Page 81 of Passions in Death
Since Eve had expected that restraint to break long before now, and had mentally prepared herself for five minutes of house blathering, she shrugged.
“Two minutes. Mark.”
“Okay, all the bathrooms are done, and they’re all absolutely ult. I’m going to live in a space with three-and-a-half bathrooms. I can’t believe it. Most of the lighting’s in and just so mag. There’s still some painting, then touch-up, and the built-ins in the craft room, and punch-out work, but Roarke says next month. We can live there. In September we’ll be in. Mavis and Leonardo’s isn’t quite as far along, because it’s a bigger space. But Roarke still says September.”
“Security-wise, it wouldn’t hurt for you and McNab to move in first.”
“We thought about that, but decided we want to move in all together. Because it’s special, for all of us. We can start moving stuff in though. Like Mavis’s studio is set, and it’s wow, just wow. Same with Leonardo’s workspace, Bella’s playroom’s done, and the nursery is really coming along.
“I packed up and took over all my winter clothes. I have a place to keep off-season clothes!”
Peabody indulged in a quick passenger seat dance.
“And we all have stuff, you know, decor and stuff, stored in the garage just waiting. Plus, a lot of my fabrics, yarn, anything I don’t have a project going with.”
Peabody sighed as Eve pulled into the garage at Central. “Thanks for the two minutes. I just have one more thing.”
“Make it fast.” Eve got out of the car.
“It already feels like home. We don’t have furniture in or a lot of personal items and the pretty things, but it already feels like home. And still, whenever I walk in, I can’t believe it’s real. That it’s really happening. It’s going to be our place. We’ll live there and work there and sleep there and fight there, have sex there.”
“Pee in your three-and-a-half bathrooms.”
“Yes!” Throwing back her head, Peabody laughed. “It’s everything I could want, so it doesn’t seem really real. I’m going to take such good care of it.”
“From what I’ve seen, you already are.”
As the elevator door opened, Peabody’s eyes filled.
“Time’s up!” Eve stepped in. “Any blubbering, you take the stairs.”
“I won’t blubber.” With some visible effort, Peabody blinked the tears back. “But thanks for saying that.”
“Fact’s fact. And murder’s not only murder, but what we’re paid to investigate. Add the fact’s a fact that your paycheck’s why you have boxes of stuff you bought to put all around the house currently stored in the garage.”
“That’s fact. And it’s all perfect! Opening the boxes is going to be like Christmas squared.”
“If you want to keep drawing that paycheck, you’re going to sit your ass in your desk chair and see if Carver’s alibi is as solid as it looks.”
The doors opened; cops piled in.
“Metaphorically, my ass is already there,” Peabody said. “I really think the alibi’s going to hold.”
“Check anyway.” As the elevator continued up, Eve rocked back on her heels. “He’s the type who’d bash somebody’s head in if they pissed him off. In the moment, passion of the moment. It’s hard to see him planning out something that required all the time, thought, risk—cold-blooded. But check anyway.”
The elevator stopped again, and more cops pushed on. Eve started to push out for the glides when Mira stepped in.
“Hey, Dr. Mira.”
“Peabody, good morning. And Eve.”
She looked morning fresh among the uniforms in her white sheath with a short, elbow-length grass-green jacket. The sky-high pumps matched the jacket.
“Do you have any time free for a quick consult?” Eve asked. Mira time, she decided, might add more benefit than thinking time.
Mira glanced at her wrist unit. “As a matter of fact, I have some right now. I’ll ride up to your office with you. How’s the house coming, Peabody?”
“Oh, I was just telling Dallas.” And Peabody told Mira, in detail.
