Page 149 of Passions in Death
“Exactly. This, the weapon, the clothes, the woman in charge? For his type, there’ll be some confusion along with the intimidation. He won’t like you and Peabody being in control. He manages people, and he’s superior to women.”
She considered as she ate. “Okay, those are solid points. And you’ve made it so fricking complicated I’m going to say you pick it all out. Which was your plan anyway.”
“Consider it my contribution to helping him into a cage. I was there at the crime scene, Eve, and saw her in the room where you once were.”
He settled on a jacket in a strong sharp blue and a vest in something like dark copper—but thankfully not shiny. The pants matched the jacket, but had a stripe of that something like dark copper down the sides.
And somehow she had a pair of boots in the same tone. He added a collared shirt in white. She studied herself in the shirt and vest and weapon, and decided, as usual, he’d been right.
“Take the diamond out.”
When she did, she nodded. Okay, it made a statement, and a contrast. But she tucked it away again. “Maybe in the box, just for a few seconds.”
“It’s all you’ll need.” He rose when she swung the jacket on. He pulled her in and kissed her. “He doesn’t stand a chance against you. But take care of my cop in any case.” He patted her hip where he’d discovered a bruise the night before. “And watch out for piss-soaked junkies.”
“You can bank on that one.” She cupped his face, looked in his eyes. “Take care of my gazillionaire.”
“I will. Don’t worry.”
She wouldn’t—or not too much, she thought as she started downstairs. She just found it… disconcerting when he lost his balance. But he’d found it again, so she wouldn’t worry too much.
And she was about to take what she was determined would be the last steps in bringing down a killer.
She worked on her strategy—first in dealing with Shauna Hunnicut—on the way downtown. She could leave any needed softening and stroking on that to Peabody. And the push she’d handle herself.
In the garage, she took the elevator halfway up before escaping the chaos of change of shift for the glides.
Since she’d beaten her squad in, she went straight to her office, then tagged Peabody.
ETA to Central?
Just got here, waiting for elevator.
My office as soon as you get here.
Knowing the elevator, Eve waited a couple of minutes before programming coffee. When she heard Peabody’s clump, she sat. Then pointed to the mug of coffee and to the visitor’s chair.
“Sit. I’ll fill you in and tell you how I think it’s going to go. It’s going to be jewelry,” she began as Peabody snagged the mug.
“You think he took some jewelry from the apartment?”
“Yeah, and here’s why.”
Chapter Twenty-two
When Shauna opened the door of Angie Decker’s apartment, she looked like someone recovering from a long, enervating illness. She stared at Eve with hope sparking in her deeply shadowed eyes.
“We don’t have anything to report yet, and we’re sorry to intrude. Could we have a minute?”
“Sure. Of course.”
The apartment smelled of flowers—some of which, Eve noted, had been at the memorial. And the apartment felt empty but for the three of them.
“Is Ms. Decker here?”
“No. She had to go to work. People have to start living their lives again.” She gestured toward a tablet on the table. “I’m starting an apartment search—trying to because it’s hard to imagine…”
Tears swirled. Shauna pressed the heels of her hands against them as if to push them back. She won the struggle, dropped her hands.
