“The Groom. Back again. I was a groom once.”
“So I hear.” She stepped closer to the bed. She couldn’t insist he remove the breather, and with that and the poor light, his features were difficult to distinguish. But she saw his hair was white, his face round. She would have said somewhat doughy-and thought: steroids. “You’re aware she was killed in the same way Anise Waters, who worked for you, was killed nine years ago.”
“Nine years. A fingersnap of time, or a life sentence. Depends, doesn’t it?”
“Time’s relative?” she asked, watching those eyes.
“Time’s a son of a bitch. You’ll find out.”
“Eventually.”
“You cops looked me over nine years ago. Now you’re back to do the same? Well, take a look.”
“When’s the last time you were out of bed?”
“I can get up whenever I damn well please.” There was frustrated insult in his voice as he shifted to sit up straighter. “Can’t get very far, but I can damn well get up. You thinking I got up and killed that girl. Grabbed myself a couple others?”
“You’re well informed, Mr. Pella.”
“What the hell else do I have to do all damn day but watch the screen.” He jerked his chin toward the one on the wall opposite the bed. “I know who you are. Roarke’s cop.”
“Is that a problem for you?”
He grinned, his teeth showing through the breather.
“How about him.” Eve pulled out the sketch. “Do you know who he is?”
He glanced toward the sketch in a way that told Eve he was ready to dismiss it all. Then she saw something come into his eyes, saw something pass in and out in that beat where he really looked at the face. “Who is he?”
“Guy who likes to kill women, be my guess.” That hard resistance was back on his face, the screw you expression. “From where I’m sitting, that would be your problem, not mine.”
“I can do a lot to make it your problem, too. Do you like brunettes, Mr. Pella?”
“I don’t have time for women. They don’t listen to you. Die on you.”
“You served on the Home Force during the Urbans.”
“Killed men, women, too. But they called it heroic. She was busy saving lives when they killed her. Somebody probably said that was heroic. None of it was. Killing’s killing, and you never get it out of your head.”
“Did you identify her body?”
“I’m not talking about that anymore. You don’t talk about Therese anymore.”
“Are you dying, Mr. Pella?”
“Everyone’s dying.” He grinned again. “Some of us are just closer to finishing it than others.”
“What’s finishing you?”
“Tumor. Beat it back, been beating it back for ten years. This time they say it’s going to beat me. We’ll see about that.”
“Any objection to my partner and me looking around while we’re here?”
“You want to run tame in my house?” He pushed himself up a little. “This isn’t the Urbans, Roarke’s Cop, where your kind can do as they damn please. And this is still the United States of goddamn America. You want to search my house? You get a warrant. Now get out.”
E ve stood outside, hands on hips, studying Pella’s house. In moments she saw the bedroom drapes twitch, then quickly settle.
“Tough son of a bitch,” Eve commented.
“Yeah, but is he tough enough?”
“I bet he is. If killing’s what he wanted, killing’s what he’d do. There’s the groom angle, the lost love. Why should these women live, be happy, young, when he lost his wife? Soldier during the Urbans. Knows how to kill, and he strikes me as a man with plenty of anger, and a lot of control-when he wants to use it.”
“The sick room, the breather,” Peabody considered. “Could be an act.”
“Could be, but he has to know we could find that out. Of course, if he is dying, that’s just one more check in the plus column. And no judge is going to give us a warrant with what we have to search the home of a dying, bedridden old man.
“Dallas, mute off. Feeney, you copy?”
“Read you.”
“Let’s put a couple of uniforms on this place. Surveillance goggles. Pella doesn’t give me the full buzz, but there’s a minor tingle happening. He knows something about something, and the face in that sketch triggered it.”
“Done.”
“Shadow pick up on any tail?”
“Nada.”
“Yeah, me either. I’m going to drop Peabody by her place, head home myself. I’ll be working from there. Dallas out.”
“Home sweet home?”
“Home where you can start digging up data on Pella’s dead wife. Details, all you can find. I can wrangle clearance to search his medicals. Take a closer look at Dobbins, too.”
“Looks like I’m not getting laid again tonight.”
Eve ignored her. “I’ll take another glance at the currently unavailable Hugh Klok. Guy’s into antiquities and that says travel to me. Let’s see if any of these guys frequents the opera. Roarke can take a closer look at their real estate. Maybe the houses mean something. I want blueprints in any case.”
She pulled away from the curb, hoping to sense someone watching, someone sliding through the traffic behind her. But all she felt was the crowded streets, and the sluggish push of vehicles that had turned the earlier snow into dismal mush.
17
“LOCKED IN,” EVE SAID WHEN THE GATES OF home closed behind her. “Eyes and ears off. Dallas out.”
No ugly mush and slush here, she thought. The snow spread, pure and pristine, over the grounds, draped heavy as wet fur on the trees so that the great house rose like the powerful focal point of a winter painting. And like a painting, now that the frigid March wind had died, it all stood utterly still.
She left the car, and even moving through winter’s irritable bite, she had the thought that maybe Peabody was right. Maybe spring was edging closer.
As she entered the house Summerset oozed into the foyer with the fat Galahad shadowing him.
“I’m to tell you that Roarke will be somewhat late. It seems he has considerable business of his own to deal with as he’s been spending so much of his time entrenched in yours.”
“His choice, Scarecrow.” She tossed her coat over the newel.
“There’s blood on your pants.”
She glanced down. She’d nearly forgotten the bite. Little thieving bastard. “It’s dry.”
“Then you won’t drip on the floor,” he said equably. “Mavis wishes you to know she wasn’t able to pinpoint the hairpiece, but she and Trina believe they may have narrowed the brand of body cream down to three choices. The information is on your desk.”
Eve climbed two steps, partly because she just wanted to get the hell upstairs, and partly because it allowed her to look down on him. “They’re gone?”
“Since midday. Leonardo returned. I arranged for their transportation home, where Trina will be staying with them until this matter is resolved.”
“Good. Fine.” She went up two more stairs, then stopped. He was a righteous pain in her ass most of the time, but she’d heard the concern in his voice. Whatever his numerous flaws-and don’t get her started-he had a big, gooey soft spot for Mavis.
“They’ve got nothing to worry about,” she said, looking straight into his eyes. “They’re clear of this.”
He only nodded, and Eve continued upstairs. Galahad trotted up after her.
She went to the bedroom, but only glanced at the big, gorgeous bed. If she went down, she knew she’d stay down, and that wasn’t the answer. Instead, she stripped, placing her weapon-and the clutch piece she’d strapped onto her ankle that afternoon-her badge, electronics on the dresser, then pulled on a tank and shorts.
She started to pick at the bandage on her calf, then ordered herself to stop. If she looked at the wound, the stupid thing would start hurting again.
What she needed was a good, strong workout where she could empty her mind and push her body awake.