Delusion in Death (In Death 35)

“I was going to say the same about yours. What a terrific color.”

“Could we not talk about shoes in the box that still smells of evildoer?”

“You started it,” Reo reminded her before she turned back to Mira. “Do you have time to run through your findings on him? I’ll buy you a drink in the lounge.”

“That sounds good. Eve?”

“I’m going to deal with the paperwork.”

She stepped out behind them, spotted Roarke with her commander.

“Sir.”

“Good work, Lieutenant. Excellent work.”

“Thank you, sir. We had a good team who put a lot of hours into it, a lot of skill.”

“Agreed. I’ll be addressing the team. We’ll be making an announcement to the media, holding a brief conference within the hour. You’ll need to be there.” He smiled at her, and for the first time in days, with a light in his eyes. “I realize that feels like punishment, but it’s important we inform the public, and you attend.”

“Yes, sir.”

“After which I suggest you go home and enjoy your evening. I’m going to.”

“I wonder if he means he’s going to have so much sex,” Roarke comm

ented when Whitney was out of earshot.

“Please. Don’t put that image in my head. I need to see what you brought back from Callaway’s.”

“Secured in your office, except for the electronics. Feeney’s got them in EDD. I wanted to watch you work this one, so I came down for a bit. But I’ll go back, give him some time. The bastard’s encrypted everything. It’s not overly complicated, but it’s going to take a little time to get all his notes and so on.”

“Everything we can get adds to it, but I don’t think there’s a hurry. Still, I guess I’m going to be a couple hours.”

“Just let me know when you’re ready to go. And we’ll enjoy our evening.”

“I cracked that code,” she said as she split off to her office.

20

She stopped in the bullpen to speak to Sanchez and Carmichael. “Nice job before, on the grief-giving. You could be in vids.”

Sanchez pinned her with a pointed stare. “Did you think I was acting?”

She only lifted her eyebrows, pinned him in turn. “That or asking for a thirty-day rip.”

Carmichael snorted. “Told you not to try it. The LT always wins, Sanchez. It’s why she’s the LT.”

“Well, hell.” With a grin, Sanchez shrugged it off. “Is he down?”

“Down and out. You can pass cases back to the others, just let me know who’s on the board.”

“Can we give Baxter the bloater, cooking in his cat-infested apartment for eight days? I owe him some payback.”

“Fine with me.”

“Then it’s all worth it.”

She left them for her office. Yeah, the new guy not only slid right in, she thought. He fit like he’d been there for years.