite."

"Not quite" was accurate,she decided. The getupfelt thin as a cloud, andthatwasgoodforcomfort.The flimsy layers of itbarely shielded theessentials. Still, as herfashion sense could beetched on a microchipwith room to spare, shehadtofigureRoarkeknew

whathewasdoing.

Atthesoundofthemixedvoices rolling out of theballroom as theyapproached, Eve shookher head. "I bet half ofthem are already in thebag.You'reservingprimestuffinthere,aren'tyou?"

"Only the best for ourhardworking civilservants." Knowing hiswoman, Roarke took herhand and pulled herthrough the opendoorway.

The ballroom was huge,and packed. They'd comefrom all over the planet,

and its satellites. Policeofficials, technicians,expert consultants. Thebrains and the brawn oflawenforcement.

"Doesn't it make younervous tobe in thesameroom with, what, aboutfour thousand cops?" sheaskedhim.

"On the contrary,Lieutenant," he saidlaughingly. "I feel verysafe."

"Some of these guysprobably tried to put youawayonceuponatime."

"So did you." Now he

tookherhandand,beforeshecouldstophim,kissedit. "Look where it gotyou."

"Dallas!" Officer DeliaPeabody, decked out in ashort red dress instead ofher standard starcheduniform, rushed up. Herdark bowl of hair had

been fluffed and curled.And, Eve noted, the tallglass in her hand wasalreadyhalfempty.

"Peabody.Looks likeyougothere."

"The transport was ontime,noproblem.Roarke,this place is seriously

iced. I can't believe I'mhere. I really appreciateyou getting me in.Dallas."

Shehadn'tarrangeditasafavor, exactly. If she wasgoing to suffer through aseminar, Eve had figuredher aide should suffer,too.But from the look of

thingsPeabodyseemedtobebearingup.

"I came in with Feeneyand his wife," Peabodywent on. "And Dr. Miraand her husband. Morrisand Dickhead and Silasfrom Security, LewardfromAnti-Crime--they'reall around somewhere.

Some of the other guysfrom Central and theprecincts. NYPSD isreallywellrepresented."

"Great."Shecouldexpecttogetraggedonaboutherspeechforweeks.

"We're going to have alittle reunion later in the

MoonscapeLounge."

"Reunion? We just saweachotheryesterday."

"On-planet." Peabody'slips, slicked deep red,threatened to pout. "Thisisdifferent."

Eve scowled at her aide's

fancypartydress."You'retellingme."

"Why don't I get youladies a drink? Wine,Eve?AndPeabody?"

"I'm having an AwesomeOrgasm. The drink, Imean, not, you know,personally."

Amused, Roarke brusheda hand over her shoulder."I'lltakecareofit."

"Boy, could he ever,"Peabody muttered as hewalkedaway.

"Button it." Eve scannedthe room, separating cops

fromspouses, from techs,from consultants. Shefocused in on a largegroup gathered in thesoutheast corner of theballroom."What'sthedealthere?"

"That's the big wheel.Former CommanderDouglas R. Skinner."

Peabodygesturedwithherglass, then took a longdrink. "You ever meethim?"

"No. Heard about himplenty,though."

"He's a legend. I haven'tgotten a look yet becausethere's been about a

hundred people aroundhim since I got here. I'veread most of his books.Thewayhecamethroughthe UrbanWars, kept hisown turf secure. He waswounded during theAtlantaSiege,butheldtheline.He'sarealhero."

"Cops aren't heroes,

Peabody. We just do thejob."

CHAPTERTWO

Eve wasn't interested inlegends or heroes orretired copswho raked inenormousfeesplayingthelecture circuit or

consulting. She wasinterested in finishing herone drink, putting in anappearance at thereception -- and onlybecause her owncommander had orderedher to do so -- thenmakingherselfscarce.

Tomorrow, she thought,

was soon enough to getdown to work. From thenoise level of the crowd,everyone else thought so,too.

Butitappearedthelegendwasinterestedinher.

She barely had thewineglass in her hand,

was just calculating theleast annoying routearound the room, whensomeone tapped on hershoulder.

"Lieutenant Dallas." Athin man with dark haircut so short it looked likesandpaper glued to hisscalp, nodded at her.

"Bryson Hayes,Commander Skinner'spersonal adjutant. Thecommander would verymuch like tomeetyou. Ifyou'dcomewithme."

"The commander," shereturned even as Hayesstarted to turn away,"looks pretty occupied at

themoment.I'llbearoundallweek."

After one slow blink,Hayes simply stared ather. "The commanderwould like to meet younow, Lieutenant. Hisschedule through theconference is verydemanding."

"Go on." Peabodywhispered it as shenudged Eve with herelbow."Goon,Dallas."

"We'd be delighted tomeet with CommanderSkinner." Roarke solvedtheproblembysettinghisown drink aside, then

taking both Eve's andPeabody's arms. It earnedhim an adoring-puppylook from Peabody and anarrow scowl from hiswife.

BeforeHayescouldobjectoradjust,Roarkeledbothwomen across theballroom.

"You're just doing this topiss me off," Evecommented.

"Not entirely, but I didenjoy pissing Hayes off.Just a bit of politics,Lieutenant." He gave herarmafriendlysqueeze."Itneverhurtstoplaythem."

He slipped through thecrowdsmoothly,andonlysmiled when Hayes, amuscle working in hisjaw, caught up in time tobreak a path through thelastknotofpeople.

Skinner was short. Hisreputationwasso large, it

surprisedEve tonote thathe barely reached hershoulders. She knew himto be seventy, but he'dkepthimselfinshape.Hisface was lined, but itdidn't sag. Nor did hisbody. He'd allowed hishair to gray, but not tothin, and he wore itmilitarily trim. His eyes,

under straight silverbrows,wereahardmarbleblue.

Heheld a short glass, theamber liquid inside neat.The heavy gold of hisfifty-yearringgleamedonhisfinger.

Shetookhismeasureina

matter of seconds as, shenoted,hetookhers.

"LieutenantDallas."

"Commander Skinner."She accepted the hand heheldout,founditcool,dryand more frail than she'dexpected. "My aide,OfficerPeabody."

His gaze stayed on Eve'sface an extra beat, thenshifted to Peabody. Hislips curved. "Officer,alwaysapleasure tomeetoneofourmenorwomeninuniform."

"Thank you, sir. It's anhonor to meet you,

Commander. You're oneofthereasonsIjoinedtheforce."

"I'm sure the NYPSD islucky to have you.Lieutenant,I'd--"

"My husband," Eveinterrupted."Roarke."

Skinner'sexpressiondidn'twaver, but it chilled."Yes, I recognizedRoarke. I spent some ofmylastdecadeon the jobstudyingyou."

"I'm flattered. I believethis isyourwife."Roarketurnedhisattention to thewoman beside Skinner.

"It's a pleasure to meetyou."

"Thank you." Her voicewas the soft creamof thesouthern United States."Your Olympus is aspectacularaccomplishment. I'mlooking forward to seeingmore of it while we're

here."

"I'dbehappytoarrangeatour,transportation."

"You're too kind." Shebrushed a hand lightlyoverherhusband'sarm.

She was a strikingwoman. She had to be

close to her husband inage,Eve thought, as theirlongmarriagewaspartofSkinner'spristinerep.ButeithersuperiorDNAoranexcellent face-and-bodyteam had kept her beautyyouthful. Her hair wasrichly black, and thegorgeous toneof her skinindicatedmixed race.She

wore a sleek silver gownand starry diamonds as ifshe'd been born to suchthings.

WhenshelookedatEveitwas with polite interest."My husband admiresyour work, LieutenantDallas, and he's veryexactinginhisadmiration.

Roarke, why don't wegivethesetwocopsalittletimetotalkshop?"

"Thank you, Belle.Excuse us, won't you,Officer?" Skinnergestured toward a tableguardedbyatrioofblack-suited men. "Lieutenant?Indulge me." When they

sat, the men moved onestepback.

"Bodyguards at a copconvention?"

"Habit. I wager you haveyourweaponandshieldinyoureveningbag."

She acknowledged this

with a little nod. Shewould have preferred towear them, but the dressdidn'tallowforherchoiceof accessories. "What'sthisabout,Commander?"

"Bellewasright.Iadmireyourwork.Iwasintriguedto find us on the sameprogram. You don't

generally accept speakingengagements."

"No.Ilikethestreets."

"Sodid I. It's like a virusin the blood." He leanedback, nursed his drink.The faint tremor in hishand surprised her. "Butworkingthestreetsdoesn't

mean being on them,necessarily. Someone hasto command -- from adesk, an office, a warroom.Agoodcop,asmartcop, moves up the ranks.Asyouhave,Lieutenant."

"Agoodcop,asmartcop,closes cases and locks upthebadguys."

He gave one short laugh."You think that's enoughfor captain's bars, for acommand star? No, theword 'naive' never cameup in any of the reportsI'vereadonyou."

"Why should you readreportsonme?"

"I may be retired fromactiveduty,but I'mstillaconsultant.Istillhavemyfinger in the pie." Heleaned forward again."You'vemanagedtoworkandclosesomeveryhigh-profilecasesinthemurderbook,Lieutenant.While Idon't always approve of

your methods, the resultsare unarguable. It's rarefor me to judge a femaleofficer worthy ofcommand."

"Excuse me. Back up.Female?"

He lifted his hand in agesture that told her he'd

had thisdiscussionbeforeandwasvaguelywearyofit. "I believe men andwomen have differentprimaryfunctions.Man isthe warrior, the provider,the defender. Woman isthe procreator, thenurturer. There arenumerous scientifictheories that agree, and

certainly social andreligiousweighttoadd."

"Is that so?" Eve saidsoftly.

"Frankly, I've neverapproved of women onthe force, or in certainareas of the civilianworkplace.They'reoftena

distractionandrarelyfullycommitted to the job.Marriageandfamilysoon-- as they should forwomen--takepriority."

"Commander Skinner,under the circumstances,themostcourteousthingIcan think of to say isyou'refullofshit."

He laughed, loud andlong."Youliveuptoyourreputation, Lieutenant.Your data also indicatethat you're smart and thatyour badge isn'tsomething you just pickup off the dresser everymorning. It's what youare.Orwere, inanycase.

Wehave that incommon.For fifty years I made adifference, and my housewasclean. Ididwhathadtobedone,thenIdidwhatcame next. I was fullcommander at the age offorty-four.Wouldyouliketo be able to say thesame?"

She knew when she wasbeingplayed,andkeptherface and tone neutral. "Ihaven'tthoughtaboutit."

"If that's true, youdisappoint me. If that'strue, start thinking. Doyou know, Lieutenant,how much closer youwould be right now to a

captaincy if you hadn'tmade some ill-advisedpersonaldecisions?"

"Really?" Somethingbegan to burn inside hergut."Andhowwouldyouknow the promotionpotential of a homicidecopinNewYork?"

"I'vemade itmybusinessto know." His free handballed into a fist, tappedlightly, rhythmically onthe tabletop. "I have oneregret, one piece ofunfinished business frommyactiveduty.OnetargetI could never keep inmysights long enough tobring down. Between us,

we could. I'll get youthose captain bars,Lieutenant. You get meRoarke."

She looked down at herwine, slowly ran afingertip around the rim."Commander, you gavehalfacenturyofyourlifetothejob.Youshedblood

for it. That's the singlereason I'm not going topunchyou in the face forthatinsult."

"Thinkcarefully,"he saidas Eve got to her feet."Sentiment over duty isnever a smart choice. Iintendtobringhimdown.I won't hesitate to break

youtodoit."

Ridingonfury,sheleaneddown very close, andwhisperedinhisear."Tryit. You'll find out I'm nofuckingnurturer."

Shesteppedaway,onlytohave one of thebodyguardsmoveintoher

path. "The commander,"he said, "isn't finishedspeakingwithyou."

"I'm finished speakingwiththecommander."

His gaze shifted fromherface briefly, and he gavethe faintest nodbefore heedged closer, clamped a

hand on her arm. "You'llwant to sit down,Lieutenant, andwait untilyou'vebeendismissed."

"Moveyourhand.Moveitnow, or I'mgoing to hurtyou."

Heonlytightenedhisgrip."Take your seat and wait

for leave togo.Oryou'regoingtobehurt."

She glanced back atSkinner, then into theguard's face. "Guessagain." She used a short-armjabtobreakhisnose,then a quick snap kick toknock back the guardbeside him as he surged

forward.

By the time she'd spunaround, planted, she hadherhandinherbagandonher weapon. "Keep yourdogsonaleash,"shesaidtoSkinner.

She scanned the faces ofcops who'd turned, who'd

moved forward, to see ifthere was trouble comingfrom another direction.Deciding against it, sheturned away and walkedthrough the buzzingcrowd.

Shewasnearlyatthedoorwhen Roarke fell in stepbesideher,drapedanarm

around her shoulders."You got blood on yourdress,darling."

"Yeah?" Still steaming,she glanced down at thesmall splatter. "It's notmine."

"Inoticed."

"Ineedtotalktoyou."

"Um-hmm.Whydon'twego upstairs, see what thevalet can do about thatbloodstain? You can talkbefore we come down tohave a drink with yourfriendsfromCentral."

"Why the hell didn't you

tell me you knewSkinner?"

Roarkekeyed in the codefor theprivate elevator tothe owner's suite. "I don'tknowhim."

"He sure as hell knowsyou."

"So I gathered." Hewaited until they wereinside the car before hepressed a kiss to hertemple. "Eve, over thecourse of things, I've hadagreatmanycopslookinginmydirection."

"He'sstilllooking."

"He's welcome to. I'm alegitimate businessman.Practically a pillar.Redeemedbytheloveofagoodwoman."

"Don't make me hit you,too."Shestrodeoutoftheelevator, across thesumptuous living area ofthe suite, and directly

outsideontotheterracesoshe could finish steaminginfreshair."Thesonofabitch. The son of a bitchwants me to help himbringyoudown."

"Rather rude," Roarkesaid mildly. "To broachthesubjectonsuchashortacquaintance, and at a

cocktail reception. Whydidhethinkyou'dagree?"

"He dangled a captaincyin my face. Tells me hecan get it for me,otherwise I'm in the backof the linebecauseofmypoorpersonalchoices."

"Meaning me."

Amusement fled. "Is thattrue?Areyourchancesforpromotion bogged downbecauseofus?"

"How the hell do Iknow?"Stillflyingontheinsult, she rounded onhim."DoyouthinkIcareabout that? You thinkmakingrankdrivesme?"

"No." He walked to her,ranhishandsupanddownher arms. "I know whatdrivesyou.Thedeaddriveyou." He leaned forward,rested his lips on herbrow."Hemiscalculated."

"It was a stupid andsenseless thing forhim to

do.Hebarelybothered tocirclearoundmuchbeforehe hit me with it. Badstrategy," she continued."Poorapproach.Hewantsyourass,Roarke,andbadenoughtoriskcensureforattempted bribery if Ireport the conversation --and anyone believes it.Whyisthat?"

"Idon'tknow."Andwhatyou didn't know, hethought, was alwaysdangerous. "I'll look intoit. In any case, youcertainly livened up thereception."

"Normally I'd've beenmore subtle, just kneed

that jerk in the balls forgetting in my way. ButSkinnerhadgoneintothistango about how womenshouldn't be on the jobbecause they're nurturers.Tagging the balls justseemed too girly at thetime."

He laughed, drew her

closer."Iloveyou,Eve."

"Yeah,yeah."Butshewassmiling again when shewrapped her arms aroundhim.

As a rule, being crowdedass to ass at a table in aclub where theentertainment included

music that threatened theeardrums wasn't Eve'sideaofagoodtime.

But when she wasworking off a good mad,it paid to have friendsaround.

The table was jammedwith New York's finest.

Her butt was squeezedbetween Roarke's andFeeney's, the ElectronicDetective Divisioncaptain. Feeney's usuallyhangdog face was slackwith amazement as hestaredupatthestage.

On the other side ofRoarke,Dr.Mira, elegant

despite the surroundings,sipped a BrandyAlexander and watchedthe entertainment -- athree-piece combo whosecostumes were red-white-and-bluebodypaintdoingwild, trash-rock riffs onAmerican folk songs.Rounding out the tablewere Morris, the medical

examiner,andPeabody.

"Wifeshouldn't'vegonetobed." Feeney shook hishead. "Youhave to see ittobelieveit."

"Hell of a show," Morrisagreed. His long, darkbraid was threadedthrough with silver rope,

and the lapelsofhis calf-length jacket sparkledwiththesamesheen.

For a dead doctor, Evethought, he was a verysnappydresser.

"But Dallas here" --Morris winked at her --"wasquitesomewarm-up

act."

"Harhar,"Evereplied.

Morris smiled serenely."Hotshot lieutenant deckslegend of police lore'sbodyguards at lawenforcement conventionon luxury off-planetresort.You've got to play

thatallthewayout."

"Nice left jab," Feeneycommented. "Goodfollow-through on thekick. Skinner's anasshole."

"Why do you say that,Feeney?" Peabodydemanded."He'sanicon."

"Who said icons can't beassholes?"hetossedback."LikestomakeoutlikeheputdowntheUrbanWarssingle-handed. Goesaroundtalkingaboutthemlike it was all about dutyand romance andpatriotism. What it was,wasaboutsurvival.Andit

wasugly."

"It's typical for somewho've been throughcombat to romanticize it,"Miraputin.

"Nothing romantic aboutslitting throats or seeingFifthAvenuelitteredwithbodyparts."

"Well, that's cheerful."Morris pushed Feeney'sfreshglassinfrontofhim."Have another beer,Captain."

"Cops don't crow aboutdoing the job." Feeneyglugged down his beer."Theyjustdoit.I'dabeen

closer,Dallas, I'dahelpedyoutakedownthosespinecrackersofhis."

Because thewine and hismood made hersentimental, she jabbedhim affectionately withher elbow. "Youbet yourass.Wecango find themand beat them brainless.

You know, round out theevening'sentertainment."

Roarkelaidahandonherbackasoneofhissecuritypeople came to the tableand leaned down towhisperinhisear.Humorvanished fromhis face ashenodded.

