Page 145 of Passions in Death
“And if Shauna—whom he’d consider part of his world—won’t do what’s best for her, won’t live as he believes she should and must, well then, he’ll simply remove the impediment. And she’ll need to deal with the results of her poor choices, won’t she? A dead love, a broken dream, a slap in the face.”
Sipping her beer, Eve smiled at him. “It’s nice eating fish and chips with someone who sees it like I do.”
“I can certainly see why you don’t like him on a personal level, and I can see why you do like him as Albright’s killer. Why don’t you help me see how you intend to get him into the box, then into a cage?”
“I can do that. Why don’t we deal with these dishes, then I’ll do that while we take a walk.”
Now he reached for her hand. “Darling Eve. Are you making time for me?”
“For us. A few things—not case related. Did you know you’re supposed to marinate ribs?”
“Whose ribs?”
She laughed, and polished off her beer. “The kind you eat smothered in barbecue sauce if you’ve got any sense.”
“In that case, I didn’t, no. Why?”
“Mr. Mira called when I was consulting with Mira. Apparently he fixed a leaky faucet or pipe or something.” Considering him, she frowned. “Could you do that?”
“I could, actually, and have done.”
“Good to know. During their brief conversation, he said he was marinating ribs, and they’d have wine if he could find the corkscrew. You know how he is.”
“I do. Charming and wise.”
“Yeah, he is. She told him where to find it, and it struck me like it did this morning. It’s nice being married. So it’s good to make time when we can.
“Then, as I’m about to leave Central, Baxter tells me he and Trueheart just closed one, and are heading out for a brew. Santiago and Carmichael are finishing up the paperwork on another, and are going to join. Jenkinson and Reineke are waiting for an ME report, and Reineke will meet them because Jenkinson has a family thing. Peabody’s going to see if McNab’s up for it. So they’ll go hang some at the Blue Line, have a brew.”
“You didn’t want to join them?”
“Work on my mind.” She shook her head. “And I just wanted to get home. But it made me think about the idea of Off Duty, and how it’ll be good to have another place. Maybe you want more than a fake burger and a half-decent brew. Maybe you want some music and more variety after closing one, or when you’ve got a hard one and need a break.”
“It’s coming along well.”
“Also good to know.” She rose. “Let’s get this stuff out of the way.”
It felt good, that walk, as the sun slipped lower and some crazed bird sang to oncoming twilight. In the grove, peaches hung like rosy balls just waiting to be plucked.
Roarke did just that, handed it to her.
The first bite, so sweet, so fresh, had her taking another. “God, that’s ridiculous. Nothing should taste that amazing.”
“When I had them planted, years ago, I wanted the look and scent of them. As well as the magic Summerset can make with them. I never imagined walking here with you, enjoying them right off the branch.”
“I sure as hell never saw myself eating a peach, or anything else, right off the tree.” Since she was, she took another bite. “I’d never even seen a peach tree before these. Can you grow one from the seed or whatever it is?”
“I think it’s a pit, and I suppose. How else would they get them?”
“How the hell would I know? Peabody would. We should give her some.”
“Peaches or pits?”
“Well, if we give her some peaches, she’d have both.”
“A fine idea. I’ll see to it. Now. The box and the cage?”
“Barney took something from that apartment. I knew it at the time—nothing I could do about it, but I knew it. I’m more sure of it now. It fits his pattern, his profile.”
