“Antiques?” Louise’s eyebrows lifted in interest. “I know them a little. I think one of my uncles plays golf with Luther’s father, something like that. It’s possible that Celina knows them, socially. Why?”
“Victim worked for them. Domestic.”
“Ah. You’re reaching, Dallas.”
“Yeah, but you never know just what you’ll grab out there.”
“You must be really proud,” Peabody said as they got back into the car.
“Huh?”
“Place like that.” She looked back toward Dochas. “What Roarke’s done here.”
“Yeah. He puts his money where a lot of people can’t even bother to put their mouths.” As Eve started to pull out, Peabody laid a hand on her arm. “What?”
“We’re partners now, right?”
“As you never fail to remind me.”
“We’re friends.”
Dubious, Eve tapped her fingers on the wheel. “Is this going to get sloppy?”
“People have private stuff. They’re entitled. But friends and partners are entitled to unload on friends and partners. You didn’t want to go in there.”
It shouldn’t show, Eve thought. It wasn’t allowed to show. “I went in there.”
“Because you’re aces at doing things you don’t want. Things other people would walk away from. I’m just saying that if something gets over you, you can unload. That’s all. And it wouldn’t go beyond me.”
“You see me doing anything that interferes with the job?”
“No. I only—”
“Some people have personal stuff that can’t be cleared up with a nice little heart-to-heart and ice-cream sundaes.” She whipped away from the curb, cut off a cab, and punched it through a yellow. “That’s why it’s personal.”
“Okay.”
“And if you’re going to sulk because I’m not crying on your shoulder, you can just suck it up.” She swerved down a side street without a thought to destination. “That’s what cops do. They suck it up, do the job, and don’t go around looking for somebody to pat their head and say, ‘There, there.’ I don’t need you to play the understanding friend so I can dump my guts all over the floor for your perusal. So just . . . shit, shit, fuck.”
She yanked the wheel, double-parked and, ignoring the furious blasts of horns, slapped on the On Duty light.
“Out of line. Out of orbit. Way out. None of that was called for. None of it.”
“Forget it.”
“I’m tired,” she said, staring out the windshield. “Beyond protein booster tired. And I’m edgy. And I just can’t get into all the whys of it. I just can’t.”
“It’s okay. Dallas, I’m not sulking. I’m not pushing.”
“No, you’re not.” Hadn’t been, Eve admitted. “And you’re not taking a punch at me, even when I deserve it.”
“You’d hit me back, and you hit harder.”
With a short laugh, Eve rubbed her hands over her face, then made herself shift in the seat, meet Peabody’s gaze. “You’re my partner, and you’re my friend. You’re good in both areas. I’ve got . . . the shrinks would call them issues. I have to deal with them. If you observe something in my behavior that affects an investigation, I expect you to call me on it. Otherwise, I’ve got to ask you, as my partner and my friend, to leave it alone.”
“Okay.”