"Someonebeatyou to it,"he announced. "We havewhat's left of a body onthe stairway between theeighteenth and nineteenthfloors."

CHAPTERTHREE

Evestoodatthetopofthe

stairwell. The oncepristine white walls weresplattered with blood andgraymatter. A nasty trailofbothsmearedthestairs.The body was sprawledonthem,faceup.

There was enough of hisface and hair left for hertoidentifyhimastheman

whosenoseshe'dbrokenafewhoursbefore.

"Looks like somebodywas a lotmore pissed offthanIwas.Yourmangotany Seal-It?" she askedRoarke.

When Roarke passed herthe small can of sealant,

she coated her hands, hershoes. "I could use arecorder. Peabody, helphotel security keep thestairwells blocked off.Morris." She tossed himthecan."Withme."

Roarke gave her hissecurity guard's lapelrecorder. Stepped

forward.Evesimplyputahand on his chest. "Nocivilians -- whether theyown thehotelornot. Justwait.Whydon'tyouclearFeeney to confiscate thesecurity disks for thissector of the hotel? It'llsavetime."

She didn't wait for an

answer, but headed downthe steps to the body.Crouched. "Didn't do thiswith fists." She examinedhis face. One side wasnearly caved in, the otherlargely untouched. "Leftarm's crushed. Guy waslefthanded. Imade that atthe reception. Theyprobablywent for the left

sidefirst.Disabledhim."

"Agreed. Dallas?" Morrisjerked his head in thedirection of theseventeenthfloor.A thickmetalbatcoatedwithgorerested on a tread fartherdown the stairs. "Thatwould'vedone the trick. Icanconsultwith the local

ME on the autopsy, butprelimeyeballingtellsmethat'stheweapon.Doyouwant me to dig up someevidencebags,acoupleoffieldkits?"

She started to speak, thenhissed out a breath. Thesmell of deathwas in hernostrils, and it was too

familiar. "Not ourterritory.We've got to gothrough station police.Goddamnit."

"There are ways to getaround that, with yourmanowningtheplace."

"Maybe." She poked asealed finger in a blood

pool, nudged somethingmetal and silver.And sherecognized the star wornon the epaulets of hotelsecurity.

"Who would be stupidenough to beat a man todeath in a hotel full ofcops?"Morriswondered.

Sheshookherhead,gottoherfeet."Let'sgettheballrollingonthis."Whenshereached the top of thesteps, she scanned thehallway. If she'd been inNew York, she wouldnow give the body athorough examination,establish time of death,gather data and trace

evidence from the scene.She'dcallhercrimesceneunit, the sweepers, andsend out a team to dodoor-to-doors.

But she wasn't in NewYork.

"Has your securitynotified station police?"

sheaskedRoarke.

"They'reontheirway."

"Good. Fine. We'll keepthe area secure and offerany and all assistance."Deliberately,sheswitchedoff her recorder. "I don'thave any authority here.Technically, I shouldn't

have entered the crimescene area. I had aprevious altercation withthevictim,andthatmakesitstickier."

"I own this hotel, and Ihold primary interest inthis station. I can requestthe assistance of any lawenforcementagent."

"Yeah, so we've got thatclear."Shelookedathim."One of your securityuniformsismissingastar.It's down there, coveredwithbodyfluid."

"If one of my people isresponsible, you'll havemy full cooperation in

identifying andapprehendinghim."

She nodded again. "Sowe've got that clear, too.What'syoursecuritysetupforthissector?"

"Full-range cameras --corridors, elevators, andstairwells. Full

soundproofing. Feeney'sgettingthedisks."

"He'll, have to hand themtostationpolice.Whenit'shomicide, they have amaximum of seventy-twohours before they'reobliged to turn theinvestigation over to ILE.Since ILE has people on-

site,they'dbewisetoturnitovernow."

"Isthatwhatyouwant?"

"It'snotamatterofwhatIwant. Look, it's not mycase."

He took a handkerchiefout of his pocket and

wiped the blood smearfromherhand."Isn'tit?"

Then he turned as thechiefofpolicesteppedofftheelevator.

Evehadn'tbeenexpectinga statuesque brunette in atiny black dress withenough hair to stuff a

mattress. As she clippeddownthehallontoweringhigh heels, Eve heardMorris'sreverentopinion.

"Hubba-hubba."

"Jeez,tryfordignity,"Evescolded.

The brunette stopped,

took a quick scan."Roarke," she said in avoice that evoked imagesofhotdesertnights.

"Chief.LieutenantDallas,NYPSD.Dr.Morris,NYCMedicalExaminer."

"Yes. Darcia Angelo.Chief ofOlympus Police.

Excuse my appearance. Iwasatoneofthewelcomeevents.I'mtoldwehaveapossiblehomicide."

"Verified homicide," Evetold her. "Victim's male,Caucasian, thirty-five toforty. Bludgeoned. Theweapon, ametal bat, wasleft on scene. Preliminary

visualexamindicateshe'sbeen dead under twohours."

"There's been a prelimexam?" Darcia asked.Coldly.

"Yes."

"Well, we won't quibble

about that. I'll verifypersonallybeforemyteamgetshere."

"Messy down there."Coolly, Eve handed overthecanofSeal-It.

"Thanks." Darcia steppedout of her evening shoes.Eve couldn't fault her for

it.Shedid thesame thingherself, when sheremembered. When she'dfinished, she handed thecan back to Eve. Darciatook a small recorder outof her purse, clipped itwhere the fabric of herdress dipped to hug herbreasts.

Morris letouta longsighas she walked into thestairwell. "Where do youfind them?" he askedRoarke. "And how can Igetoneofmyveryown?"

BeforeEve could snarl athim,Feeneyhurrieddownthehall."Gotasnagwiththe disks," he announced.

"Stairway cams wereoverridden for a fifty-minute period. You gotnothing but static there,and static for two sixty-second intervals on thetwentieth-floor corridor.Somebody knew whatthey were doing," headded. "It's a complexsystem, with a fail-safe

backupplan.Ittookapro--withaccess."

"With that time framethere had to be at leasttwopeopleinvolved,"Evestated. "Premeditated, notimpulse, not crime ofpassion."

"You got an ID on the

victim? I can run abackgroundcheck."

"Police chief's on scene,"Evesaidflatly.

For a moment Feeneylooked blank. "Oh, right.Forgot we weren't home,sweet home. The localsgoingtosqueezeusout?"

"You weren't," Darciasaid as she came out ofthestairwell,"ever--inanofficialcapacity--in."

"Onthecontrary,"Roarketold her. "I requested theassistance of thelieutenantandherteam."

Irritation flickered acrossDarcia's face, but shecontrolled it quickly. "Asis your privilege.Lieutenant, may I have amoment of your time?"Without waiting for ananswer, Darcia walkeddownthecorridor.

"Arrogant, territorial,

pushy." Eve glared atRoarke. "You sure canpickthem."

He only smiled as hiswife's retreating back."Yes,Icertainlycan."

"Look, Angelo, you wantto bust my balls overdoing a visual, you're

wasting your time andmine." Eve tugged herlapelrecorderfree,helditout. "I verified ahomicide,attherequestofthe property owner. ThenI stepped back. I don'twantyourjob,andIdon'twant your case. I get myfill of walking throughbloodinNewYork."

Darcia flipped her maneofglossyblackhair."Fourmonthsago Iwasbustingillegal dealers inColombia, riskingmy lifeon a daily basis and stillbarelyabletopaytherenton a stinking little two-room apartment. In thecurrent climate, cops are

not appreciated in mycountry. I like my newjob."

She opened her purse,dropped Eve's recorderinside. "Is that job injeopardy if I refuse tohandover thiscase tomyemployer'swife?"

"Roarke doesn't fight mybattles,andhedoesn'tfirepeoplebecausetheymightnotagreewithme."

"Good."Darcianodded."Iworked illegals, bunko,robbery. Twelve years.I'magoodcop.Homicide,however, is not myspecialty. I don't enjoy

sharing,but I'd appreciateany help you and yourassociates are willing togiveinthismatter."

"Fine. So what was thisdanceabout?"

"Simply? So you and Iwould both be aware itismycase."

"You need to be awarethat earlier tonight Ipunched the dead man intheface."

"Why?" Darcia askedsuspiciously.

"Hegotinmyway."

"I see. It'll be interestingtofindoutifyouandIcanclose this matter withoutgetting in each other'sway."

Two hours later, forconvenience's sake, thetwo arms of theinvestigation gathered inRoarke'son-siteoffice.

"The victim is identifiedasReginaldWeeks,thirty-eight.CurrentresidenceisAtlanta, Georgia, Earth.Married, no children.Current employer,Douglas R. Skinner,Incorporated. Functionpersonal security."Darciafinished,inclinedherhead

atEve.

"Crimesceneexaminationof body shows massivetrauma." Eve picked upthe narrative. "Cause ofdeath, most likely,fractured skull. The leftsideof theheadandbodywere severelytraumatized. Victim was

left-handed, and thismethodofattackindicatesforeknowledge. Securityfor the stairwell and thetwentieth floor weretamperedwithpriortoandduringtheact.Ametalbathas been taken intoevidence and is presumedtobe themurderweapon.Alsotakenintoevidencea

silver-plated star stud,identified as part of thehotel security team'suniform.ChiefAngelo?"

"Background data so farretrieved onWeeks showno criminal activity. Hehad held his currentemployment for twoyears. Prior that, he was

employedbyRightArm,afirmthathandlespersonalsecurity and securityconsults for members ofthe Conservative Party.Priortothathewasinthemilitary, Border Patrol,forsixyears."

"This tells us he knowshow to follow orders,"

Eve continued. "Hestepped up in my facetonight because Skinner,or one of Skinner's arms,signaledhimtodoso.Helaid hands on me for thesamereason.He'strained,and if he was goodenoughtolastsixyearsintheBorderPatrolandlanda job in Right Arm, he's

not the type of guy whowould go into asoundproof stairwell witha stranger, even underduress. If he'd beenattacked in the corridor,there'd be a sign of it. Ifthey took him on thetwentieth floor, what thehell was he doing on thetwentiethfloor?Hisroom,

hissecuritybriefingroom,andSkinner's suiteareallontwenty-six."

"Could've beenmeeting awoman."Feeneystretchedout his legs."Conventionitis."

"That's a point," Eveallowed. "All evidence

points to this being aplanned attack, but awoman could have beenusedasalure.Weneedtoverify or eliminate that.You want to track itdown,Feeney?"

"Captain Feeney mayassist my officers in thatarea of investigation."

Darcia merely lifted hereyebrows when Eveturned to her. "If he isagreeable. As I hope hewill be to continuing towork with the hotelsecurityteam."

"We're a real agreeablegroup," Eve said with awide,widesmile.

"Excellent.Thenyouhavenoproblemaccompanyingme to twenty-six toinform the victim'semployerofhisdeath."

"Not a one. Peabody.Myaide goes with me," Evesaid before Darcia couldspeak. "Non-negotiable.

Peabody,"Evesaidagain,gesturing as she walkedout of the room and leftDarcia assigning herofficers to different tasks."I want your recorder onwhenwetalktoSkinner."

"Yes,sir."

"If I get hung up, I need

you towheedleanupdateoutofthelocalME.Ifyoucan't open him up, tagMorris and have him usethe good buddy, samefieldapproach."

"Yes,sir."

"I want to find theuniform that star came

from. We need to checkrecyclers, the valet,outside cleaning sources.Get chummy with thehome team. I want toknow the minute thesweepersandcrimesceneunits' reports are in. I'mbettingthere'sgoingtobetraces of Seal-It on thatbat, and nobody's blood

but the victim's on thescene. Fucking ambush,"she grumbled, and turnedasDarciacameout.

Darcia said nothing untilshe'd called for theelevator and steppedinside. "Do you have ahistory with DouglasSkinner,Lieutenant?"

"No.Notuntiltonight."

"Myinformationisthathespecifically called you tohistabletospeakwithyouprivately. You,apparently, had words ofdisagreement, and whenthe victim attempted toprevent you from leaving

the table, you struckhim.Wouldthisbeaccurate?"

"Itwould."

"What were those wordsof disagreement betweenyou and DouglasSkinner?"

"Am I a suspect in this

caseoraconsultant?"

"You're a consultant, andassuchIwouldappreciateanyandalldata."

"I'll think about it." Evesteppedoutontwenty-six.

"If you have nothing tohide."

"I'macop,"Everemindedher. "That line doesn'tworkonme."Sherangthebell, waited. Shewatchedthe security light blink togreen,keptherfaceblankwhile she and hercompanions werescanned. Moments later.Skinner opened the door

himself.

"Lieutenant. It's a bit lateforpayingcalls."

"It's never too late forofficial calls. ChiefAngelo, DouglasSkinner."

"Pardon the intrusion,

Commander Skinner."Darcia's voice was lowand respectful, her facequietly sober. "We havesome unfortunate news.Maywecomein?"

"Of course." He steppedback. He was dressed inthe long white robeprovidedbythehotel,and

his face looked paleagainstit.Thelargelivingarea was dimly lit andfragrantfromthebouquetsof roses. He ordered thelights up 10 percent, andgesturedtowardthesofa.

"Please, ladies, sit. Can Igetyouanything?Coffee,perhaps?"

"We're not here to chat.Where were you betweentwenty-two hundred andmidnight?"

"I don't like your tone,Lieutenant."

"Please, excuse us."Darcia stepped in

smoothly. "It's been adifficult night. If I couldask you to verify yourwhereabouts, as aformality?"

"My wife and I came uptooursuiteabitafterten.Weretiredearly,asIhavea long, busy dayscheduled tomorrow.

What'shappened?"

"Weeks got his brainsbashedin,"Evesaid.

"Weeks? Reggie?"Skinner stared at Eve.Those hard blue eyeswidened, darkened, andseemed to draw a cast ofgray over his skin as

shock shifted into fury."Dead? The boy is dead?Have you determinedRoarke'swhereabouts!Orwouldyougosofaras tocoverupmurdertoprotecthim?She attackedWeeksonly hours ago." Hepointed at Eve. "Anunprovoked and viciousassault on one of mine

because I questioned herabout her alliance with acriminal. You're adisgracetoyourbadge."

"Oneofusis,"Eveagreedas Skinner sank into achair.

"Commander." Darciastepped forward. "I know

this is a shock for you. IwanttoassureyouthattheOlympus PD is activelypursuing all avenues ofinvestigation."

For a moment he saidnothing, and the onlysound was his quick,laboredbreathing."Idon'tknow you, Chief Angelo,

butIknowwhopaysyou.I have no confidence inyour investigationas longas it's bankrolled byRoarke.Now, excuseme.Ihavenothingmoretosayat this time. I need tocontactReggie'swife andtellhershe'sawidow."

CHAPTERFOUR

"Well, that went well."Eve rolled her shouldersas sheheadedback to theelevator.

"Ifonedoesn'tmindbeingaccusedofbeingafooloradirtycop."

Eve punched the elevatorbutton."Everheartheoneabout sticksandstones inColombia?"

"I don't like that one."Obviouslystewing,Darciastrode onto the elevator."And I don't like yourCommanderSkinner."

"Hey,he'snotmine."

"HeimpliesRoarkeismypuppet master.Why doeshe assume that, and whydoeshebelieveRoarke isresponsible for Weeks'sdeath?"

The quiet, respectful

woman was gone, and inher place was a tough-eyedcopwithsteel inhervoice. Eve began to seehow Darcia Angelo hadrisenthroughtwelveyearsinColombia.

"One reason is Weeksannoyedme,andsinceI'mjust a procreating,

nurturingfemale,itwouldbe up to my warrior,defender, penis-owninghusband to followthrough."

"Ah." Darcia sucked inher cheeks. "This is anattitude I recognize. Still,splattering a man's brainsis considerable over-

compensation for such aminor infraction. A verylarge leap of conclusionfor the commander tomake.There'smore."

"Might be. I haven'tworked it out yet.Meanwhile, Skinnerseemed awfully alert forsomeone who'd already

gone to bed. And whilethelightsinthelivingareawere on low when wewalked in, they were fullon in the bedroom off tothe right. He didn't closethedoorallthewaywhenhecameout."

"Yes,Inoticedthat."

"Suite's set up along thesame basic floor plan asthe one I'm in. Secondbedroom off to the left.There was a light on inthere, too. His wife hadthat door open a crack.Shewaslistening."

"I didn't catch that,"Darcia mused, then

glanced back whenPeabodymuttered.

"She missed it, too," Evesaid."Shehates that.Andif Belle Skinner waseavesdropping from thesecond bedroom, shewasn't snuggled up withthe commander in themaster, was she? No

connubial bliss, which isinteresting.Andnoalibi."

"What motive wouldSkinner have for killingone of his ownbodyguards?"

"Something to thinkabout. I want to checksome things out." She

stopped the elevator soboth Darcia and Peabodycouldexit."I'llgetbacktoyou."

Being willing to fall intostep with Darcia Angelodidn't mean she couldn'tmake some lateral movesof her own. If she wasgoing to wade into a

murder investigation offher own turf, without herusual system and whenher badgewas littlemorethan a fashion accessory,shewasgoingtomakeuseof whatever tools wereavailable.

There was one particulartool she knew to be very

versatileandflexible.

Shewasmarriedtohim.

She found Roarke, asshe'dexpectedto,atworkonthebedroomcomputer.He'd removed his dinnerjacket, rolled up hissleeves. There was a potofcoffeebesidehim.

"Whathaveyougot?"Shepickeduphiscup,gulpeddownhalfhiscoffee.

"Nothing that linksmeorany of my businessdealings with Skinner. Ihave some interests inAtlanta,naturally."

"Naturally."

"Communications,electronics,entertainment.Realestate,ofcourse."Hetook the cup back fromher, idly rubbed her asswith his free hand. "Andduring one lovelyinterlude previous to myassociation with you, a

nicely profitablesmuggling enterprise.Federalinfractions--"

"Infractions," sherepeated.

"One could say. Nothingthat bumped up againststateorlocalauthorities."

"Then you're missingsomething, because it'spersonal with him. Itdoesn't make any senseotherwise. You're not amajorbadguy."

"Now you've hurt myfeelings."

