Page 89 of Passions in Death
“Fine. Bring it in here.”
“Great. What do you want?”
“Whatever.”
Peabody let out a wistful sigh. “I wish I could think whatever about food. My pants wouldn’t just get loose, they’d fall off.”
“Then, as you tripped over them and bashed your face, I’d have to arrest you for indecent exposure. After I took a vid for the bullpen’s entertainment.”
“I now see the wisdom in my non-whatever attitude regarding food. We’ll have some pasta salad.”
“How do you know my AC stocks pasta salad?”
“Due to my wise attitude toward food.”
“Okay, grab the candy bar while you’re at it.”
“You have candy in the AC? What kind?”
Eve gave her a long look. “Shouldn’t you know that?”
“I regret I did not, but I’m being careful about candy because loose pants.”
“Never mind the candy.”
Eve went back to her notes, but paused when Peabody went out.
Her partner could be the dreaded Candy Thief, but… she was being careful about candy these days. Didn’t mean she didn’t steal the candy bar Eve hid, then reward herself for loose pants.
Right now, there was an empty candy wrapper taped behind the drawing Nixie had given her. A deliberate smack at said Candy Thief.
And the emergency chocolate bar resided at the back of her bottom desk drawer, which took a tool and some work to remove completely.
She should check on that, just in case.
By the time Peabody came back with two servings of pasta salad, Eve was again deep in her notes.
“Really pretty pasta salad. Colorful.”
Eve noted the color came not only from varicolored pasta, but also from vegetables.
Well, she’d said whatever, and she got it.
“The motive’s not money,” she began, and picked up her fork. “It’s not going to be some deep secret, previous crime. It’s sex, passion, jealousy, maybe ego. Some combination of those. Maybe all of them.”
“If that’s right, you could say killing Erin made Shauna the prize.”
“Or killing Erin because you couldn’t have her, now no one can.”
Peabody ate, nodded. “Mean streak. Lopez.”
“Or,” Eve continued, “kill Erin because she took away what you wanted.”
“Torch burning? Barney. I’d lean more there if he wasn’t living with Becca DiNuzio.”
Eve stabbed some pasta. “People get away with affairs right under the noses of spouses, cohabs, lovers. All the damn time. And this isn’t even that.”
“Unless maybe Shauna slipped? Maybe had one more round with the high school hero. Regrets it, tells no one. ‘A terrible mistake,’ she tells Barney. ‘Never going to happen again.’”
