Obsession in Death (In Death 40)

to hear it, because if she focuses on me, I can deal with it. I can’t protect the next random person if she targets one.”

“I believe she’ll go one of two ways, and I wish I could tell you, with confidence, which. But she’s in that struggle, and I can’t predict which part of her will win. She’ll either move immediately to the next on her list, and in this way prove herself, calm herself. Reconnect with you. Or, she’ll take the turn that was always coming—she’ll have studied and researched. She’ll move on someone close to you. A friend. Her reasoning would be you prefer this person over her, and that’s intolerable. This person hasn’t killed for you, hasn’t devoted themselves to you. She’ll show you how wrong you’ve been by taking this person away from you.”

Every muscle in Eve’s body knotted. “Mavis.”

“I’ve already spoken with her—last night.”

Eve let out a breath, eased back in her chair. “Okay. I’ll follow up.”

“She’s performing at the ball drop, New Year’s Eve. Otherwise, they’d take the baby for a few days in the sun—away. But they’ll be careful. Leonardo’s asked her security, the people she uses when she travels or performs, to come in.”

“Good. More than good. I know her security. Roarke helped her find them.”

“Leonardo will take care of his girls—and I’d say Mavis knows how to take care of herself.” Mira added a smile. “She’s your oldest and closest friend, and a logical target. But you have more friends.”

“You said you and Mr. Mira were on guard.”

“And we’ll stay that way. Nadine?”

“I’ve talked to her, but I will again, tell her as much as I can. And Reo, Charles, and Louise. My partner. Isn’t Peabody another logical target?”

“She would be—and will be eventually. But I think civilians are more likely, at least initially.”

“Because she’s too much a coward to go for a cop.”

“At this point. Trina.”

“Trina’s not a friend. Okay, okay,” she said as Mira cocked a brow at her. “I’ll have Peabody talk to her. If I do she’ll start in on how I need a face and body treatment, or my hair trimmed or some crap, and I don’t have time for her. Jesus, Morris. All of my division—okay, cops there, but Morris isn’t. And there’s, Christ, there’s Crack. But it’s hard to see a coward going up against somebody that big who got his nickname from cracking heads together.

“Still.”

She pushed up. “Too many people. How the hell did there get to be so many of them?”

“You changed your life. You opened your life. And it’s made you a better cop. A steadier person, in my professional opinion. This woman hasn’t done the same. She can’t let go of whatever eats her inside. She may have submerged it for years, coped. And, sadly, I think she believes she opened herself when she reached out to you. After the Swisher investigation.”

“She left me no way to respond.”

“If you’d responded, she couldn’t have imagined that response, and made it her reality. Lieutenant Dallas became Dallas became Eve as her imagination—her wish fantasy—became her reality, and the bond between you was formed.”

Mira set her empty cup aside. “Whichever choice she makes next, it will lead to the ultimate choice, and that’s you. Whether she sees you as enemy or friend at that point won’t matter. Killing you will be as necessary as sunrise to her. A hard choice, perhaps, but one that’s unavoidable. You would understand, be proud of her for it. And when she kills you?”

“She dies, too,” Eve finished.

“Yes, very good. It will have to culminate in the ultimate bond, the epitome of friendship to her. She’ll kill you rather than share you, or rather than live with your failure to her. Then herself as she can’t exist without you.”

“She won’t get to me.”

“She knows your routines, your habits.”

“But not me. Roarke pointed that out. I can switch up routines, and I’ve got an entire division of cops who have my back. And I’m . . .” She thought of Roarke’s word. “Watchful.”

“I’ll trust you will be.” Mira rose, and laid a hand on Eve’s shoulder. “She’s crying for help.”

“She can get help once she’s in a cage.”

“‘I matter,’” Mira repeated. “I wonder if she believes she never really has. Until you.”

Eve studied the names and data her men had passed on, did a probability against the profile, and decided two were worth a personal follow-up.