"Whydoeshe latchon to

you?" she demanded,ignoringhim."Fiftyyearsa cop, he'd have seen itall. And he'd have lostplenty. There are stonekillers out there,pedophiles, sexualpredators, cannibals, forChrist's sake. So why areyou stuck in his craw?He's been retired from

active, what, six years,and--"

"Seven."

"Seven,then.Sevenyears.And he approaches mewith what could beconsidered a bribe orblackmail, depending onyour point of view, to

pressure me into rollingover on you. It wasarrogant and ill-conceived."

She thought it through asshe paced. "I don't thinkhe expected it to work. Ithink he expected me totell him to fuck off. Thatwayhecouldrollusintoa

ball together and shoottwoforone."

"He can't touch you -- orme,forthatmatter."

"He can make things hotby implicating us in ahomicide.Andhe'slayingthe groundwork. Hepushes my buttons in a

public venue, then getsoneofhismonkeystogetin my face. Altercationensues. A couple hourslater, monkey has hisbrains splattered all overthe stairway of a RoarkeEnterprises hotel -- andwhat's this! Why it's aclue, Sherlock, and adandy one, too. A star

stud from one of RoarkeSecurities uniforms,floating in the victim'sblood."

"Notparticularlysubtle."

"He doesn't have time tobesubtle.He'sinahurry,"she continued. "I don'tknow why, but he's

rushing things. Shovecircumstantial evidencedown the throat of thelocal authorities andthey've got to pursue thepossibility that theirritated husband andsuspected interplanetaryhoodlum ordered one ofhisownmonkeystoteachSkinner'salesson."

"You touched my wife,now I have to kill you?"Roarke's shrug waselegant and careless."Over-dramatic, over-romanticized. Particularlysinceyoupunchedhiminthe face before I couldridetotherescue."

"Inhisnarrowlittleworld,men are the hunters, thedefenders. It plays whenyou lookat it throughhiswindow. It's anothermiscalculation though,becauseit'snotyourstyle.Youwantthehellbeatoutof someone, you do ityourself."

Hesmiledatherfondly."Ilike watching you do itevenmore,darling."

She spared him a look."Standard testing on you,anyprofilewouldkickthetheory out of the park.You're just not hardwiredto pay somebody to kill,or to get your dick in a

twist because somebodyhassles me. We couldhave Mira run youthrough a Level Onetesting just to push thataside."

"No, thank you, darling.Morecoffee?"

She grunted, paced a bit

morewhile he rose to gototheminiAutoChefforafreshpot andcups. "It's asloppy frame. Thing is,Skinner believes you'recapable, and that if hedumpsenoughontheILEifandwhentheytakeoverhe'll push you into aninvestigative process thatwill mess you up -- and

mebyassociation."

"Lieutenant, the ILE hasinvestigated me in thepast. They don't worryme.Whatdoesisthatifitgoes that far, yourreputation and careercouldtakesomebruises.Iwon't toleratethat.I thinkthe commander and I

shouldhaveachat."

"And what do you thinkhe's counting on?" shedemanded.

"Why disappoint him?"Coffeecupinhand,hesaton the arm of his chair."I've compiled personaland professional data on

Skinner. Nothing seemsparticularly relevant tothis, but I haven't studiedhis case files in depth.Yet."

Eve set down the coffeehe'djustpouredherwithalittle snap of china onwood. "Case files? Youhackedintohiscasefiles?

Areyoualunatic?Hegetswindofthat,you'reuponcharges and in lockupbeforeyourfancylawyerscanknottheirfancyties."

"Hewon'tgetwindofit."

"CompuGuard -- " Shebroke off, scowled at thebedroom unit.

CompuGuard monitoredall e-transmissions andprogrammingon-planetoroff. Though she wasaware Roarke hadunregistered equipment athome, the hotel systemwas a different matter."Are you telling me thisunit'sunregistered?"

"Absolutely not." Hisexpression was innocentas a choirboy's. "It's dulyregistered and meets alllegalrequirements.Ordiduntil a couple of hoursago."

"You can't filter outCompuGuard in a fewhours."

Roarke sighed heavily,shookhishead."Firstyouhurtmyfeelings,nowyouinsult me. I don't knowwhy I put up with thisabuse."

Then he moved fast,grabbing her up, haulingher against him and

crushinghermouthwithakiss so hot she wonderedifherlipsweresmoking.

"Oh, yes." He releasedher, picked up his coffeeagain."That'swhy."

"If that was supposed todistract me from the factthat you've illegally

blockedCompuGuardandbrokenintoofficialdata,itwasadamngoodtry.Butthe joke's on you. I wasgoingtoaskyoutodigupthedata."

"Were you really,Lieutenant? You neverfailtosurpriseme."

"They beat him until hisbones were dust." Hertone was flat, dull. Allcop."Theyerasedhalfhisface. And left the otherhalf clean so I'd know assoon as I saw him. Theminutehesteppedinfrontof me tonight, he wasdead. I was the goddamnmurder weapon." She

looked back at thecomputer."So.Let'sgettowork."

They culled out casesduring Skinner's lastdecadeofactivedutyandcross-referenced withanything relating to themduring the seven years ofhis retirement. It

overlapped the timebefore Roarke had cometo America from Ireland,but it seemed a logicalplacetostart.

As the caseload wasenormous, they split it.Eve worked on thebedroomunit,andRoarkeset up in the second

bedroom.

By three, Eve's templeswere throbbing, herstomach raw fromcaffeine intake.Andshe'ddeveloped a new andreluctant admiration forCommanderSkinner.

"Damn good cop," she

acknowledged. Thorough,focused, and up until hisretirement, he hadapparently dedicatedhimself,bodyandsoul,tothejob.

How had it felt to stepaway from all that? shewondered. Ithadbeenhischoice, after all.At sixty-

four, retirement was anoption,nota requirement.He could have easily putin another ten years onactive. He might haverisentocommissioner.

Instead, he'd put in hisfiftyandthenusedthatasaspringboard ina runforCongress. And had fallen

hard on his face. A halfcentury of public servicehadn't been enough tooffset views so narroweven the most dug-in ofthe Conservative Partyhadbalked.Addedtothat,his platform had swungunevenly from side toside.

He was an unwaveringsupporteroftheGunBan,something theConservatives tried tooverturn at everyopportunity. Yet he beatthe drum to reinstate thedeath penalty, whichalienated the Liberalsfrommid-roadtofarleft.

He wanted to dissolvelegal and regulatedprostitution and strike outall legal and tax benefitsfor co-habitating couples.He preached about thesanctity of marriage, aslong as it washeterosexual, butdisavowed thegovernment stipend for

professionalmothers.

Motherhood, the gospelaccording to Skinnerstated, was a God-givenduty, and payment in itsownright.

His mixed-voice andmuddled campaign hadgone down in flames.

However much he'drebounded financially vialectures, books, andconsults,Eveimaginedhestillboretheburnsofthatfailure.

Still,shecouldn'tseehowRoarketiedintoit.

Rubbingherforehead,she

pushedawayandgotuptowork out the kinks.Maybe she wasoverreacting. Did shewant it to be personal forSkinner because he'dmade it personal for her?Maybe Roarke was nomore than a symbol forSkinner. Someone whohad slipped and slid

around the system thatSkinner himself haddedicatedhislifeto.

She checked her wristunit. Maybe she'd catchsome sleep, go back to itfresh in themorning. Shewould juggle the datafirst,though,sothatwhenshe looked at it again it

wouldbeinanewpattern.Whatevershewasmissing--andhergutstilltoldhershe was missingsomething -- might floattothetop.

"Computer, extrapolateany and all references toRoarke..." She yawnedhugely,shookherheadto

clear it. "In any and allfiles, personal andprofessional, underSkinner, CommanderDouglas."

Working...

"List referenceschronologically, first tolast,um...givemeofficial

police records first,followed by personalfiles."

Understood. Working....No reference to Roarkeunder Skinner,Commander Douglaspolice records. Referenceunder Skinner, CaptainDouglas only....

Extrapolating personalfiles...

"Yeah, well, you keepsaying that, but..." Evewhirled around, stared atthe monitor. "Computer,stop. List any and allreferencetoRoarkeunderSkinner, Douglas, anyrank."

Working... first listedreference in Skinner,CaptainDouglas,casefileC-439014, to Roarke,Patrick akaO'Hara, Sean,aka MacNeil, Thomas,date stamped March,twelve, twenty-thirty-six.SubjectRoarkesuspect inillegal weapons running,

illegal entry into UnitedStates, grand theft autoand conspiracy to murderofpoliceofficers.Subjectbelieved to have fledAtlanta area, andsubsequently the country.Last known residence,Dublin, Ireland. Case filecomplete, investigativedata available. Do you

wishfullcasefile?

"Yes.Inhardcopy."

Working...

Eve sat down again,slowly as the computerhummed. 2036, shethought. Twenty-threeyears ago. Roarke would

have been what, twelve,thirteen?

Itwasn't Roarke thatwasat the root of Skinner'sobsession.

ItwasRoarke'sfather.

At his own unit, Roarkeran through layers of

Skinner's financials.Amongthemostclear-cutmotives for murder weregreed, revenge, jealousy,sex, fear of disgrace, andprofit. So he'd follow themoneyfirst.

There was a possibility,he'ddecided, thatSkinnerhadinvestedinoneofhis

companies -- or acompetitor's. Perhapshe'dlost a substantial amountofmoney.Menhadhatedmenforless.

And financially Skinnerhadtakenabeatingduringhis run for Congress. Ithad left him nearly brokeaswellashumiliated.

"Roarke."

"Hmm." He held up afinger to hold Eve off asshe came into the room."Communications," hesaid."IhaveaninterestintheAtlantamediasources,andtheywereveryunkindto Skinner during his

congressional attempt.Thiswould haveweighedheavily against hischances of winning.Media Network Link ismine outright, and theywere downright vicious.Accurate, but vicious.Added to that, he'sinvested fairly heavily inCordayElectronics,based

in Atlanta. My owncompany has eroded theirprofits and customer basesteadily for the last fouryears. I really shouldfinish them off with atakeover,"headdedasanafterthought.

"Roarke."

"Yes?"Hereachedaroundabsently to take her handas he continued to scrolldata.

"It goes deeper thanpoliticsandstockoptions.Twenty-three years agoillegalarmsdealerssetupa base in Atlanta, andSkinner headed up the

specialunitformedtotakethem down. They had aweasel on the inside, andsolid information. Butwhen they moved in, itwas a trap. Weasels turnboth ways, and we allknowit."

She took a deep breath,hoping she was telling it

theway it shouldbe told.Love twisted her up asoften, maybe more often,than it smoothed thingsoutforher.

"Thirteen cops werekilled," she continued,"sixmorewounded.Theywere outgunned, butdespite it, Skinner broke

the cartel's back. Thecartel lost twenty-twomen,mostlysoldiers.Andhe bagged two of the toplinethatnight.Thatledtotwo more arrests in thenext twelve months. Buthelostone.Hewasneverable to get his hands onone."

"Darling, I might've beenprecocious, but at twelveI'dyettorunarms,unlessyou're counting a fewhand-helds or homemadeboomers sold inalleyways. And I hadn'tventured beyond DublinCity. As for weaseling,that'ssomethingI'veneverstoopedto."

"No." She kept staring athisface."Notyou."

And watched his eyeschange, darken and chillas it fell into place forhim."Well,then,"hesaid,very softly. "Son of abitch."

CHAPTERFIVE

As a boy, Roarke hadbeenthefavoredrecipientof his father's fists andboots. He'd usually seenthem coming, and hadavoided them whenpossible, lived with themwhenitwasn't.

To his knowledge, thiswas the first time the oldman had sucker punchedhimfromthegrave.

Still, he sat calmlyenough, reading the hardcopy of the reports Evehad brought him.Hewasa long way from the

skinny, battered boy whohad run the Dublinalleyways. Though hedidn't care much forhaving to remind himselfofitnow.

"This double cross wentdown a couple ofmonthsbeforemyfatherendedupin the gutter with a knife

in his throat. Apparentlysomeone beat Skinner tohim.Hehasthatparticularunsolvedmurder noted inhis file here. Perhaps hearrangedit."

"I don't think so." Shewasn't quite sure how toapproach Roarke on thesubject of his father and

hisboyhood.Hetendedtowalk away from his past,whereas she -- well, shetended to walk into thewall of her own past nomatter how often, howdeliberately, she changeddirections.

"Why do you say that?Look, Eve, it isn't the

same for me as it is foryou. You needn't becareful. He doesn't hauntme. Tell me why if myfather slipped throughSkinner's fingers inAtlanta, Skinner wouldn'tarrange to havehis throatslitinDublinCity."

"First, he was a cop, not

an assassin. There's norecordinthefilethathe'dlocated his target inDublin. There'scorrespondence withInterpol, with local Irishauthorities. He wasworking on extraditionprocedures should histarget show up on Irishsoil, and would likely

havegottenthepaperworkand the warrant. That'swhat he'd have wanted,"shecontinued,androsetoprowl the room. "He'dwant the bastard back onhis own turf, back whereitwentdownandhismenwere killed. He'd wantthatface-to-face.Hedidn'tgetit."

She turned back. "If he'dgotten it, he could'veclosed the book, movedon. And he wouldn't becompelledtogoafteryou.You're what's left of thesingle biggest personalandprofessionalfailureofhis life. He lost his men,andthepersonresponsible

for their loss got awayfromhim."

"Dead wouldn't beenough, without arrest,trial,andsentencing."

"No,itwouldn't.Andhereyou are, rich, successful,famous--andmarried,forChrist'ssake--toacop.I

don't need Mira to drawme a profile on this one.Skinner believes thatperpetrators of certaincrimes, including anycrime that results in thedeath of a police official,shouldpaywith their life.After due process. Yourfather skippedouton thatone. You're here, you

pay."

"Then he's doomed todisappointment. For anumber of reasons. One,I'm a great deal smarterthan my father was." Herose, went to her,skimmed a finger downthedentinherchin."Andmy cop is better than

Skinnereverhopedtobe."

"Ihavetotakehimdown.I have to fuck over fiftyyears of duty, and takehimdown."

"I know." And wouldsuffer for it, Roarkethought, as Skinner neverwould. As Skinner could

never understand. "Weneedtosleep,"hesaidandpressed his lips to herbrow.

She dreamed of Dallas,andthefrigid,filthyroominTexaswhereher fatherhadkepther.Shedreamedof cold and hunger andunspeakable fear.The red

light from the sex clubacross the street flashedinto the room, over herface.Andoverhisfaceashestruckher.

Shedreamedofpainwhenshedreamedofherfather.The tearing of her youngfleshasheforcedhimselfinto her. The snapping of

bone, her own high, thinscreamwhenhebrokeherarm.

Shedreamedofblood.

Like Roarke's, her fatherhad died by a knife. Buttheonethathadkilledhimhad been gripped in herowneight-year-oldhand.

In thebig, softbed in theplush suite, shewhimpered like a child.Beside her, Roarkegathered her close andheld her until the dreamdied.

She was up and dressedby six.The snappy jacket

that had ended up in hersuitcase fit well over herharness and weapon. Theweight of themmade herfeelmoreathome.

She used the bedroom'link to contact Peabody.At least she assumed thelump under the heap ofcoverswasPeabody.

"Whaa?"

"Wake up," Eve ordered."I want your report infifteenminutes."

"Who?"

"Jesus, Peabody. Get up,getdressed.Gethere."

"Why don't I order upsome breakfast?" Roarkesuggestedwhenshebroketransmission.

"Fine, make it for acrowd. I'm going tospread a little sunshineand wake everybody up."She hesitated. "I trustmy

people, Roarke, and IknowhowmuchIcantellthem. I don't knowAngelo."

He continued to read themorningstockreportson-screen. "She works forme."

"So,onewayortheother,

doeseverythirdpersoninthe known universe. Thattellsmenothing."

"What was yourimpressionofher?"

"Sharp, smart, solid. Andambitious."

"So was mine," he said

easily. "Or she wouldn'tbe chief of police onOlympus. Tell her whatshe needs to know. Myfather's unfortunatehistory doesn't troubleme."

"Will you talk to Mira?"Shekepthergazelevelashe rose, turned toward

her."Iwanttocallherin,Iwantaconsult.Willyoutalktoher?"

"I don't need a therapist,Eve. I'mnot theonewithnightmares." He cursedsoftly,ranahandthroughhis hair when her facewent blank and still."Sorry. Bloody hell. But

my point is we eachhandle things as wehandlethem."

"And you can push andnudge and find ways tosmoothitoverforme.ButIcan'tdothatforyou."

The temper in her voicealleviated a large slice of

his guilt over mentioningher nightmare. "Screenoff," he ordered andcrossed to her. Took herfaceinhishands."Letmetell you what I once toldMira -- not in a consult,not in a session. Yousaved me, Eve." Hewatched her blink inabsolute shock. "What

you are, what I feel foryou,whatwearetogethersaved me." He kept hiseyes on hers as he kissedher."Callyourpeople.I'llcontactDarcia."

He was nearly out of theroombeforeshefoundhervoice. "Roarke?" Shenever seemed to find the

wordsashedid,butthesecame easy. "We savedeachother."

There was no way shecould make the huge,elegant parlor feel likeone of the conferencerooms in Cop Central.Especiallywhen her teamwas gorging on cream

pastries, strawberries thesize of golf balls, and acouple of pigs' worth ofrealbacon.

It just served to remindher how much she hatedbeingoffherownturf.

"Peabody,update."

Peabody had to jerkherselfoutoftheimageofthe good angel on hershoulder, sitting with herhands properly folded,and the bad angel, whowas stuffing anothercream bun in her greedymouth. "Ah, sir. Autopsywas completed last night.They let Morris assist.

Cause of death multipletrauma, most specificallytheskullfracture.Alotofthe injuries werepostmortem. He's bookedon a panel this morning,andhassomesortofdeaddoctors' seminar latertoday, but Morris willfinesse copies of thereports for you. Early

wordisthetoxscreenwasclear."

"Sweepers?" Evedemanded.

