“It won’t be exact,” she said, grateful. “I’ve got a hit on the first, and it’s not exact. But when I did the run I was only looking for the one style. Now we’ve got two styles, and the potential for others. He’s too careful for an exact match-he might do it that way, but he’d change it after. Wouldn’t leave the scene precisely as he intended to leave the ones he’d make public.”
“Doesn’t want to show off until he’s got it down to a science,” Feeney said with a nod.
“Yeah. Any that were exact, he’d get rid of the bodies. Bury them, dump them. But he’s not a kid. Not twenty. He’s mature, and he didn’t start killing with Wooton. He’s been at this a while.”
“I’ll work both styles, and whatever else you think he might go for.”
“Everybody on my short list, but one I haven’t pinned yet,” she said, thinking of Breen, “travels. The States,Europe especially. They get around, and they get around well. First-class. If he’s on that short list, the world’s been his fucking playground.”
“Send me the files.”
“Thanks. I should tell you, there are some sensitive names on my list. We’ve got a diplomat, a well-known entertainer, a writer making a name for himself, and an asshole entertainment broker who’s hooked up with a top-name actress. There’ve already been complaints of police harassment and blah blah. There’ll be more.”
He grinned. “Now this sounds like fun.” He pushed to his feet, set his empty cup aside, and rubbed his hands together. “Let’s get started.”
– -«»--«»--«»--
Once Feeney left, she organized the files, sent them to his unit in EDD, noted the action in a memo to the commander. She ran another spurt of probabilities, toyed with some simulations, but they were really no more than an exercise to let her mind work.
By the time she was done, the computer and she agreed on a list of prototypes her killer might emulate next.
She eliminated any who had worked with a partner or targeted males. Any who concealed or destroyed the bodies. And highlighted any whose notoriety had outlived them.
She was just beginning to wonder where Peabody was when one of the domestic droids came to her door.
The droids always spooked her. Roarke rarely used them, and she rarely saw them in the house. She would have withstood any manner of hideous torture before admitting she actually preferred the flesh-and-blood Summerset to the automated staff.
“Excuse me for interrupting,LieutenantDallas.”
The droid was female, with a husky voice. The dignified black uniform did nothing to disguise the fact she’d been built to rival a porn star.
Evefigured she didn’t have to be a trained investigator to deduce her amused husband had activated this one purposefully, just so she could compare the big-titted blonde to the bony-assed Summerset.
She’d have to pay him back for this one, eventually.
“What’s the problem?”
“There is a visitor at the gate. AMs.PepperFranklin who wishes to speak with you. Are you available?”
“Sure. She’s saving me a trip. Is she alone?”
“She has arrived in a private car, with driver. But she has no companion.”
Left Fortney at home,Eve thought. “Let her in.”
“Shall I bring her up?”
“No, show her into the-what is it-the front parlor.”
“Would you care for refreshments?”
“I’ll let you know.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant.”
When the droid backed out of the room, Eve drummed her fingers for a moment. She glanced at the door that adjoined her home office with Roarke’s. Probably just as well he was off doing what he did all day. It would keep the social portion of this visit to a minimum.
Deliberately, she strapped on her weapon harness, left the jacket where she’d hung it over the back of her chair. A not-so-subtle way, Eve decided, to let Pepper know she was on the job.
Then she finished off her coffee, sat and hummed for another couple of minutes.
When she went down to the parlor, Pepper was waiting.
The actress was dressed in perfect summer style: a breezy white blouse over a thin blue tank that matched the cropped pants. She’d added heeled sandals that made Eve’s arches ache and had bundled her masses of gilt hair in some complicated up-do.
Eve caught her scent, something cool and floral, as she crossed the room.
“I appreciate you seeing me.” Pepper flashed her professional smile. “And so early in the day.”
“I’m Homicide. My day starts when yours ends.” At Pepper’s blank look, Eve shrugged. “Sorry. Little cop joke. What can I do for you?”
“I take it Roarke’s not home?”
“No. If you want to see him, you might be able to catch him in Midtown.”
“No. No, actually, I’d hoped to catch you alone. Could we sit?”
“Sure.” Eve gestured to a chair, took one of her own.
Pepper rested her hands on the arms of the deep chair, sighed as she scanned the room. “This remains the most incredible home I’ve ever seen. Such wonderful style, but then it would have to be, since it’s Roarke’s.”
“Keeps the rain off.”
Pepper laughed. “It’s been some time since I’ve been here, but I recall a formidable manservant rather than the splashy domestic droid who let me in.”
“Summerset. He’s on vacation. He’ll be back later today.” Unless he’s captured by desperados and held for ransom. Or falls madly in love with a young nudist and moves to Borneo.
“Summerset. Yes, of course.”
“You’re not here to see him either.”
“No.” Pepper nodded. “My motive for coming is a woman-to-woman thing. I know you saw Leo again yesterday. He was very upset by it, feels hounded, and that you have some sort of personal grudge against him.”
“I don’t have a personal grudge against him. Even if he’s a killer, it wouldn’t be personal. It’s my job to hound people.”
“Maybe it is. But the fact is there is a personal connection here. Through me. Through Roarke. I wanted to address that frankly with you.”
“Go ahead,” Eve invited.
Pepper sat a bit straighter in her chair, folded her hands neatly in her lap. “You’re aware, I’m sure, that Roarke and I had a relationship at one time. I can certainly understand how you might feel uncomfortable or irritated by this. But it was several years ago, before he met you. I’d hate for any annoyance or resentment, however understandable it might be, to influence your attitude toward Leo.”
Eve let the silence hang for a moment. “Let me see if I have this straight. You’re wondering if because you and Roarke rolled around naked a few years ago, I’m personally pissed off, and because I’m pissed off about it, I’m giving the guy you’re currently rolling around naked with a rough time.”
Pepper opened her mouth, shut it again, then delicately cleared her throat before speaking. “In a nutshell.”
“Let me ease your mind on this score, Ms. Franklin. If I were to get personally pissed off about every woman Roarke banged, I’d spend my life in a perpetual state of annoyance. You were one of many.” Eve lifted her left hand, tapped her wedding ring with her thumbnail. “I’m the only. You don’t worry me.”
For a moment, Pepper did nothing but stare. Then she blinked, very slowly. And the corners of her mouth twitched. “That’s very… sensible, Lieutenant. And a very clever way to slap me back at the same time.”
“Yeah, I thought so.”
“But, in any case-”
“There is no other case. Roarke and I were grown-ups when we met. What happened before doesn’t mean dick to me. And if I let petty jealousies interfere with or influence my work, I wouldn’t deserve my badge. I deserve my badge.”
“I bet you do,” Pepper replied. “Just as I bet you deserve Roarke, too. He’s the most fascinating man I’ve ever known, just like his house, full of color and style and surprises. But he didn’t love me, and never pretended he did.”