Eve held up her badge, and the warrant. «Dallas, Lieutenant Eve. NYPSD, along with Peabody and McNab, Detectives, and Reo, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney. We have a warrant authorizing us to enter and to search these premises. Inform Dr. Icove or a member of the household staff. If we're not given entry voluntarily within five minutes, we will take other appropriate measures.»
One moment, please, while your identification and documents are scanned and authenticated.
«Go ahead. Clock's ticking.»
A pale green light washed over her badge and the seal of the warrant. A minute dribbled by while the security unit hummed.
Your identification and documents have been authenticated. One moment, please, while the main household droid is activated. Dr. Icove has not yet acknowledged this inquiry.
Interesting, Eve thought. «Record on, Peabody,» she ordered, and engaged her own as well.
Three of the five minutes elapsed before the security light blinked to green. The door was opened by the same tidy female droid Eve had seen on her prior visit.
«Lieutenant Dallas, I'm sorry you were kept waiting. I was not on active service.» She stepped back, politely. «Dr. Icove is upstairs in his office. I'm afraid I was ordered not to disturb him prior to being deactivated for the evening.»
«That's okay. I wasn't.»
«But…« As Eve turned toward the stairs, the droid clutched her hands together. «Dr. Icove is very particular about not being disturbed when he's in his office. If you must speak to him, I wonder if you might go through household communications first.» She gestured toward a Household scanner and 'link, similar to the ones Eve had at home.
«Reo, go that route. McNab, check security. Peabody, with me.» Eve continued up the stairs
«Reo put the eye on him,» Peabody muttered as they reached the second floor.
«What?»
«On McNab. She put the juicy eye on him. And she better make sure that's all she puts on him, or I'll have to kick her tiny Southern ass.»
«Maybe you could make some pretense about actually being on duty,» Eve suggested. «Just for the frigging record.»
«Just saying.» She glanced around as they turned toward the third-floor stairway. «Big place. Nice colors, pretty art. Quiet.»
«Wife and kids are supposedly tucked into their summer house. I'd imagine his office is soundproofed. Deactivates his household droid for the night, puts a no-pass on his security. Yeah, he's serious about not being disturbed.»
The third floor had been reconfigured into three rooms. She noted the play area—kid world—with high-end arcade games, entertainment screen, lounging chairs, snack bar. Beside it was an area more adult, and more female by Eve's gauge. A kind of woman's sitting room/office done in pastels with arches and curves.
Across from it, a door was closed. Assuming soundproofing, she didn't knock, but pressed the intercom button. «Dr. Icove, this is Lieutenant Dallas. I'm accompanied by two detectives and an assistant prosecuting attorney. We've entered the residence with a warrant to search. You are legally obligated to open this door and cooperate.»
She waited a beat, heard no response. «Should you refuse to cooperate, we are authorized to bypass the locks and enter. You may contact your attorney or representative for verification. You may request that your attorney or representative be present to supervise said search.»
«Silent treatment,» Peabody commented after a moment.
«Let the record show that Dr. Icove has been informed and has refused to respond verbally. We are entering without his acknowledgment.»
Eve dug out her master, slid it through the standard interior lock.
«Dr. Icove, this is the police. We're coming in.»
She opened the door.
The first thing she heard was music, the soft, mindless mush often played in elevators or on 'link holds. The desk stood in front of a trio of windows. If he'd been working there, there was no sign. A door to the left opened into what she could see was a bath. Beside the door was a mood screen, set on a soft, mindless mush of colors to match the music.
There was art, and books, family photographs, what she assumed were awards, diplomas.
The privacy screens were engaged on the glass, the lights were on low, and the room was comfortably warm.
A sitting area was stylishly arranged in the right front corner. Or the table were a glossy black thermal pot, a plate of fruit and cheese, an oversized white cup and saucer, and a pale green cloth napkin.
On a long merlot-colored sofa, its leather as rich as her coat, lay Wilfred B. Icove, Jr. His feet were bare, and a pair of black slippers were neatly tucked at the end of the sofa. He wore dark gray lounging pants and a pullover in a lighter tone.
The heart blood stained the sweater, and the handle of the scalpel gleamed silver in the light.
«Field kits,» Eve snapped out to Peabody. «Call it in. Have McNab seal up and hit the security discs right now. Seal the house.»
«Yes, sir.»
«Son of a bitch,» Eve said softly when she was alone. «Son of a bitch. Victim visually identified by investigating officer is Icove Jr., Dr. Wilfred B. Victim is DOS, visual determination. Until investigators are sealed, the body will not be examined, nor will the room be entered to avoid contamination of scene. What appears to be a medical scalpel, of similar or same type used in the case of Icove Sr., has been inserted in victim's chest. It's heart blood. As seen on record, victim is in a reclining position on a sofa in his home office. The door to the office was secured, lights were on low setting, privacy screens on all windows engaged.»
She held up a hand as she heard footsteps—high heels. «APA Reo approaching scene. No entry, Reo. We seal up first.»
«What's happened? Peabody said Icove's dead. I don't—«
She broke off, looking around Eve into the room. Her eyes tracked, from the bath, across the room, to the sofa.
Then they rolled back in her head as she made a small sound, like a balloon deflating. Eve moved quickly enough to break her fall, then left the APA sprawled unconscious in the hallway to continue the oral portion of her incident report.
«Entry to residence was gained through entry and search warrant. Single household droid was reactivated by automated security system. Crime scene shows no sign of forced entry, no sign of struggle.»
Eve held her hand out for her field kit when Peabody came back. Her partner stepped over the APA. «What happened to her?»
«Fainted. Do what you can.»
«I guess Southern types are delicate.»
Eve sealed up, then carried her kit inside. For form, she checked for vitals, found none. «DOS, confirmed.» She scanned his prints. «Identification confirmed. Peabody, do a sweep through the house, but secure the droid first.»
«I already secured the droid. I'll do the sweep once I wake up Sleeping Beauty. He go out the same way as his father?»
«Looks that way.» She took the body temperature, worked the gauge. «He's been dead less than two hours. Goddamn it.»
Eve straightened, studied the angle of the body, the angle of the weapon. «In close again. He's lying down. He's deactivated the droid— leaving it and the house security programmed for do-not-disturb. But he's lying here and he doesn't worry about somebody coming in, leaning over him. Tranqs maybe. We'll check the tox screen. But I don't think so. I don't think so. He knew her. He wasn't afraid of her. He didn't fear for his life when she came into the room.»
She stepped back to the doorway to see it in her head. Reo was sitting up now, her head in her hands. Peabody stood by, smirking.
«The sweep, Detective.»
«Yes, sir. Simply making certain the civilian is all right.»
«I'm okay, I'm okay. Just a little shaken up.» She waved a hand in Peabody's direction. «Go ahead. I've never seen a body before,» she said to Eve. «Images, photographs. But I've never walked in on a real one It just took me by surprise.»