"Sweepers'reportsweren'tcomplete as of oh-six-hundred.However,whatIdug up confirmed yourbeliefs. Seal-It traces on

thebat,nobloodorbodilyfluid but the victim'sfound on scene. Nouniform missing anepaulet star has beenfound to date. Angelo'steam's doing the run onrecylers, valets, outsidecleaning companies. Myinformation is theuniforms are coded with

the individual's IDnumber.Whenwefindtheuniform, we'll be able totracetheowner."

"Iwantthatuniform,"Evestated, and when sheturned to Feeney, the badangel won. Peabody tookanotherpastry.

"Had to be an inside jobon the security cameras,"he said. "Nobody getsaccess to Control withoutretinaandpalmscansandcode clearance. Thebypass was complicated,and it was done slick.Twelvepeoplewereinthecontrol sector during theprime period last night.

I'mrunningthem."

"All right. We look forany connection toSkinner, anywork-relatedreprimands, any suddenfinancial increase. Looktwiceifanyof themwereon the job before goingintoprivatesecurity."Shetook a disk off the table,

passed it toFeeney. "Runthem with the names onhere."

"No problem, but I workbetter when I know whyI'mworking."

"Those are the names ofcops who went down inthelineofdutyinAtlanta

twenty-three years ago. Itwas Skinner's operation."She took a deep breath."Roarke's father was hisweasel, and he turned adoublecross."

When Feeney onlynodded, Eve let out abreath."Oneofthenameson there is Thomas

Weeks,fathertoReginaldWeeks, our victim. Myguess is if Skinner hadone of his slain officer'skids on his payroll, he'sgotothers."

"Follows if onewas usedto build a frame aroundRoarke, another wouldbe,"Feeneyadded.

Shecheckedherwristunitwhen the door buzzersounded. "That'll beAngelo. I want yourunning those names,Feeney, so I'm not givingthem to her.Yet.But I'mgoingtotellher,andyou,therestofit."

While Eve was openingthe door for Darcia,Skinner opened his toRoarke.

"Amoment of your time,Commander."

"Ihavelittletospare."

"Thenwewon'twaste it."

Roarke stepped inside,lifted a brow at Hayes.Themanstoodjustbehindand to the right ofSkinner,andhadhishandinside his suit jacket. "IfyouthoughtIwasathreat,you should've had yourmananswerthedoor."

"You'renothreattome."

"Thenwhydon'twehavethatmomentinprivate?"

"Anything you say tomecanbesaidinfrontofmypersonalassistant."

"Very well. It would'vebeen tidier, and certainlymore efficient, if you'd

come after me directlyinstead of usingLieutenant Dallas andsacrificing one of yourownmen."

"So you admit you hadhimkilled."

"Idon'torderdeath.We'realone, Skinner, and I'm

sure you've had theserooms secured againstrecording devices andsurveillancecameras.Youwant to take me on, thendoit.Buthavetheballstoleavemyfamilyoutofit."

Skinner's lipspeeledbackover his teeth. "Yourfather was a dickless

coward and a patheticdrunk."

"Duly noted." Roarkewalked to a chair, sat."There, you see. Wealready have a point ofagreement on thatparticularmatter. First letmeclarifythatby'family,'Imeantmywife.Second,

I must tell you you'rebeing too kind regardingPatrickRoarke.Hewas avicious, small-mindedbullyandapettycriminalwith delusions ofgrandeur.Ihatedhimwithevery breath I took. Soyou see, I resent, quitestrongly resent, beingexpected to pay for his

many sins. I've plenty ofmyown,soifyouwanttotry to put my head on aplatter, just pick one.We'llworkfromthere."

"Do you think becauseyou wear a ten-thousand-dollarsuitIcan'tsmellthegutter on you?" Colorbegan to flood Skinner's

face, but when Hayesstepped forward, Skinnergestured him back withonesharpcutofthehand."You're the same as hewas. Worse, because hedidn't pretend to beanything other than theuseless piece of garbagehewas.Bloodtells."

"Itmayhaveonce."

"You've made a joke outof the law, and now youhidebehindawomanandabadgeshe'sshamed."

Slowly now, Roarke gotto his feet. "You knownothing of her. She's amiracle that I can't, and

wouldn't, explain to thelikes of you. But I canpromise you, I hidebehindnothing.Youstandthere,withfreshbloodonyour hands, behind yourshield of blindrighteousness and yourmemories of old glory.Your mistake, Skinner,wasintrustingamanlike

my father to hold abargain. And mine, itseems,wasthinkingyou'ddealwithme. So here's awarningforyou."

He broke off as Hayesshifted. Fast as a rattler,Roarkedrewahand laserout of his pocket. "Takeyour bloody hand out of

your coat while you stillhaveone."

"You've no right, noauthority to carry anddrawaweapon."

RoarkestaredatSkinner'sfuriousface,thengrinned."What weapon? On yourbelly, Hayes, hands

behindyourhead.Do it!"he ordered when Hayesshot Skinner a look."Evenonlowthesethingsgiveanastylittlejolt,"Heloweredthesighttocrotchlevel. "Especially whenthey hit certain sensitiveareasoftheanatomy."

Thoughhisbreathingwas

now labored, SkinnergesturedtowardHayes.

"Tothewarning.Youstepback from my wife. Stepwell and cleanly back, oryou'llfindthetasteofmeisn'ttoyourliking."

"Willyouhavemebeattodeathinastairwell?"

"You're a tedious man,Skinner," Roarke saidwith a sigh as he backedto the door. "Flamingtedious. I'd tell your mento have a care how theystrut around and fingertheirweapons.This ismyplace."

Despiteitssize,Evefoundthelivingareaofthesuiteasstiflingasaclosedbox.Ifshewereonacaselikethis in New York, shewould be on the streets,cursing at traffic as shefought herway to the labtoharassthetechs,lettingher mind shufflepossibilitiesasshewarred

with Rapid Cabs on thewaytothemorgueorbackintoCentral.

The sweepers wouldtremble when she calleddemanding a final report.And the asses she wouldkick on her way throughtheinvestigationwouldbefamiliar.

This time around DarciaAngelogottohaveallthefun.

"Peabody, go down andrecord Skinner's keynote,since he's playing theshow must go on andgivingitonschedule."

"Yes,sir."

Themorose tonehadEveasking,"What?"

"I know why you'releaning toward him forthis,Dallas. I can see theangles, but I just can'tadjust the pattern forthem.He'salegend.Some

cops go wrong becausethe pressure breaks theminside, or because of thetemptations or justbecause they were bentthatwaytobeginwith.Heneverwentwrong. It's anawfulbig leap to seehimtossing aside everythinghe's stood for and killingone of his own to frame

Roarkeforsomethingthathappened when Roarkewasakid."

"Comeupwithadifferenttheory, I'll listen. If youcan'tdo the job,Peabody,tell me now. You're onyourowntimehere."

"I can do the job." Her

voice was as stiff as hershoulders as she startedfor the door. "I haven'tbeen on my own timesinceImetyou."

Eve set her teeth as thedoor slammed, and wasalready formulating thedressing-down as shemarched across the room.

Mira stopped her with aword.

"Eve. Let her go. Youhave to appreciate herposition. It's difficultbeingcaughtbetweentwoofherheroes."

"Oh,forChrist'ssake."

"Sit,beforeyouweararutinthislovelyfloor.You'rein a difficult position aswell. The man you love,the job that defines you,andanothermanwhoyoubelieve has crossed anindelibleline."

"I need you to tell me ifhecouldhavecrossedthat

line. I knowwhatmyguttellsme,what the patternof evidence indicates. It'snotenough.Ihavedataonhim. Most of it's publicdomain, but not all." Shewaited a beat while Mirasimplycontinued tostudyher, calm as a lake. "I'mnotgoingtotellyouhowIaccessedit."

"I'mnotgoingtoaskyou.Ialreadyknowquiteabitabout Douglas Skinner.He is a man devoted tojustice--hisownvisionofit, onewho has dedicatedhis life towhat thebadgestands for, one who hasriskedhislifetoserveandprotect. Very much like

you."

"That doesn't feel likemuch of a complimentrightnow."

"There is a parting of thewaysbetweenyou,averyelemental one. He'scompelled, has alwaysbeencompelled,tospread

his vision of justice likesome are compelled tospread their vision offaith. You, Eve, at yourcore,standfor thevictim.He stands for his vision.Over time, thatvisionhasnarrowed. Some canbecome victims of theirown image until theybecometheimage."

"He's lost the cop insidethehype."

"Cleanly said. Peabody'sview of him is held by agreatmanypeople,agreatmanyinlawenforcement.It's not such a leap,psychologically speaking,for me to see him as

becoming so obsessed bya mistake -- and themistake was his own --that cost the lives ofmenin his command that thatfailure becomes thehungry monkey on hisback."

"The man who's deadwasn't street scum. He

was a young employee,one with a clean record,with a wife. The son ofone of Skinner's dead.That's the leapI'mhavingtrouble with, Dr. Mira.Was the monkey sohungrythatSkinnercouldorder the death of aninnocentman just to feedit?"

"If he could justify it inhis mind, yes. Ends andmeans. How worried areyouaboutRoarke?"

"He doesn't want me toworry about him," Eveanswered.

"I imagine he's much

more comfortable whenhe can worry about you.His fatherwas abusive tohim."

"Yeah. He's told mepieces of it. The oldmanknocked hell out of him,drunk or sober." Evedragged a hand throughher hair, walked back

towardthewindow.Therewas barely a hint of skytraffic.

How, she wondered, didpeoplestandthequiet,thestillness?

"He had Roarke runningcons, picking pockets,thenhe'dslaphimaround

if he didn't bring homeenough.Itakeithisfatherwasn't much good at theracketsbecausetheylivedinaslum."

"Hismother?"

"Idon'tknow.Hesayshedoesn't know either. Itdoesn't seem to matter to

him."Sheturnedback,satdown across from Mira."Canthatbe?Canitreallynotmattertohimwhathisfather did to him, or thathis mother left him tothat?"

"He knows his fatherstartedhimonthepathof,let'ssaycircumventingthe

law. That he has apredisposition forviolence.He learned howto channel it, as you did.He had a goal -- to getout, to have means andpower. He accomplishedthat. Then he found you.He understands where hecamefrom,andI imagineit'spartofhispridethathe

becamethekindofmanawoman like you wouldlove. And, knowing his...profile,"Mira saidwith asmile. "I imagine he'sdetermined to protect youand your career in thismatter, every bit asmuchas you're determined toprotect him and hisreputation."

"I don't see how..."Realization hit, and Evewasjustgettingtoherfeetwhen Roarke walked inthedoor.

"Goddamnit.Goddamnit,Roarke. You went afterSkinner."

CHAPTERSIX

"Good morning, Dr.Mira." Roarke closed thedoor behind him, thenwalkedovertotakeMira'shand. The move was assmooth as his voice, andhis voice smooth ascream. "Can I get you

somemoretea?"

"No."Herlipstwitchedasshe struggled to control achuckle. "Thanks, but Ireally have to be going.I'm leading a seminarright after the keynotesession."

"Don't think you can use

herasashield. I toldyouto stay away fromSkinner."

"That's the second timesomeone's accused me ofhiding behind a womantoday." Though his voiceremainedmild,Eve knewthe edge was there. "It'sgettingannoying."

"You want annoying?"Evebegan.

"You'll have to forgiveher,"Roarke said toMiraas he walked her to thedoor. "Eve tends tobecomeoverexcitedwhenIdisobey."

"She's worried aboutyou,"Mirasaidunderherbreath.

"Well, she'll have to getover it. Have a goodsession."HenudgedMiraout the door, closed it.Locked it. Turned. Theedge was visible now. "Idon't need a fucking

shield."

"That was a figure ofspeech, and don't changethe subject. You went atSkinnerafterItoldyoutostayclearofhim."

"I don't take orders fromyou, Eve. I'm not alapdog."

"You're a civilian," sheshotback.

"And you're a consultanton someone else's case,andyourauthorityhere,inmy bloody world, is acourtesy."

She opened her mouth,

closed it. Hissed. Thenshe turned on her heel,strode out through theterrace doors, and kickedtherailingseveraltimes.

"Feelbetternow?"

"Yes.Because I imaginedit was your stupid, rock-hard head." She didn't

look back, but braced herhands on the railing andlookedoutoverwhatwasindeed one of Roarke'sworlds.

It was lavish andextravagant. The slickspearsofotherhotels, thetempting spreads ofcasinos, theaters, the

glitter of restaurantswereallperfectlyplaced.Therewere fountains, the silverribbons of people glides,and the lush spread ofparks where trees andflowers grew insumptuousprofusion.

Sheheard theclickofhislighter,caughtthescentof

his obscenely expensivetobacco. He rarelysmoked these days, shethought.

"If you'd told me it wasimportant foryou tohavea face-to-face withSkinner, I'd have gonewithyou."

"I'mawareofthat."

"Oh, Christ. Men. Look,you don't need to hidebehind me or anybody.You're a tough, badasssonofabitchwithareallybig penis and balls oftitaniumsteel.Okay?"

Hecockedhishead."One

minute. I'm imaginingthrowing you off thebalcony. Yes." Henodded, took a long dragon the cigarette. "That'sindeedbetter."

"If Skinner took a coupleof pops at your ego, it'sbecauseheknew itwas agood target. That's what

cops do. Why don't youjust tell me whathappened?"

"He made it clear, whileHayes stood there with ahand inside his coat andon his weapon, that myfatherwasgarbageandbyassociation so am I. Andthat itwas long past time

for my comeuppance, sotospeak."

"Didhe say anything thatledtohimorderingWeekskilled?"

"Onthecontrary,hetwicepointed the finger at me.Full of barely restrainedfury and seething

emotion. You couldalmost believe he meantit.Idon'tthinkhe'swell,"Roarke continued andcrushed out his cigarette."Temper put a veryunhealthy color in hisface, strained hisbreathing.I'llhavetotakeapassthroughhismedicalrecords."

"I want to take a pass athis wife. Angelo agreed,after some minorcomplaints, toset itupsowe can double-team herlater this afternoon.Meanwhile, Peabody's onSkinner, between uswe'lltrack down the uniform,and Feeney's running

names.Somebodyonyoursecurity staff worked thatbypass.We findoutwho,we link them back toSkinnerandget themintointerview, we change thecomplexion of this.Maybeput itawaybeforeILEcomesin."

She glanced back toward

the suite as the 'linkbeeped. "Are we okaynow?"

"Weseemtobe."

"Good. Maybe that'sAngelowith the setup forBelle Skinner." ShemovedpastRoarke to the'link.Rather thanDarcia's

exotic face, Feeney'sdroopy one blipped onscreen.

"Might have somethingfor you here. Zita Vinter,hotel security.Shewas inControl between twenty-one-thirty and twenty-three hundred last night.Crossedherwithyourlist.

Popped to Vinter,Detective Carl, Atlantacop under Skinner. Lineofdutyduringthebotchedbust. Vinter's wife waspregnantwiththeirsecondkid -- a son, Marshall,born twomonthsafterhisdeath.Olderkidwasfive.Daughter,Zita."

"Bull's-eye.Whatsectorissheinnow?"

"Shedidn'tcomeintoday.Didn't call in either,according to hersupervisor. Got her homeaddress.Want me to ridewithyou?"

She started to agree, then

looked back at Roarke."No, I got it. See whatelse you can find on her,okay?Maybeyoucan tagPeabody when thekeynote crap's over. She'sgood at diggingbackground details. Oweyou one, Feeney. Let mehavetheaddress."

After she'd endedtransmission, Eve hookedher thumbs in her frontpockets and looked atRoarke. "You wouldn'tknow where 22 AthenaBoulevard might be,wouldyou?"

"Imightbeabletofindit,yes."

"Ibet."Shepickedupherpalm-link from the desk,stuckitinherpocket."I'mnot riding in a limo togointerview a suspect. It'sunprofessional. Badenough I'm taking somecivilian wearing a fancysuitwithme."

"Then I'll just have tocome up with somealternatetransportation."

"Whileyou'reatit,digupyour file on Zita Vinter,securitysector."

HedrewouthispalmPCas they started out."Always a pleasure to

work with you,Lieutenant."

"Yeah,yeah."Shesteppedinto the private elevatorwhile he orderedsomething called aGF2000 brought to agarage slot. "Technically,I should contact Angeloandupdateher."

"No reason you can't.Oncewe'reontheway."

"No reason. Saves timethisway."

"That's your story,darling, andwe'll stick toit.Vinter,Zita,"hebeganas she scowled at him.

"Twenty-eight.Twoyearswith Atlanta PSD, theninto private security. Sheworked for one of myorganizations in Atlanta.Clean work record.PromotedtoALevelovertwoyearsago.Sheput infor the position here sixmonths ago. She's single,lives alone. Lists her

motherasnextofkin.Heremployment jacket'sclean."

"When did you contractforthisconventiondeal?"

"Just over six monthsago," he said as theystepped off into thegarage."Itwasoneof the

incentives to have severalofthefacilitiescomplete."

"Howmuch do youwantto bet Skinner's kept inclose contact with hisdead detective's daughterover the years? Angelofinesses a warrant forVinter's 'link records,we're going to find

transmissions toandfromAtlanta. And not just tohermother."

When he stopped, put hisPC away, she stared."Whatthehellisthis?"

Roarke ran a hand overthe sleek chrome tube ofthe jet-bike. "Alternate

transportation."

It looked fast and itlooked mean, a powerfulsilverbulleton twosilverwheels. She continued tostare as Roarke offeredheracrashhelmet.

"Safetyfirst."

"Get a grip on yourself.WithallyourtoysIknowdamn well you've gotsomething around herewith four wheels anddoors."

"This is more fun." Hedropped the helmet ontoherhead."AndI'mforcedtoremindyouthatpartof

this little interlude wasmeant to be a bit of aholidayforus."

He took a second helmet,put it on. Then tidilyfastened hers. "This wayyou can be my bikerbitch."When she showedherteeth,heonlylaughedand swung a leg nimbly

over the tube. "And Imean that in the mostflatteringwaypossible."

"Why don't I pilot, andyou can be my bikerbitch?"

"Maybelater."

Swearing, she slid onto

the bike behind him. Heglancedbackatherassheadjusted her seat, cuppedher hands loosely at hiships. "Hang on," he toldher.

