“You look terrible,” Teresa Lupo croaked.
He stopped and squinted at her, trying to work out what was going on. “I do?”
“No. I just wanted to say it first.”
Then she coughed into a fistful of tissues and stared at him with pink, watery eyes.
“Actually,” he said, “you don’t look bad at all. It’s amazing what drugs can do.”
“Lying cop bastard—” she mumbled.
“Ah, ah, ah. You’re feverish. You have to try to keep the temperature down.”
“I ought to be in bed feeling sorry for myself. But then that asshole Falcone did the worst thing. Unbelievable.” She looked hurt for a moment. “He apologized. Can you believe that?”
Costa thought about this. “No. Do you have it on tape?”
“I wish. I doubt I shall hear its like again.”
“I doubt any of us will. So what are you doing?”
“Oh, just came in to fill in an expense form. Pick up my mail. Scratch my ass. Doesn’t seem much for the likes of me to do around here. Or did I get that wrong?”
“Teresa—” he said, and took a step towards her.
“Don’t stand too close. Germs. If I start infecting his men he’ll just get mad at me again.”
“Are you OK?”
“No.” She shrugged. “But I’m back to being as mad as I was before. I’m sorry, Nic. I don’t know what came over me. It was the thought of that poor kid being out there somewhere, abandoned, all because of me. And with you guys thinking about nothing but the lovely Barbara. Having people try to kill you is somewhat unsettling, I find.”
“I’d go along with that.”
“Of course!” She brightened a little. “Finally, we do have something in common. We could discuss it over dinner. Nightmares we have known.”
“Not till this is over,” he said. “Which it will be. Soon, I hope.”
She nodded towards the room. Officers were steadily filtering through the door. A lot of them. Most of the Questura’s denuded complement by the look of things.
“You have that look about you, I must say. Is it promising?”
He tried to look confident. “I think so.”
She sniffed again and didn’t look too convinced. “That’s good. So what am I supposed to do if you smart-asses have it all wrapped up? Why is boss man practicing his apology routine on me?”
“You could deal with the autopsy queue perhaps. Your deputy looks ready to crack up.”
“Silvio always looks ready to crack up. You have to give these people some room from time to time, Nic. Can’t mother them every waking moment of the day.”
“Point taken. How about this? Take a look at Eleanor Jamieson. See if there’s any DNA we can use.”
Her pink eyes grew bigger. “DNA? As I keep pointing out to people around here, she’s been in a peat swamp for sixteen years. What do you think I am? A miracle worker?”
“Yeah. That’s what Falcone wants anyway. And while you’re at it, we’d really love to know who Kirk phoned while he had you locked in that office.”
She put a finger to her cheek. “Oh, let me think now. Can I remember the ring tones? Beep, beep, fucking beep. No, you just lost me there.”
“You asked. I answered. Now I’ve got to go. Bad guys to catch. Missing girls to find.”
She was dabbing at her nose again, looking a little happier for the conversation anyway. “Have you talked to the university woman since I stormed in there? Regina Morrison?”
He shook his head. “Not that I’m aware of. Why should we?”
“Regina was Kirk’s new boss. Somewhere in those files of hers she must have a list of every archaeological dig he’s ever worked on. Him being dead and what, I can’t check this out for sure. But where do you think a man like that would hide someone?”
Costa nodded. “Where did that thought come from?”
“I was putting myself in your shoes. Or at least I was trying to imagine what it was like being a cop.”
Teresa didn’t say it this time but he got the message. They should have thought of it themselves. They would have, if there’d been the time and the people to manage the workload.
“Thanks,” he said, and walked down the corridor, the last man to enter the room.
ADELE NERI DIDN’T BOTHER to put on a jacket when she went outside. Maybe she hadn’t expected to be there long.
“You’re shivering. Here.” Neri shrugged off his overcoat, walked behind her, and placed it on her bare, slim shoulders.
“You’re thoughtful tonight,” she said. “What’s wrong?”
“That tongue of yours is getting too sharp, Adele. It never used to be like that.”
He sat down at the table, making a point of brushing away the crumbs. She joined him there, in the seat directly opposite, looking uncomfortable, looking as if she were struggling to read his mood.
“We’re just at that stage of being married,” she said. “Where some of the sheen’s come off.”
He scowled. It was a lame suggestion. “Is that right? I don’t recall it being like this with anyone else. Not with Mickey’s mother. We were working. Then we weren’t working. Couldn’t keep our hands off each other one moment. Couldn’t stand the sight of each other the next. It doesn’t feel like that now. Not for me. For you… I dunno. You’re young. Tell me, Adele. Does the sight of me turn you on? Thinking about how old I am and that?”
There was a flash of edginess in her bright green eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous, darling. Why would you even think such a thing?”
“Why? Because I’m an ugly old man. Fat too. And you. Look at you. You can’t walk down the street without some kid giving you the eye.”
“Kids never interest me. You know that.”
“And I did interest you?”
“You do.”
“Maybe,” he said with a shrug. “Maybe it’s just the money. I don’t know any longer, Adele. The thing is, we got to spend a little time apart. That’s a practical matter. All this trouble I’ve got. There’s no reason to fuck your life too. It’s none of your business.”
She gave him an acid glance. Maybe she thought he was fishing for sympathy. “I’m your wife. Your problems are my problems. If—”
“No, no, no,” he interrupted. “You don’t need to give me that shit. You don’t have to pretend. We don’t have time. Let me put it another way. I don’t want you involved in what’s going down right now. That’s for selfish reasons too. It’s men’s stuff. We got things to do a woman shouldn’t have to know about. You’d complicate matters.”
He looked at her from across the table and felt no feelings for her. “Maybe some people are going to get hurt. If I have you close it might give the wrong impression. As if you’re part of it or something. Some of these southern families… you’d think the women are running them sometimes. Don’t work like that here. I want you separate from me because I don’t want to have to wonder what that mouth of yours is saying. Understood?”
She bridled at his suggestion. “I wouldn’t talk out of turn.”
“Who knows what anyone would do once those bastards from the DIA come calling? The cops I can deal with. These others—”
He looked at his watch. “The point is I’m going now and I don’t know when I’ll be back. If I’ll be back. We need some time apart.”
She nodded. Neri was unsure whether she was upset or not. “Where will you be?”
He gave her a glassy, dead-eyed look and said nothing.
“How will I contact you, Emilio? I’m your wife.”
He stifled a laugh. “Don’t worry. There’s money in the bank. You can pay bills. Buy stuff. Do whatever you like. Give me a couple of months. Then I’ll be in touch. Maybe we’ll have a second honeymoon. Maybe we’ll be ready for that by then. If you feel otherwise, I’ll call the lawyers. It’d be best to do it friendly if we can.”