He shot like a rocket outof the garage, and herarms latched like chainsaround his waist.

"Lunatic!" she shouted asheblastedintotraffic.Herheart flipped into herthroat and stayed therewhile he swerved,threaded,streaked.

It wasn't that she mindedspeed. She liked to gofast, when she wasmanning the controls.

Therewas ablurof coloras they careened aroundan island of exoticwildflowers. A stream ofmotion when they rushedby a people glide loadedwith vacationers. Grimlydetermined to face herdeath without blinking,she stared at the snag ofvehicular traffic dead

ahead.

Felt theboostof thrustersbetween her legs. "Don'tyou--"

Shecouldonlyyipandtrynot to choke on her owntongueashe took the jet-bike into a sharp climb.Wind screamed by her

ears as they punchedthroughtheair.

"Shortcut," he shoutedbacktoher,andtherewaslaughterinhisvoiceashebrought the bike down tothe road again, smooth asicingoncake.

He braked in front of a

blindinglywhite building,shut off all engines."Well, then, it doesn'tcome up to sex, but it'sdefinitelyinthetopteninthegrandscheme."

He swung off, removedhishelmet.

"Doyouknowhowmany

traffic violations youracked up in the last fourminutes?"

"Who's counting?" Hepulledoffherhelmet,thenleaned down to bite herbottomlip.

"Eighteen," she informedhim,pullingout her palm

'link to contact DarciaAngelo. She scanned thebuilding as she relayed amessage toDarcia'svoicemail. Clean, almostbrutally clean. Wellconstructed,fromthelookof it, tasteful and likelyexpensive.

"What do you pay your

securitypeople?"

"A Level?" They crossedthe wide sidewalk to thebuilding's front entrance."AbouttwicewhataNewYork police lieutenantbrings in annually,with afull benefit package, ofcourse."

"What a racket." Shewaited while they werescanned at the door andRoarke coded in hismaster. The requisitecomputervoicewelcomedhimandwishedhimasafeandhealthyday.

The lobby was tidy andquiet, really an extended

foyer with straight linesand no fuss. At thevisitors' panel, Eveidentified herself andrequestedZitaVinter.

I'm sorry, Dallas,Lieutenant Eve, Ms.Vinter does not respond.Wouldyoucaretoleaveamessageatthistime?

"No,Idon'tcaretoleaveamessageatthistime.Thisis police business. Clearme into Apartment Six-B."

I'm sorry, Dallas,Lieutenant Eve, yourcredentials are notrecognized on this station

and do not allow thissystemtobypassstandardprivacy and securityregulations.

"Howwould you likemeto bypass your circuitsand stuff yourmotherboardupyour--"

Warning! Verbal threats

toward this system mayresult in arrest,prosecution,andmonetaryfines up to five thousandcredits.

BeforeEvecould spitouta response, Roarkeclamped a hand on hershoulder. "This isRoarke."Helaidhishand

on the palm plate. "ID151, Level A. You'reordered to clear me andLieutenant Dallas to allareasofthiscompound."

Identification verified.Roarke and companion,Dallas,Eve,arecleared.

"Lieutenant," Eve said

between her teeth asRoarke pulled her towardanelevator.

"Don't take it personally.Levelsix,"heordered.

"Damn machine treatedme like a civilian." Theinsult of it was almostbeyond her

comprehension."Acivilian."

"Irritating, isn't it?" Hestrolled off onto the sixthfloor.

"You enjoyed that, didn'tyou? That 'Roarke andcompanion'shit."

"I did, yes. Immensely."He gestured. "Six-B."Whenshesaidnothing,herangthebuzzerhimself.

"Shedidn'tanswerbefore,she's not going to answernow."

"No."Hedippedhishandslightly in his pockets.

"Technically... I supposeyou need to ask ChiefAngelo to request awarrantforentry."

"Technically," Eveagreed.

"Iam,however,theownerof this building, and thewoman'semployer."

"Doesn't give you anyright to enter herapartment without legalauthorityorpermission."

He simply stood, smiled,waited.

"Doit,"Evetoldhim.

"Welcome to my world."Roarke keyed in hismaster code, thenhummed when the locklight above the doorremainedred."Well,well,sheappearstohaveaddedafewtouchesofherown,blocked the master code.I'mafraidthat'saviolationofherleaseagreement."

Eve felt the little twist inher gut and slipped herhand under her jacket toherweapon."Getin."

Neither questioned thatwhatever methods hadbeen taken, he could getaround them. Throughthem. He took a small

case of tools out of hispocket and removed theanti-intruder panel on thescanner and identificationplate.

"Clevergirl.She'saddedanumber of tricky littlepaths here. Thiswill takeaminute."

Evetookouther'linkandcalled Peabody. "Trackdown Angelo," sheordered. "We're at 22AthenaBoulevard. Six-B.She needs to get overhere. I want you withher."

"Yes, sir. What should Itellher?"

"To get here." Shedropped the 'link back inher pocket, stepped backtoRoarke justas the locklights went green. "Moveaside," she ordered anddrewherweapon.

"I've been through a doorwith you before,

Lieutenant." He took thehand laser out of hispocket, and ignored hersnarlwhen she spotted it."You prefer low, as Irecall."

Since there wasn't anypoint in bitingher tongueor slapping at him forcarrying, she did neither.

"Onmycount."Sheputahand on the door,preparedtoshoveitopen.

"Wait!" He caught thefaint hum, and the soundsent his heart racing. ThepanellightsflashedredasheyankedEveawayfromthedoor.Theywentdownin a heap, his body

coveringhers.

She had that onebreathless second tounderstand before theexplosionblastedthedooroutward. A line of flameshot into the air, roaringacross the hall wherethey'd been standingseconds before. Alarms

screamed,andshefeltthefloor beneath her trembleatasecondexplosion,feltthe blast of vicious heatalloverher.

"Jesus! Jesus!" Shestruggled under him,slapped violently at thesmolderingshoulderofhisjacket with her bare

hands. "You're on firehere."

Water spewed out of theceiling as he sat up,stripped off the jacket."Areyouhurt?"

"No."Sheshookherhead,shoved the hair soakedwith the flood of the

safety sprinklers out ofherface."Earsareringingsome. Where are youburned?" Her hands wereracing over him as shepusheduptoherknees.

"I'mnot.Thesuit'sfuckedis all. Here, now. We'refine."He glanced back atthe scarred and

smoldering hole that hadbeen the doorway. "ButI'm afraid I'm going tohavetoevictSix-B."

Though she doubted itwas necessary, Eve kepther weapon out as shepicked her way over stillsmoking chunks of wallanddoor.Smoke andwet

cloggedtheairinthehall,in the apartment, but shecould see at one glancethat the explosion hadbeen smaller than she'dassumed. And verycontained.

"A little paint and you'rebackinbusiness."

"Theexplosionwasset toblow the door, andwhoever was outside it."Therewerebitsofbrokencrockeryonthefloor,anda vase of flowers hadfallen over, spillingwaterinto the rivers alreadyformed by the sprinklersystem.

Thefurniturewassodden,the walls smeared withstreaks from smoke andsoot. The hallway wallswere a dead loss, butotherwise, the room wasrelativelyundamaged.

Ignoring the shouts andvoices from outside theapartment, he moved

throughitwithEve.

Zitawas inbed,herarmscrossed serenely acrossher chest. Holstering herweapon, Eve walked tothe bed, used two fingersto check for the pulse inthewoman'sthroat.

"She'sdead."

CHAPTERSEVEN

"Your definition ofcooperationandteamworkapparently differs frommine,Lieutenant."

Wet, filthy, and ridingona vicious headache, Eve

strained while Darciacompleted herexamination of the body."Iupdatedyou."

"No, you left a tersemessage on my voicemail." Darciastraightened. With hersealed hands, she liftedthe bottle of pills on the

nightstand, bagged them."When you were,apparently,at thepointofillegally entering thisunit."

"Property owner or hisrepresentative has theright to enter a privatehome if there isreasonable cause to

believealifeorlivesmaybe in danger, or that saidpropertyisthreatened."

"Don't quote yourregulationsatme,"Darciasnapped. "You cut meout."

Eve opened her mouth,then blew out a long

breath. "Okay, I wouldn'tsayIcutyouout,butIdidanendrunaroundyou.Inyour place, I'd be just aspissed off. I'm used tobeingabletopursuealineon an investigation inmyown way, on my owntime."

"You are not primary on

thiscase.Iwantthisbodybagged and removed,"Darcia ordered theuniforms flanking thebedroomdoors."Probablecause of death, voluntaryself-termination."

"Wait a minute, wait aminute. Wait!" Eveordered, throwing out a

handtowarntheuniformsback. "This isn't self-termination."

"I seeanunmarkedbody,reclining in bed. Hairneatly brushed, cosmeticenhancementsunblemished. I see on thebedside table a glass ofwhitewineandabottleof

pills prescribed for use inpainless, gentle self-termination. I have here,"shecontinued,holdingupanother evidence bagcontaining a single sheetof paper, "a note clearlystating the subject'sintention to end her ownlifedue toherguilt abouther part in the death of

ReginaldWeeks.A deathshe stateswasorderedbyRoarkeandforwhichshewaspaidfiftythousand,incash. I see a satchelcontaining that preciseamount of cash on thedresser."

"Roarke didn't orderanyone'smurder."

"Perhaps not. But I amaccustomed to pursuing alineonaninvestigationinmyownway.Onmyowntime." She tossed Eve'swords back at her."Commander Skinner haslodged a complaintclaiming that Roarkethreatened him this

morning, with words anda weapon. Security disksat the hotel verify thatRoarke entered thecommander's suite andremained there for sevenminutes, forty-threeseconds. This incident iscorroborated by oneBryson Hayes, Skinner'spersonal assistant, who

waspresentatthetime."

There was no point inkicking something againand pretending it wasRoarke's head. "Skinner'sin this up to his armpits,and if you let himdeflectyour focus onto Roarke,you're not as smart as Ithought. First things first.

You're standing over ahomicide, Chief Angelo.The second one Skinner'sresponsiblefor."

Darcia ordered her menaway by pointing herfinger. "Explain to mehow this ishomicide, andwhy I shouldn't have youtakentothefirst transport

and removed from thisstation.WhyIshouldnot,on the evidence at hand,take Roarke in forinterview as a suspect inthe murder of ReginaldWeeks." Temper pumpedinto her voice now, hotand sharp. "And let memake this clear: Yourhusband'smoneypaysmy

salary.Itdoesn'tbuyme."

Eve kept her focus onDarcia."Peabody!"Asshewaited for her aide tocome to the room, Evestruggled with her owntemper.

"Sir?"

"Whatdoyousee?"

"Ah. Sir. Female, latetwenties, medium build.No sign of struggle ordistress."ShebrokeoffasEve tookanevidencebagfrom Darcia, passed itover. "Standard barb,commonly used in self-termination. Prescription

callsforfourunits.Allaremissing. Date on thebottle is two weeks ago,prescribed and filled inAtlanta,Georgia."

Evenoddedwhenshesawthe flicker in Darcia'seyes, then handedPeabodythenote.

"Apparently suicide note,withsignature.Computer-generated. The statementtherein is contradictory tootherevidence."

"Very good, Peabody.Tell Chief Angelo how itcontradicts."

"Well, Lieutenant, most

people don't have self-termination drugs tuckedin their med cabinets.Unless you're sufferingfrom an incurable andpainful illness, it takesseveraltestsandlegalitiestoaccessthedrug."

Darcia held up a hand."All the more reason to

havethemaround."

"No,sir."

"Ma'am,"Darciacorrectedwith a smirk at Eve. "Inmy country a femalesuperior is addressed as'ma'am.'"

"Yes, ma'am. It may be

different in your countryas to the process ofaccessingthissortofdrug.In theStates,youhave toregister. If you haven't --that is, ifyou'restillalivewithin thirty days offilling the prescription,you're on auto-recall. Thedrugs are confiscated andyou're required to submit

to psychiatric testing andevaluation. But besidesthat,itdoesn'tplay."

"Keep going, Peabody,"Evetoldher.

"The note claims shedecided to off herselfbecause she was guiltyover events that took

place last night. But shealready had the drug inherpossession.Why?Andhow? You establishedtime of death at oh-four-hundred this morning, soshegotherpayoffandtheguilts awful close, thenthe means to self-terminate just happen tobe in her possession. It's

way pat, if you followme."

She paused, and whenDarcia nodded a go-ahead, pulled in a breathandkeptgoing."Addedtothat, itdoesn't follow thatshe would rig herapartment door to anexplosive, or set another

in thesurveillancearea todestroy the security disksof the building.Added tothat," Peabody continued,obviouslyenjoyingherselfnow, "Roarke's profile isdirectly opposed to hiringout hits, especially sinceDallas popped the guy,whichisoneofthethingshe admires about her. So

whenyouadd thatallup,it makes that note bogus,and this unattended deathbecomes a probablehomicide."

"Peabody."Evedabbedanimaginary tear from hereye."Youdomeproud."

Darcialookedfromoneto

theother.Hertemperwasstill on the raw side,which she could admitcoloredher logic.Orhad."Perhaps, OfficerPeabody, you could nowexplain how person orpersons unknown gainedaccess to this unit andpersuaded this trainedsecurity expert to take

termination drugswithoutherstruggling."

"Well..."

"I'll take over now." Evepatted her shoulder. "Youdon't want to blow yourstreak. Person or personsunknownwereadmittedtothe unit by the victim.

Mostlikelytopayheroffor to give her the nextstage of instructions. Thetermination drugs wereprobably mixed into thewine. Person or personsunknownwaitedforhertoslip into the first stage ofthe coma, at which timeshe was carried in here,laid out nice and pretty.

The note was generated,thestageset.Whenitwasdetermined that victimwas dead, the explosiveswererigged,andpersonorpersonsunknownwentontheirmerryway."

"She sort of sees it,"Peabody added helpfully."Not like a psychic or

anything.Shejustwalksitthrough with the killer.Reallymag."

"Okay,Peabody.Shewasa tool," Eve continued."No more, no less. ThesameasWeekswasatool.She probably joined theforce to honor her father,and he used that, just as

he's usingRoarke's fatherto get to him. They don'tmean anything to him aspeople,asfleshandblood.They're just steps andstagesinhistwenty-three-yearwar."

"Maybe not tools, then,"Darcia countered, "butsoldiers.Tosomegenerals

they are just asdispensable. Excuse us,Officer Peabody, if youplease."

"Yes,ma'am.Sir."

"I want an apology." Shesaw Eve wince, andsmiled. "Yes, I know it'llhurt, so I want one. Not

for pursuing a line ofinvestigation, and so on.Fornottrustingme."

"I'veknownyoulessthantwenty-four hours," Evebegan,thenwincedagain."All right, shit. Iapologize for not trustingyou. And I'll go onebetter. For not respecting

yourauthority."

"Accepted. I'm going tohavethebodytakentotheME, as a probablehomicide. Your aide isverywelltrained."

"She'sgood,"Eveagreed,since Peabody wasn'taround to hear and get

big-headedabout it. "Andgettingbetter."

"I missed the date, thesignificance, and Ishouldn'thave.IbelieveIwould have seen thesethingsoncemyannoyancewithyouhadebbedabit,butthat'sbesidethepoint.Now, I need to question

Roarke regarding hisconversation with thecommander this morning,and regarding hisassociation with ZitaVinter. To keep myofficialrecordsclean,youare not included in thisinterview. I wouldappreciate it, however, ifyou'dremainandleadmy

team through theexamination of the crimescene."

"Noproblem."

"I'llkeepthisasbriefasIcan,asIimaginebothyouandRoarkewould like togo back and get out ofthose damp, dirty

clothes." She tugged thesleeve of Eve's jacket asshe passed. "That used tobeveryattractive."

"She was easier on methan I'd've been on her,"Eveadmittedassherolledthe stiffness out of hershoulders. She'd hit thefloorunderRoarkeharder

than she'd realized andfigured she should take alookatthebruises.

Afteralong,hotshower.

Since Roarke's responsetoherstatementwas littlemore thanagruntas theyrodeup to their suite, shetook his measure. He

could use some cleaningup himself, she thought.He'd ditched the ruinedjacket, and the shirtbeneath it had taken abeating.

She wondered if her facewasasdirtyashis.

"Assoonaswecleanup,"

she began as she steppedout of the elevator andinto the parlor. And thatwas as far as she gotbeforeshewaspressedupagainst the elevator doorswith his mouth ravaginghers.

Half her brain seemed toslideoutthroughherears.

"Whoa.What?"

"Another few seconds."With his hands grippinghershouldersandhiseyeshothelookeddownather."Wewouldn'tbehere."

"Wearehere."

"That's right." He jerked

the jacket halfway downher arms, savaged herneck. "That's damn right.Now let's prove it." Hestripped the jacket away,ripped her shirt at theshoulder. "I want myhands on you. Yours onme."

They already were. She

tugged and tore at hisruined shirt, and becauseherhandswerebusy,usedherteethonhim.

Lessthanafootinsidetheroom, they dragged eachother to the floor. Sherolled with him, fightingwith the rest of hisclothes, then arching like

a bridge when his mouthclampedoverherbreast.

Need, deep and primal,gushed through her untilshe moaned his name. Itwasalwayshisname.Shewanted more. More togive, more to take. Herfingers dug into him --hard muscle, damp flesh.

The scent of smoke anddeathsmotheredunderthescent of him so that itfilledherwiththefeveredmix of love and lust thathebroughttoher.

Hecouldn'tgetenough.Itseemedhenevercould,orwould.Allofthehungers,the appetites and desires

he'd known paled tonothing against the needhe had for her -- foreverything she was. Thestrength of her, physicaland that uniquely tensilemorality, enraptured him.Challengedhim.

To feel that strengthtremble under him, open

for him,merge with him,wasthewonderofhislife.

Her breathing was short,shallow, and he heard itcatch, release on astrangled gasp when hedrove her over the firstpeak. His own bloodraged as he crushed hismouth to hers again, and

plungedinsideher.

All heat and speed anddesperation.Thesoundofflesh slapping, slidingagainst flesh mixed withthe sound of raggedbreathing.

Sheheardhimmurmuringsomething--thelanguage

of his youth, so rarelyused, slid exoticallyaround her name. Thepressure of pleasure builtoutrageously inside her, agloriousburninthebloodas he drove her pastreason with deep, hardthrusts.

She clung, clung to the

edge of it. Then his eyeswere lockedonhers,wildand blue. Love all butswampedher.

"Come with me." Hisvoice was thick withIreland. "Come with menow."

She held on, and on,

watching those gloriouseyes go blind. Held on,and on while his bodyplungedinhers.Thensheletgo,andwentwithhim.

Sex, Eve had discovered,could, when it was doneright, benefit body,mind,and spirit. She hardlybitchedatallabouthaving

to dress up to meet withBelle Skinner at a ladies'tea. Her body felt looseand limber, andwhile thedress Roarke handed herdidn'tfitherimageofcop,the weapon she snuggedon under the long, fluidjacketmadeupforit.

"Are you intending to

blast some of the otherwomen over thewatercress sandwichesandpetitfours?"heasked.

"You never know." Shelookedatthegoldearringshe held out, shrugged,then put them on. "WhileI'm swilling tea andbrowbeating Belle

Skinner, you can followuponahunchforme.Dosome digging, see ifHayes was connected toany of the downed copsunder Skinner's commandduring the botched bust.Somethingtheretooclosefor employer/employeerelations."

"Allright.Shoes."

She stared at the needle-thin heels and flimsystraps. "Is that what youcall them? How comeguys don't have to weardeathtrapslikethose?"

"I ask myself that samequestion every day." He

took a long scan aftershe'd put them on."Lieutenant, you lookamazing."

"Feel like an idiot. Howam I supposed tointimidate anyonedressedinthisgear?"

"I'msureyou'llmanage."

"Ladies' tea," shegrumbledon thewayout."Idon'tknowwhyAngelocan't just haul thewomanin to her cop shop anddeal."

"Don't forget your rubberhoseandmini-stunner."

She smirked over hershoulder as she steppedonto the elevator. "Biteme."

"Alreadydid."

TheteawasalreadyunderwaywhenEvewalked in.Women in flowy dresses,and some -- Jesus -- in

hats, milled about andgathered under arbors ofpink roses or spilled outonto a terrace where aharpist plucked stringsand sang in a quaveryvoice that instantlyirritatedEve'snerves.

Tiny crustless sandwichesand pink frosted cakes

were arranged on clearglass platters. Shiningsilver pots steamed withtea that smelled, to Eve,entirely toomuch like theroses.

At such times shewondered how womenweren't mortified to bewomen.

She tracked downPeabody first and wasmorethanslightlyamazedto see her stalwart aidedecked out in a swirlyflowered dress and abroad-brimmed straw hatwithtrailingribbons.

"Jeez, Peabody, you look

like a -- what is it --milkmaidorsomething."

"Thanks, Dallas. Greatshoes."

"Shutup.RundownMira.I want her take onSkinner'swife.Thetwoofyou hang close whileAngeloandItalktoher."

"Mrs.Skinner'soutontheterrace. Angelo justwalkedin.Wow,she'sgotsomegreatDNA."

Eveglancedback,noddedto Angelo. The chief hadchosentowearcoolwhite,but rather than flowing,the dress clung to every

curve.

"Ontheterrace,"Evetoldher."Howdoyouwanttoplayit?"

"Subtly, Lieutenant.Subtle'smystyle."

Eve lifted her brows. "Idon'tthinkso."

"Interview style," Darciasaid andbreezedonto theterrace. She stopped,pouredtea,thenstrolledtothe tablewhereBellewasholding court. "Lovelyparty, Mrs. Skinner. Iknowweallwanttothankyouforhostingthisevent.Such a nice break from

theseminarsandpanels."

"It's important toremember that we'rewomen, not just wives,mothers, careerprofessionals."

"Absolutely. I wonder ifLieutenant Dallas and Imighthaveaprivateword

with you?We won't takeupmuchofyourtime."

She laid a hand on theshoulder of one of thewomenseatedatthetable.Subtle, Eve thought. Andeffective, as the womanrose to give Darcia herchair.

"ImusttellyouhowmuchI enjoyed thecommander's keynote thismorning," Darcia began."So inspiring. It must beverydifficultforhim,andyou, to deal with theconvention after yourtragicloss."

"Douglas and I both

believe strongly infulfilling our duties andresponsibilities, whateverour personal troubles.PoorReggie."Shepressedher lips together. "It'shorrible. Even being acop's wife for half acentury... you never getused to the shock ofviolentdeath."

"Howwell did you knowWeeks?"Eveasked.

"Loss and shock andsorrow aren't connectedonly to personalknowledge, Lieutenant."Belle's voice went cool."But I knew him quitewell, actually. Douglas

and I believe in formingstrong and caringrelationships with ouremployees."

Likes Angelo, Evethought.Hatesme.Okay,then."Iguessbeingfullofshock and sorrow is thereason you eavesdroppedfrom your bedroom

instead of coming outwhen we notifiedCommander Skinner thatone of his security teamhadbeenmurdered."

Belle's face went veryblank and still. "I don'tknow what you'reintimating."

"I'm not intimating, I'msayingitstraightout.Youwere in the spare room --not the master with thecommander. I know youwereawake,becauseyourlight was on. You heardus relay the information,but despite this close,personal relationship, youdidn'tcomeouttoexpress

yourshockandloss.Whyisthat,Mrs.Skinner?"

"Dallas, I'm sure Mrs.Skinner has her reasons."Darciaputa lightstingofcensure inhervoice, thenturned a sympatheticsmiletoBelle."I'msorry,Mrs. Skinner. Thelieutenant is, quite

naturally, on edge justnow."

"There's no need for youto apologize, ChiefAngelo. Iunderstand,andsympathize--toanextent-- Lieutenant Dallas'sdesire to defend andprotectherhusband."

"Is that what you'redoing?" Eve tossed back."How far would you go?Howmanyclose,personalrelationships are youwilling to sacrifice? Ordidn't you have one withZitaVinter?"

"Zita?" Belle's shouldersjerked, as if fromablow.

"What does Zita have todowithanyofthis?"

"Youknewher?"

"She's our godchild, ofcourse I... Knew?" Everyounceofcolordrainedoutof the lovely face so thatthe expertly appliedenhancements stood out

like paint on a doll."What'shappened?"

"She's dead," Eve saidflatly. "Murdered earlythismorning, a fewhoursafterWeeks."

"Dead?Dead?" Belle gotshakily to her feet,upending her teacup as

she floundered forbalance. "I can't -- I can'ttalktoyounow."

"Want to go after her?"Darcia asked when Bellerushedfromtheterrace.

"No.Let'sgivehertimetostew. She's scared now.Overwhatsheknowsand

what she doesn't know."She looked back atDarcia. "We had a prettygoodrhythmgoingthere."

"I thought so. But Iimagine playing theinsensitive, argumentativecop comes naturally toyou."

"Just like breathing. Let'sblowthisteapartyandgogetadrink."Evesignaledto Peabody and Mira."Justusgirls."

CHAPTEREIGHT

Inthebar,inawide,plushbooth,Evebroodedovera

fizzy water. She'd havepreferred the good, hardkickofaZombie,butshewantedaclearheadmorethanthejolt.

"You've got a smooth,sympathetic style," shesaid to Darcia. "I thinkshe'll talk to you if youstayinthatchannel."

"SodoI."

"Dr. Mira here, she's gotthe same deal. You'd beable to double-team her."Eveglanced towardMira,who was sipping whitewine.

"She was shocked and

shaken," Mira began."First, she'll verify theinformation about thedeath of her godchild.Whenshedoes,griefwilltanglewiththeshock."

"So, she'll be even morevulnerable to the rightquestionspresented in therightstyle."

"You're a cold one,Dallas," Darcia said. "Ilike thataboutyou. I'dbevery agreeable tointerviewing BelleSkinner with Dr.Mira, ifthatsuitsthedoctor."

"I'm happy to help. Iimagineyouintendtotalk

toSkinneragain,Eve."

"With the chief'spermission."

"Don't start being politenow," Darcia told her."You'll ruin your image.He won't want to talk toyou," she went on."Whatever his feelings

toward you were before,my impression is -- afterhis keynote -- he'swrapped you and Roarketogether. He hates youboth."

"He brought us up at hiskeynote?"

"Not by name, but by

intimation. His inspiring,rather cheerleader-typespeech took a turn at themidway point. He wentinto a tangent on copswho go bad, who forgettheir primary duties infavorofpersonalcomfortsandgains.Gestures,bodylanguage..." Darciashrugged."Itwasclearhe

was talking about thisplace -- luxury palacesbuiltonbloodandgreed,Ibelievehesaid--andyou.Bedfellowsofthewicked.He got very worked upabout it, almostevangelical. While therewere some who appearedenthusiastic andsupportive of that

particular line of thought,it seemed to me the bulkof the attendees wereuncomfortable --embarrassedorangry."

"He wants to use hiskeynote to take slaps atme andRoarke, it doesn'tworry me." But Evenoticed Peabody staring

down into her glass."Peabody?"

"I think he's sick." Shespoke quietly, finallylifted her gaze."Physically, mentally. Idon'tthinkhe'srealstable.It was hard to watch ithappen this morning. Hestarted out sort of, well,

eloquent, then it justdeteriorated into this rant.I've admired him all mylife.Itwashardtowatch,"sherepeated."Alotofthecops who were therestiffened up. You couldalmost feel layers ofrespect peeling away. Hetalked about the murdersome, how a young,

promising man hadbecome a victim of pettyand soulless revenge.How a killer could hidebehindabadge insteadofbeing brought to justicebyone."

"Pretty pointed," Evedecided.

"A lot of the terrestrialcopswalkedoutthen."

"So he's probably a littleshaky now himself. I'lltake him," Eve said."Peabody,youtrackdownFeeney, see what otherdetailsyoucandigoutonthe two victims andanyone else on-sitewho's

connectedwiththebustinAtlanta.Thatflywithyou,ChiefAngelo?"

Darcia polished off herwine."Itdoes."

Eve detoured back to thesuite first. She wanted afew more details beforequestioningSkinneragain.

SheneverdoubtedRoarkehadalreadyfoundthem.

Hewason the 'linkwhenshe got there, talking tohisheadofhotelsecurity.Restless, Eve wanderedoutontotheterraceandlethermindshufflethefacts,the evidence, the lines ofpossibilities.

Two dead. Both victims'fathers martyred cops.And those connected toRoarke's father and toSkinner. Murdered in aworldofRoarke'smaking,onasitefilledwithpoliceofficials.Itwassoneat,itwasalmostpoetic.

A setup from thebeginning? It wasn't acrime of impulse butsomething craftily, coldlyplanned. Weeks andVinter had both beensacrifices, pawns placedand discarded for thegreater game. A chessgame, all right, shedecided. Black king

againstwhite,andherguttold her Skinner wouldn'tbe satisfied with acheckmate.

Hewantedblood.

She turned as Roarkestepped out. "In the end,destroying you won't beenough. He's setting you

up, step by step, forexecution. A lot ofweapons on this site. Hekeeps the pressure on,pilesupthecircumstantialso there's enoughappearancethatyoumighthave ordered these hits.Allheneedsisonesoldierwillingtotakethefall.I'mbettingHayesforthatone.

Skinner doesn't havemuchtimetopullitoff."

"No, he doesn't," Roarkeagreed. "I got into hismedical records. A yearago he was diagnosedwith a rare disorder. It'scomplicated,butthebestIcan interpret, it sort ofnibblesawayatthebrain."

"Treatment?"

"Yes, there are someprocedures.He'shadtwo-- quietly, at a privatefacility in Zurich. Itslowedtheprocess,butinhis case... He's hadcomplications.Astrainonthe heart and lungs.

Another attempt atcorrectionwouldkillhim.He was given a year. Hehas,perhaps,threemonthsof that left. And of thatthree months, two at theoutside where he'llcontinuetobemobileandlucid. He's madearrangements for self-termination."

"That's rough." Eveslippedherhandsintoherpockets.Therewasmore-- she could see it inRoarke's eyes. Somethingaboutthewayhewatchedhernow."Itplaysintotherest.Thisoneevent'sbeenstuck in his gut fordecades.Hewantstoclear

his books before hechecks out. Whatever'seating at his brain hasprobably made him moreunstable,morefanaticandless worried about theniceties. He needs to seeyou go down before hedoes.What else?What isit?"

"I went down severalmorelayersinhiscasefileon the bust. His follow-ups, his notes. Hebelieved he'd tracked myfather before he'd slippedout of the country again.Skinner used someconnections. It wasbelieved that my fatherheaded west and spent a

few days among somenefarious associates. InTexas.InDallas,Eve."

Her stomach clenched,and her heart tripped forseveral beats. "It's a bigplace.Itdoesn'tmean..."

"The timing's right." Hewalked to her, ran his

hands up and down herarms as if towarm them."Your father and mine,petty criminals searchingfor the big score. Youwere found in thatDallasalleyonlyafewdaysafterSkinner lost my father'strailagain."

"You're saying theyknew

each other, your fatherandmine."

"I'msayingthecircle'stootidy to ignore. I nearlydidn't tellyou,"headded,resting his forehead onhers.

"Give me a minute." Shestepped away from him,

leaned out on the rail,staredout over the resort.But she was seeing thatcold, dirty room, andherself huddled in thecorner like an animal.Bloodonherhands.

"Hehadadealgoing,"shesaid quietly. "Some dealor other, I think. He

wasn'tdrinkingasmuch--and it was worse for mewhen hewasn't good anddrunkwhenhecameback.Andhehad somemoney.Well." She took a deepbreath."Well.Itplaysout.Do you know what Ithink?"

"Tellme."

"I think sometimes fatecuts you a break. Like itsays, okay, you've hadenoughofthatcrap,soit'stime you fell intosomething nice. Seewhatyou make out of it." Sheturned back to him then."We'remaking somethingout of it. Whatever they

were to us, or to eachother, it's what we arenowthatcounts."

"Darling Eve. I adoreyou."

"Then you'll do me afavor. Keep yourselfscarcefor thenextcoupleof hours. I don't want to

give Skinner anyopportunities. I need totalk to him, and he won'ttalkifyou'rewithme."

"Agreed, with onecondition.Yougowired."He took a small jeweledpin from his pocket,attached it to her lapel."I'llmonitorfromhere."

"It's illegal to recordwithout all parties'knowledge andpermission unless youhave properauthorization."

"Is it really?" He kissedher. "That's what you getfor bedding down with

badcompanions."

"Heard about that, didyou?"

"Just as I heard that alarge portion of yourfellowcopswalkedoutofthe speech. Yourreputation stands,Lieutenant.Iimagineyour

seminar tomorrowwillbepacked."

"My... Shit! I forgot. I'mnotthinkingaboutit,"shemuttered on the way out."Notthinkingaboutit."

She slipped into theconference room whereSkinner was leading a

seminar on tactics. Itwassomerelieftorealizeshe'dmissedthelectureandhadcome in during thequestion-and-answerperiod.Therewerealotoflonglooksinherdirectionas she walked down theside of the room andfoundaseathalfwayfromtheback.

She scoped out the setup.Skinner on stage at thepodium, Hayes standingto his back and his right,at attention. Two otherpersonalsecuritytypesonhisotherside.

Excessive, she thought,and obviously so. The

message was that thelocation, the situation,posed personal jeopardyfor Skinner; but he wastaking precautions anddoinghisjob.

Veryneat.

She raised her hand, andwas ignored. Five

questionspasseduntil shesimplygot toherfeetandaddressedhim.Andassherose, she noted Hayesslide a hand inside hisjacket.

Shekneweverycopintheroom caught the gesture.The room went deadquiet.

"Commander Skinner, aposition of commandregularly requires you tosend men into situationswherelossoflife,civilianand departmental, is aprimary risk. In suchcases,doyoufinditmorebeneficialtotheoperationtosetpersonalfeelingsfor

yourmenaside, or tousethosefeelingstoselecttheteam?"

"Everymanwhopicksupa badge does soacknowledging he willgivehis life if needbe toserve and protect. Everycommander must respectthat acknowledgment.

Personal feelingsmust beweighed,inordertoselecttherightmanfortherightsituation. This is amatterof experience and theaccumulation, throughyearsand thatexperience,of recognizing the bestdynamic for each givenop.Butpersonalfeelings-- i.e., emotional

attachments, privateconnections, friendships,or animosities -- mustnevercolorthedecision."

"So,ascommander,you'dhave no problemsacrificing a closepersonal friend orconnection to the successoftheop?"

His color came up. Andthetremorshehadnoticedin his hand becamemorepronounced. "'Sacrificing,' LieutenantDallas? A poor choice ofwords. Cops aren't lambsbeing sent to slaughter.Not passive sacrifices tothe greater good, but

active, dedicated soldiersinthefightforjustice."

"Soldiers are sacrificed inbattle.Acceptablelosses."

"No loss is acceptable."His bunched fist poundedthe podium. "Necessary,but not acceptable. Everymanwhohasfallenunder

my command weighs onme. Every child leftwithout a father is myresponsibility. Commandrequires this, and that thecommander be strongenough to bear theburden."

"And does command, inyour opinion, require

restitution for thoselosses?"

"It does, Lieutenant.Thereisnojusticewithoutpayment."

"For the children of thefallen? And for thechildren of those whoescaped the hand of

justice?Inyouropinion."

"Blood speaks to blood."His voice began to rise,and to tremble. "If youweremoreconcernedwithjusticethanwithyourownpersonal choices, youwouldn't need to ask thequestion."

"Justice is my concern,Commander. It appearswe have differentdefinitionsoftheterm.Doyou think yourgoddaughter was the bestchoice for this operation?Does her death weigh onyou now, or does itbalancetheotherlosses?"

"You're not fit to speakher name.You'vewhoredyour badge. You're adisgrace.Don't thinkyourhusband's money orthreats will stopme fromusing all my influence tohave that badge takenfromyou."

"I don't stand behind

Roarke anymore than hestands behind me." Shekept talking as Hayessteppedforwardandlaidahand on Skinner'sshoulder."Idon'tstandonyesterday's business. Twopeople are dead here andnow. That's my priority,Commander. Justice forthemismyconcern."

Hayes stepped in front ofSkinner. "The seminar isover.CommanderSkinnerthanks you for attendingand regrets LieutenantDallas's disruption of thequestion-and-answerperiod."

Peopleshuffled,rose.Eve

saw Skinner leaving,flankedbythetwoguards.

"Ask me," someonecommented near her,"these seminars couldusemore fuckingdisruptions."

Shemadeherwaytowardthefrontandcameup toe

totoewithHayes.

"I've got two morequestions for thecommander."

"Isaidtheseminar'sover.Andso'syourlittleshow."

Shefeltthecrowdmillingaroundthem,someedging

close enough to hear."You see, that's funny. Ithought I came in on theshow. Does he run it,Hayes,ordoyou?"

"CommanderSkinner is agreat man. Great menoftenneedprotectionfromwhores."

A cop moved in, pokedHayes on the shoulder."You're gonna want towatch the name-calling,man."

"Thanks." Eveacknowledged himwith anod."I'vegotit."

"Don't like play cops

calling a badge awhore."He stepped back, but hehovered.

"While you're protectingthe great man," Evecontinued, "you mightwant to remember thattwo of his front-linesoldiers are in themorgue."

"Is that a threat,Lieutenant?"

"Hell, no. It's a fact,Hayes. Just like it's a factthat both of them hadfathers who died underSkinner'scommand.Whataboutyourfather?"

Furious color slashedacross his cheekbones."Youknownothingofmyfather, and you have norighttospeakofhim."

"Just giving yousomething to think about.For some reason Iget thefeeling that I'm moreinterested in finding out

who put those bodies inthe morgue than you oryour great man. Andbecause I am, I will findout -- before this showbreaks down and moveson.Thatone'sapromise."

CHAPTERNINE

If she couldn't get toSkinner, Eve thought,she'd get to Skinner'swife. And if Angelo andPeabody hadn't softenedand soothed enough, thatwas too fucking bad.Damned if shewasgoingto tiptoe around weepywomen and dying men,thenhave to turn thecase

over to the interplanetaryboys.

It was her case, and shemeanttocloseit.

Sheknew thatpart ofheranger and urgencystemmed from theinformation Roarke hadgivenher.Hisfather,hers,

Skinner, and a team ofdead cops. Skinner wasright about one thing, shethoughtas sheheaded forhis suite. Blood spoke toblood.

Thebloodofthedeadhadalwaysspokentoher.

Her father and Roarke's

had both met a violentend. That was all thejustice she could offer tothe badges lost so manyyears before. But therewere two bodies in coldboxes. For those,whatever they'ddone, shewouldstand.

She knocked, waited

impatiently. ItwasDarciawho opened the door andsent Eve an apologeticlittlewince.

"She's a mess," Darciawhispered."Mira'spattingher hand, letting her cryover her goddaughter. It'sagoodfoundation,butwehaven'tbeenable tobuild

onityet."

"Any objections to megiving the foundation ashake?"

Darciastudiedher,pursedher lips. "We can try itthat way, but I wouldn'tshake too hard. Sheshatters, we're back to

squareonewithher."

With a nod, Eve steppedin. Mira was on the sofawith Belle, and wasindeed holding her hand.A teapot, cups, andcountless tissues litteredthetableinfrontof them.Belle was weeping softlyintoafreshone.

"Mrs. Skinner, I'm sorryforyourloss."Evesatinachair by the sofa, leanedinto the intimacy. Shekept her voice quiet,sympathetic, and waiteduntil Belle lifted swollen,red-rimmedeyestohers.

"How can you speak of

her? Your husband'sresponsible."

"My husband and I werenearlyblowntobitsbyanexplosive device on ZitaVinter'sapartmentdoor.Adevice set by her killer.Followthedots."

"Who else had cause to

killZita?"

"That's what we want tofind out. She sabotagedthe security cameras thenight Weeks wasmurdered."

"I don't believe that."Belleballedthetissueintoherfist."Zitawouldnever

beaparty tomurder.Shewas a lovely youngwoman. Caring andcapable."

"And devoted to yourhusband."

"Why shouldn't she be?"Belle's voice rose as shegot to her feet. "He

steppedinwhenherfatherdied. Gave her his timeandattention,helpedwithher education. He'd havedoneanythingforher."

"Andsheforhim?"

Belle's lips quivered, andshesatagain,asifherlegsquivered as well. "She

wouldneverbeaparty tomurder. He would neveraskitofher."

"Maybe she didn't know.Maybeshewasjustaskedto deal with the camerasand nothing else. Mrs.Skinner, your husband'sdying." Eve saw Bellejerk, shudder. "Hedoesn't

have much time left, andthe loss of his men ispreying on him as heprepares for death. Canyou sit there and tell mehis behavior over the lastseveral months has beenrational?"

"I won't discuss myhusband's condition with

you."

"Mrs. Skinner, do youbelieve Roarke'sresponsible for somethinghis father did?SomethingthismandidwhenRoarkewas a child, threethousandmilesaway?"

She watched tears swim

into Belle's eyes again,and leaned in. Pressed."The man used to beatRoarke half to death forsport.Do you knowwhatit feels like tobehitwithfists, or a stick, orwhatever the hell's handy--andbythepersonwho'ssupposed to take care ofyou? By law, by simple

morality. Do you knowwhatit'sliketobebloodyand bruised and helplesstofightback?"

"No." The tears spilledover."No."

"Does that child have topayfor theviciousnessoftheman?"

"The sins of the fathers,"Bellebegan,thenstopped."No."Wearily, shewipedher wet cheeks. "No,Lieutenant,Idon'tbelievethat. But I know what ithas cost my husband,what happened before,what was lost. I knowhow it's haunted him --

this good, goodman, thishonorable man who hasdedicated his life to hisbadge and everything itstandsfor."

"He can't exorcise hisghosts by destroying thesonofthemanwhomadethem. You know that,too."

"He would never harmZita, orReggie.He lovedthem as if they were hisown.But..."SheturnedtoMira again, gripped herhandsfiercely."He'ssoill-- in body,mind, spirit. Idon't know how to helphim. I don't know howlongIcanstandwatching

him die in stages. I'mprepared to let him gobecause the pain --sometimesit'ssohorrible.And he won't let me in.He won't share the bedwith me, or his thoughts,his fears. It's as if he'sdivorcingme,bitbybit. Ican'tstopit."

"For some, death is asolitary act," Mira saidgently. "Intimate andprivate. It's hard to lovesomeone and stand asidewhile they take thosestepsalone."

"He agreed to apply forself-termination for me."Belle sighed. "He doesn't

believeinit.Hebelievesaman should stand up towhatever he's handed andsee it through. I'm afraidhe's not thinking clearlyany longer. There aremoments..."

Shesteadiedherbreathingand looked back at Eve."There are rages, swings

of mood. The medicationmay be partiallyresponsible. He's nevershared the jobwithme toany great extent. But Iknow that for monthsnow, perhaps longer,Roarkehasbeenakindofobsessiontohim.Ashaveyou. You chose the deviloverduty."

She closed her eyes amoment. "I'm a cop'swife,Lieutenant.Ibelieveinthatduty,andIseeitalloveryou.Hewouldseeit,too, if heweren't so ill. Isweartoyouhedidn'tkillReggie or Zita. But theymay have been killed forhim."

"Belle." Mira offered heranother tissue. "Youwantto help your husband, toease his pain. TellLieutenant Dallas andChief Angelo what youknow, what you feel. Nooneknowsyourhusband'sheart and mind the wayyoudo."

"It'llshatterhim.Ifhehasto face this, it'll destroyhim. Fathers and sons,"she said softly, thenburied her face in thetissue."Oh,dearGod."

"Hayes." It clicked forEvelikealinkonachain."Hayesdidn'tloseafather

during the bust. He'sCommander Skinner'sson."

"A single indiscretion."TearschokedBelle'svoicewhen she lifted her headagain. "During a bump inayoungmarriage.Andsomuch of it my fault. Myfault," she repeated,

turning her pleading gazetoMira."Iwas impatient,andangry,thatsomuchofhistime,hisenergieswentinto hiswork. I'dmarrieda cop, but I hadn't beenwilling to accept all thatthatmeant -- all it meanttoamanlikeDouglas."

"It isn't easy to share a

marriagewithduty."Mirapoured more tea."Particularlywhendutyiswhat defines the partner.Youwereyoung."

"Yes." Gratitude spilledinto Belle's voice as sheliftedhercup."Youngandselfish, and I've doneeverythinginmypowerto

make up for it since. Iloved him terribly, andwanted all of him. Icouldn't have that, so Ipushed and prodded, thenI steppedaway fromhim.Allornothing.Well.He'sa proud man, and I wasstubborn. We separatedforsixmonths,andduringthat time he turned to

someone else. I can'tblamehimforit."

"And she got pregnant,"Eveprompted.

"Yes. He never kept itfromme.Heneverliedortried to hide it from me.He's an honorable man."Her tone turned fierce

whenshelookedatEve.

"DoesHayesknow?"

"Of course. Of course heknows. Douglas wouldnever shirk hisresponsibilities. Heprovided financialsupport. We worked outan arrangement with the

woman,andsheagreedtoraise the child and keephis paternity private.There was no point, nopoint at all inmaking thematter public andcomplicating Douglas'scareer, shadowing hisreputation."

"So you paid for his...

indiscretion."

"You're a hard woman,aren'tyou,Lieutenant?Nomistakes in your life?Noregrets?"

"Plenty of them. But achild -- a man -- mighthave some problembeingconsidered a mistake. A

regret."

"Douglas has beennothing but kind andgenerous and responsiblewith Bryson. He's givenhimeverything."

Everything except hisname, Eve thought. Howmuch would that matter?

"Didhegivehimorderstokill,Mrs.Skinner?Ordersto frame Roarke formurder?"

"Absolutely not.Absolutely not. ButBryson is... perhaps he'soverly devoted toDouglas. In the pastseveral months, Douglas

has turned to him toooften, and perhaps, whenBryson was growing up,Douglassetstandardsthatwere too high, too harshforayoungboy."

"Hayes would need toprove himself to hisfather."

"Yes. Bryson's hard,Lieutenant. Hard andcold-blooded. You'dunderstand that, I think.Douglas -- he's ill. Andhis moods, his obsessionwith what happened allthose years ago is eatingat him as viciously as hisillness does. I've heardhim rage, as if there's

somethingelseinsidehim.And during the rage hesaid something had to bedone, some paymentmade, whatever the cost.That therewere times thelawhadtomakeroomforblood justice. Death fordeath. IheardhimtalkingwithBryson,monthsago,about this place. That

Roarkehadbuilt iton thebones of martyred cops.That he would never restuntil it, andRoarke,weredestroyed.That ifhediedbefore he could avengethose who were lost, hislegacytohissonwasthatduty."

"Pickhimup."Eveswung

to Darcia. "Have yourpeoplepickHayesup."

"Already on it," Darciaanswered as she switchedonhercommunicator.

"He doesn't know." Bellegotslowlytoherfeet."Orhe's not allowing himselfto know. Douglas is

convinced that Roarke'sresponsible for what'shappenedhere.Convincedhimself thatyou'repartofit, Lieutenant. His mindisn't what it was. He'sdyingbyinches.Thiswillfinishhim.Havepity."

She thought of the dead,and thought of the dying.

"Ask yourself what hewould have done, Mrs.Skinner, if he werestandinginmyplacenow.Dr. Mira will stay withyou."

She headed out withDarcia, waited until theywere well down the hall."Thereshouldbeawayto

separatehimfromSkinnerbefore we bag him. Takehimquietly."

Darcia called for theelevator. "You're someruthless hard-ass, aren'tyou,Dallas?"

"IfSkinnerdidn'tgivehima direct order, there's no

point in smearing himwithHayes,ormakingthearrest while he's around.Christ, he's a dead manalready," she snappedwhenDarciasaidnothing."What's the fucking pointof dragging him into itand destroying half acenturyofservice?"

"None."

"I can request anotherinterview with Skinner,draw him away farenough for you to makethecollar."

"You're giving up thecollar?"Darciaasked inashocked voice as they

steppedontotheelevator.

"Itwasnevermine."

"Thehellitwasn't.ButI'lltake it," Darcia addedcheerfully. "How'd youclick to the relationshipbetween Skinner andHayes?"

"Fathers. The case islousywith them.Yougotone?"

"A father? Doesn'teveryone?"

"Dependsonyourpointofview."Shesteppedoffthecar on the main lobbylevel."I'mgoing to round

up Peabody, give you achance tocoordinateyourteam." She checked herwrist unit. "Fifteenminutes ought to... Well,well. Look who's holdingcourt in the lobbylounge."

Darcia tracked, studiedthegroupcrowdedat two

tables. "Skinner looks tohave recovered hiscomposure."

"The man likes anaudience. It probablypumps him up more thanhismeds.Wecouldplayitthisway.Wegoover,andI apologize for disruptingthe seminar. Distract

Skinner, get him talking.You tellHayesyou'd liketo have a word with himabout Weeks. Don't wantto disturb Skinner withroutine questions andblah, blah. Can you takehimonyourown?"

Darcia gave her a blandstare."Couldyou?"

"Okay, then. Let's do it.Quickandquiet."

Theywerehalfwayacrossthe lobby when Hayesspotted them. Two beatslater,hewasrunning.

"Goddamnit,goddamnit.He's got cop instincts.

Circle that way," Eveordered, then charged thecrowd. She vaulted thesmooth gold rail thatseparatedtheloungefromthelobby.Peopleshouted,spilled back. Glasswarecrashed as a tableoverturned. She caught aglimpse of Hayes as heswung through a door

behindthebar.

She leaped the bar,ignoring the curses of theservers and patrons.Bottles smashed, andtherewasasudden,headyscent of top-grade liquor.Her weapon was in herhand when she hit thedoorwithhershoulder.

The bar kitchen was fullof noise. A cook droidwassprawledonthefloorin the narrow aisle, itshead jerking from thedamage done by the fall.She stumbledover it, andthe blast from Hayes'slasersangoverherhead.

Rather than right herself,she rolled and came upbehind a stainless-steelcabinet.

"Giveitup,Hayes.Whereare you going to go?Thereareinnocentpeoplein here. Drop yourweapon."

"Nobody's innocent." Hefiredagain,andthelineofheat scored across thefloor and finished off thedroid.

"This isn't what yourfather wants. He doesn'twantmoredeadpilingupathisfeet."

"There'snopricetoohighfor duty." A shelf ofdinnerware explodedbeside her, showering herwithshards.

"Screw this." She sent alineof fireoverherhead,rolled to the left. Shecameupweaponfirstandcursed again as she lost

thetargetaroundacorner.

Someone was screaming.Someoneelsewascrying.Keeping low, she set offin pursuit. She turnedtoward the sound ofanother blast and saw afire erupt in a pile oflinens.

"Somebody take care ofthat!" she shouted andturned the next corner.Sawtheexitdoor."Shit!"

He'd blasted the locks,effectively sealing it. Infrustration she rammed it,gave it a couple of solidkicks, and didn't budge itaninch.

Holstering her weapon,she made her way backout the mess and smoke.Without much hope, sheranthroughthelobby,outthemaindoorstoscanthestreets. By the time she'dmade it to the corner,Darciawasheadingback.

"Losthim.Sonofabitch.Hehadablockandahalfon me." Darcia jammedher own weapon home."I'd never have caughthimonfootinthesedamnshoes. I've got an APBout.We'llnetthebastard."

"Fucker smelled thecollar." Furious with

herself, Eve spun in acircle. "I didn't give himenough credit. Heknocked some peoplearound in thebarkitchen.Offed a droid, started afire. He's fast and smartand slick. And he'sgoddamnmean on top ofit."

"We'll net him," Darciarepeated.

"Damnrightwewill."

CHAPTERTEN

"Lieutenant."

Eve winced, turned and

watched Roarke walktoward her. "Guess youheard we had a littleincident."

"I believe I'll just see tosome damage control."Humor cut through theanger on Darcia's face."Excuseme."

"Are you hurt?" RoarkeaskedEve.

"No. But you've got adead droid in the barkitchen. I didn't kill it, incase you're wondering.Therewasalittlefire,too.But I didn't start it. Theceiling damage, that's onme.Andsomeofthe,you

know, breakage andstuff."

"I see." He studied theelegant facade of thehotel."I'msuretheguestsand the staff found it allvery exciting. The oneswho don't sue me shouldenjoy telling the story totheir friends and relations

forquitesometime.SinceI'll be contacting myattorneystoalertthemtoanumber of civil suitsheading ourway, perhapsyou'd take a moment tofillmeinonwhyIhaveadead droid, a number ofhysterical guests,screaming staff, and alittle fire in the bar

kitchen."

"Sure. Why don't weround up Peabody andFeeney,thenIcanjustrunthroughitonce?"

"No, I think I'd like toknownow.Let'sjusthavea bit of awalk."He tookherarm.

"Idon'thavetimeto--"

"Makeit."

He led her around thehotel, through the sidegardens, the patio cafe,woundthroughoneofthepool areas and into aprivate elevator while he

listenedtoherreport.

"So your intentions weretospareSkinner'sfeelingsandreputation."

"Didn't work out, but,yeah, to a point. Hayesmadeusfirstglance."Theminute she was in thesuite, she popped open a

bottle of water, glugged.Until that moment shehadn't realized the smokehad turnedher throat intoa raw desert of thirst."Should've figured it.Nowhe'sinthewind,andthat'sonme,too."

"He won't get off thestation."

"No,hewon'tgetoff.Buthemighttakeitinmindtodo some damage whilehe'sloose.I'llneedtolookat the maps and plats forthe resort. We'll do acomputer analysis,earmark the spots he'd bemost likely to go toground."

"I'lltakecareofthat.Icando it faster," he saidbefore she could object."Youneedashower.Yousmellofsmoke."

Sheliftedherarm,sniffedit. "Yeah, I guess I do.Since you're being sohelpful, tag Peabody and

Feeney, will you? I wantthis manhuntcoordinated."

Toomany places for himto hide." An hour later,Eve scowled at the wallscreens and the locationsthecomputerhadselected."I'mwondering, too, ifhehad some sort of backup

transpoincasethisturnedon him, someone he'sbribed to smuggle himoff-site.Ifhegetsoff thisstation, he could go anyfuckingwhere."

"I can work with Angeloon running that angledown,"Feeneysaid."Andsome e-maneuvering can

bog down anythingscheduledtoleavethesitefor a good twenty-fourhours."

"Good thinking. Keep intouch,okay?"

"Willdo."Heheadedout,rattlingabagofalmonds.

"Roarke knows the sitebest.He'lltakemearoundto the specified locations.We'll split them up withAngelo'steam."

"Do I coordinate fromhere?"Peabodyasked.

"Not exactly. I need youtoworkwithMira.Make

sureSkinner andhiswifestay put and report ifHayes contacts them.Then there's this otherthing."

"Yes, sir." Peabodylookedupfromhermemobook.

"If we don't bag him

tonight, you'll have tocover for me in themorning."

"Coverforyou?"

"I've got the notes andwhatever in here." Evetossed her ppc intoPeabody'slap.

"Notes?" Peabody staredat the littleunit inhorror."Your seminar? Oh, no,sir.Uh-uh.Dallas,I'mnotgivingyourseminar."

"Just think of yourself asbackup," Eve suggested."Roarke?" She walked tothe door and through it,leaving Peabody

sputtering.

"Justhowmuchdon'tyouwant to give that seminartomorrow?" Roarkewondered.

"I don't have to answerthat until I've been giventhe revised Mirandawarning." Eve rolled her

shouldersandwouldhavesworn she felt weightspilling off them."Sometimes things justwork out perfect, don'tthey?"

"Ask Peabody that in themorning."

Witha laugh,shestepped

intotheelevator."Let'sgohunting."

They hit every location,even overlapping intoAngelo'sportion. Itwasalong, tedious, andexacting process. Latershe would think that theoperationhadgivenher amore complete view of

the scope of Roarke's petproject. The hotels,casinos, theaters,restaurants, the shops andbusinesses. The housesandbuildings,thebeachesand parks. The sheersweep of the world he'dcreated was more thanshe'dimagined.

Whileimpressive,itmadethe job at hand next toimpossible.

It was after three in themorningwhenshegaveitup for the night andstumbled to bed. "We'llfind him tomorrow. Hisfaceisoneveryscreenon-site.Theminutehetriesto

buyanysupplies,we'lltaghim. He has to sleep, hehastoeat."

"So do you." In bed,Roarke drew her againsthim. "Turn it off,Lieutenant. Tomorrow'ssoonenough."

"He won't go far." Her

voice thickened withsleep. "Heneeds to finishit and get his father'spraises. Legacies. Bloodylegacies. I spent my liferunningfrommine."

"Iknow."Roarkebrushedthe top of her head withhis lips as she fell intosleep."SohaveI."

This time it was he whodreamed,asherarelydid,of the alleyways ofDublin. Of himself, ayoung boy, too thin,withsharp eyes, nimblefingers, and fast feet. Abellytoooftenempty.

Thesmellofgarbagegone

over, and whiskey gonestale, and the cold of therain that gleefully seepedintobone.

He sawhimself in one ofthose alleyways, staringdown at his father, wholaywiththatgarbagegoneover, and smelled of thatwhiskey gone stale. And

smelled, too, of death --thebloodandtheshitthatspewedoutofamanathislast moments. The knifehadstillbeeninhisthroat,and his eyes -- filmed-over blue -- were openand staring back at theboyhe'dmade.

He remembered, quite

clearly,speaking.

Well now, you bastard,someone's done for ya.And here I thought itwouldbemeonedaywhohadthepleasureofthat.

Without a qualm, he'dcrouched and searchedthrough the pockets for

any coin or items thatmight be pawned ortraded. There'd beennothing, but then again,there never had beenmuch. He'd considered,briefly, taking the knife.But he'd liked the idea ofit where it was toomuchtobother.

He'dstoodthen,attheageof twelve, with bruisesstillfreshandachingfromthelastbeatingthosedeadhandshadgivenhim.

And he'd spat. And he'drun.

Hewasupbeforeshewas,as usual.Eve studiedhim

as she grabbed her firstcup of coffee. It wasbarely seven a.m. "Youlooktired."

Hecontinued tostudy thestock reports on onescreen and the computeranalysis of potentiallocations on another. "DoI? I suppose I could've

sleptbetter."

When she crouched infront of him, laid a handonhis thigh,he lookedather. And sighed. Shecould read him wellenough, he thought, hiscop.

Just as he could read her,

andherworryforhim.

"I wonder," he began,"and I don't care to, whodid me the favor ofsticking thatknife inhim.Someone, I think, whowas part of the cartel.He'd have been paid, yousee,andtherewasnothingin his pockets. Not a

fucking punt or pence onhim, nor in the garbageholewelivedin.Sothey'dhavetakenit,whateverhehadn't already whored ordrank or simply pissedaway."

"Doesitmatterwho?"

"Not so very much, no.

Butitmakesmewonder."He nearly didn't say therest,butsimplyhavingherlisten soothed him. "Hehadmy face. I forget thatmosttimes,rememberthatI'vemademyself,myself.ButChrist,Ihavethelookofhim."

She slid into his lap,

brushedherhandsthroughhishair."Idon'tthinkso."Andkissedhim.

"We've made each otherin the end, haven't we,Darling Eve? Two lostsouls into one steadyunit."

"Guess we have. It's

good."

He stroked his cheekagainst hers, and felt thefatiguewashaway. "Verygood."

She held on anotherminute, then drew back."That's enough sloppystuff.I'vegotworktodo."

"When it's done, whydon'twegetreallysloppy,youandI?"

"I can get behind that."SherosetocontactDarciaand get an update on themanhunt.

"Not a sign of him

anywhere," Eve toldRoarke, then began topace."Feeneytookcareoftranspo.Nothing's left thestation. We've got himboxedin,butit'sabigboxwithlotsofangles.IneedSkinner. Nobody's goingto know him as well asSkinner."

"Hayesishisson,"Roarkereminded her. "Do youthinkhe'dhelpyou?"

"Depends on how muchcop is left in him. Comewith me," she said. "Heneeds to see us both. Heneedstodealwithit."

He looked haggard, Eve

thought.Hisskinwasgrayandpasty.Howmuchwasgrief, how much illness,she didn't know. Thecombination of the two,she imagined, wouldfinishhim.

But,shenoted,he'dputona suit, and he wore hisprecinctpininthelapel.

He brushed aside, withsome impatience, hiswife's attempt to blockEve.

"Stop fussing, Belle.Lieutenant." His gazeskimmedoverRoarke,buthe couldn't make himselfaddress the man. "I want

you to know I'vecontactedmyattorneysonHayes's behalf. I believeyou and Chief Angelohavemadeaseriouserrorinjudgment."

"No, you don't,Commander.You'vebeena cop too long. Iappreciatethedifficultyof

your position, but Hayesistheprimesuspectintwomurders, insabotage, inaconspiracy to implicateRoarke in those murders.He injured bystanderswhile fleeing and causedconsiderable propertydamage.He also firedhisweaponatapoliceofficer.He's currently evading

arrest."

"There'sanexplanation."

"Yes, I believe there is.He'spickeduphisfather'sbanner, Commander, andhe's carrying it where Idon'tthinkyouintendeditto go. You told meyesterday no losses are

acceptable.Didyoumeanit?"

"The pursuit of justiceoften... In the course ofduty, we..." He lookedhelplessly at his wife."Belle, I never meant --Reggie,Zita.HaveIkilledthem?"

"No,no."Shewenttohimquickly,wrappedherarmsaround him. And heseemedtoshrinkintoher."It'snotyourfault.It'snotyourdoing."

"If you want justice forthem, Commander, helpme.Where would he go?Whatwouldhedonext?"

"I don't know. Do youthink I haven't agonizedoveritthroughthenight?"

"He hasn't slept," Belletold her. "He won't takehis pain medication. Heneedstorest."

"I confided in him,"

Skinner continued. "Ishared my thoughts, mybeliefs, my anger. Iwanted him to carry onmy mission. Not thisway."Skinnersank intoachair."Notthisway,butIbeat thepath.Ican'tdenythat.Yourfatherkilledforsport, for money, for thehell of it," he said to

Roarke. "He didn't evenknow the names of thepeople he murdered. Ilook at you and see him.Yougrewoutofhim."

"I did." Roarke nodded."AndeverythingI'vedonesince has been in spite ofhim.Youcan'thatehimasmuch as I can,

Commander. No matterhow hard you try, you'llnever reach my measureof it. But I can't live onthathate.AndI'mdamnedifI'lldieonit.Willyou?"

"I've used it to keep mealive these past months."Skinner looked down athishands."It'sruinedme.

My son is a thoroughman. He'll have a backdoor. Someone insidewho'll help him gainaccess to the hotel. He'llneed it to finish what hestarted."

"AssassinateRoarke?"

"No,Lieutenant.Payment

wouldbedearerthanthat.It's youhe'll aim for."Heliftedahandtoafacethathad gone clammy. "Totake awaywhat his targetcherishesmost."

When he hissed in pain,Eve stepped forward."You need medicalattention, Commander.

You need to be in thehospital."

"No hospitals. No healthcenters. Try to take himalive, Dallas. I want himtogetthehelpheneeds."

"You have to go." Bellestepped in. "He can't takeanymoreofthis."

"I'll sendDr.Mira."Evenas Eve spoke, Skinnerslumpedinthechair.

"He's unconscious."Roarke instinctivelyloosened Skinner's tie."His breathing's veryshallow."

"Don't touchhim!Letme-- " Belle jerked back asher eyes met Roarke's.She took a long, deepbreath. "I'm sorry. Couldyouhelpme,please?Takehim into his bedroom. Ifyou'd call for Dr. Mira,Lieutenant Dallas, I'd begrateful."

"His body's wearingdown," Eve said onceSkinnerwassettled in thebedroom with Mira inattendance. "Maybe it'sbetterallaroundifhegoesbeforewetakeHayes."

"His body was alreadyworn down," Roarkecorrected."Buthe's letgo

ofhisreasontolive."

"There'snothingtodobutleave him to Mira. Thecomputer didn't thinkHayes would come backtothehotel.Skinnerdoes.I'm going with Skinner.Hayes wants me, and heknows Skinner's onborrowed time so he has

to move fast." Shechecked her wrist unit."Looks like I'm going togive that damn seminarafterall."

"And make yourself atarget?"

"With plenty of shield.We'll coordinate your

security people andAngelo's and pluck himlikeagooseifhetriesfora hit here." She startedout, pulling a borrowedcommunicator out of herpocket.

ThendrewherweaponasshesawHayesstepoutofthe stairway door at the

endofthecorridor.

"Stop!"Shepoundedafterhimwhenheduckedbackinto the stairwell. "Get tosecurity!" Eve shouted atRoarke."Trackhim!"

Roarke shoved throughthedooraheadofher.Theweapon in his hand was

illegal. "No. You trackhim."

Sincecursingwasawasteof time, she raced downthe stairs with him."Subject sighted," shecalled through thecommunicator as theystreaked down the stairs."Heading down southeast

stairwell, now betweenfloors twenty-one andtwenty. Moving fast.Consider subject armedanddangerous."

She clicked thecommunicator off beforeshe spoke to Roarke."Don'tkillhim.Don't firethatthingunlessthere'sno

choice."

A blast hit the landingseconds before their feet."Such as now?" Roarkecommented.

ButitwasEvewhofired,leaning over the railingand turning the stepsbelowintorubble.Caught

inmid-stride,Hayes triedtoswingback,boltforthedoor, but his momentumskewedhisbalance.

Hewentdownhardonthesmoking,brokensteps.

And Angelo shovedthrough the door,weapongrippedinbothhands.

"Tryingtotakemycollar,Dallas?"

"All yours." Eve steppeddown, onto the weaponthat had flown out ofHayes's hand. "Twopeople dead. For what?"she askedHayes. "Was itworthit?"

His mouth and his legwerebleeding.Heswipedat the blood on his chinwhilehiseyesburnedintohers. "No. I should'vebeen more direct. Ishould've just blown youto hell right away andwatched the bastard youfuckbleedoveryou.That

would've been wortheverything, knowing he'dlivewith thekindofpainhis father caused. Thecommander could've diedat peace knowing I'dfoundhisjustice.Iwantedtogivehimmore."

"Did you give Weeks orVinter a choice?" Eve

demanded. "Did you tellthem they were going todieforthecause?"

"Command isn't requiredto explain. They honoredtheir fathers, as I honormine. There's no otherchoice."

"You signaled Weeks to

move in on me, and hedidn't have a cluewhat itwas going to cost him.You had Vinter sabotagethecameras,andwhensherealized why, you killedher."

"They were necessarylosses. Justice requirespayment.Youweregoing

to bemy last gift to him.Youinacage,"hesaidtoRoarke."Youinacoffin."HesmiledatEvewhenhesaid it. "Why aren't yougiving your seminar,Lieutenant?Why the hellaren't you where you'rescheduledtobe?"

"Ihadaconflictof..."She

shottoherfeet."Oh,God.Peabody."

She charged through thedoor and out into thecorridor. "What floor?Whatfloor?"

"This way." Roarkegrabbed her hand, pulledher toward the elevator.

"Down to four," he said."We'll head left. Seconddooron the right takesusbehindthestagearea."

"Explosives. He likesexplosives." She draggedout her communicatoragain as she willed theelevator to hurry. "She'sturned hers off. Son of a

bitch! Any officer, anyofficer, clear ConferenceRoom D immediately.Clear the area of allpersonnel. Possibleexplosive device. AlertExplosiveDivision. Clearthatareanow!"

Shewas through thedoorandstreakingtotheleft.

I sent her there, was allshe could think. And Ismirkedaboutit.

Oh,God,please.

Therewasaroaringinherears that was either herown rush of blood, thenoise of the audience, or

the shouted orders toclear.

But she spotted Peabodystanding behind thepodium and leaped thethree steps on the side ofthe stage. Leaped againtheminuteherfeethittheground and, hitting heraidemid-body, shot them

bothintotheairandintoabruised and tangled heaponthefloor.

She sucked in her breath,then lost it again asRoarke landed on top ofher.

Theexplosionrang inherears, sent the floor under

her shaking. She felt themeanheatofitspewoverher like a wave that sentthe three of them rollinginoneball toward the faredgeofthestage.

Debris rained over them,someofitflaming.Dimlyshe heard running feet,shouts, and the sizzling

hissofafire.

Forthesecondtimeintwodays, she was drenchedwiththesprayofoverheadsprinklers.

"Are you all right?"Roarkesaidinherear.

"Yeah, yeah. Peabody."

Coughing, eyes stingingwith smoke, Eve easedback, saw her aide's paleface, glassy eyes. "Youokay?"

"Thinkso."Sheblinked."'Cept you've got twoheads. Dallas, and one ofthem's Roarke's. It's theprettiest. And I think

you'vereallygainedsomeweight." She smiledvaguelyandpassedout.

"Got herself a niceconcussion,"Evedecided,then turned her head soher nose bumpedRoarke's."Youarepretty,though. Now get the helloff me. This is seriously

undignified."

"Absolutely,Lieutenant."

While the med-techstended to Peabody, andthe Explosives Divisioncordoned off the scene,Eve sat outside theconference room anddrank the coffee some

unnamedandbelovedsoulhadhandedher.

She was soaked to theskin, filthy, had a fewcuts, amedleyof bruises.ShefiguredherearsmightstopringingbyChristmas.

Butall inall, shefelt justfine.

"You're going to have afew repairs on this dumpof yours," she toldRoarke.

"Just can't take youanywhere,canI?"

She smiled, then got toher feet as Darcia

approached. "Hayes is incustody. He's waived hisright to attorney. Myopinion, he'll end up in afacility for violentoffenders, mentaldefectives.He'snotgoingtoservetimeinastandardcage. He's warped. If it'sany consolation, he wasvery disappointed to hear

you aren't splattered allover what's left of thatstageinthere."

"Can't always get whatyouwant."

"Hellofawaytoskateoutof giving a workshop,though.Havetohandittoyou."

"Whateverworks."

Sobering, Darcia turned."We beat interplanetarydeadline.Thanks."

"Iwon'tsayanytime."

"I'll have a full report foryour files by the end of

the day," she said toRoarke."Ihopeyournextvisit is less...complicated,"sheadded.

"It was an experiencewatching you in action,Chief Angelo. I'mconfident Olympus is ingoodhands."

"Count on it. You know,Dallas, you look like youcould use a nice resortvacation." She shot outthat brilliant smile. "Seeyouaround."

"She'sgota smartmouth.I'vegottoadmirethat.I'mgoing to check onPeabody,"shebegan,then

stopped when she sawMiracomingtowardher.

"He's gone," Mira saidsimply. "He had time tosay goodbye to his wife,and to askme to tell youthathewaswrong.Blooddoesn't always tell. Iwitnessedthetermination.He left life with courage

anddignity.He askedmeif youwould stand in theway of his departmentalserviceandburial."

"Whatdidyoutellhim?"

"I told him that blooddoesn't always tell.Character does. I'm goingbacktohiswifenow."

"TellherI'msorryforherloss, and that lawenforcement has lost oneofitsgreatheroestoday."

Mira leaned over to kissEve'scheek,smilingwhenEve squirmed. "You haveagoodheart."

"And clear vision,"Roarke added whenMirawalkedaway.

"Clearvision?"

"Toseethroughthedreckand the shadows to thecoreoftheman."

"Nobodygetsthroughlifewithout fucking up. He

gave fifty years to thebadge.Itwasn'tallwhatitshould'vebeen,butitwasfiftyyears.Anyway."Sheshookoff sentiment. "I'vegottocheckonPeabody."

Roarke took her hand,kissed it. "We'll go checkon Peabody. Then we'lltalk about that nice resort

vacation."

Inapig'seye,shethought.She was going home assoonashumanlypossible.The streets of New Yorkwere resort enough forher.

TheEnd

TableofContentsCHAPTERONE