Golden in Death (In Death 50)

“Teesha, I want Kyle Jenner from legal here asap.” Grange slammed the door. “How dare you?”

“It’s really easy. It’s called doing my job.”

“It’s just we were given information,” Peabody began, pulling off intimidated like a champ. “And we have to follow up.”

“Gossip isn’t information.”

“Statements given to investigating police officers aren’t gossip,” Eve corrected. “Are you going to deny you engaged in sexual relationships outside your marriage to Mr. Greenwald? Think first,” Eve warned, “as we have statements from Mr. Greenwald as well as others regarding this. It was part of Mr. Greenwald’s statement,” Eve continued, “that your marriage included a mutual agreement that either or both of you could engage in sexual relationships outside the marriage as long as you maintained discretion. Do you dispute that?”

“I do not. Why would I?” Haughty, not bothering to hide contempt, Grange took her seat again.

“A few months before you left Gold, your ex-husband received compromising photographs of you with an unknown … partner. Which shoots discretion all to hell. In addition, you were engaged in sexual activities with a teacher at Gold, inside the school, when another teacher walked in. Oops.”

“I was fending off an advance, and the incident was misinterpreted.”

“Fine. I need names.”

Now Grange sat back, sent Eve a look simmering with that contempt, and with smugness. “If you can recall the name of everyone you’ve had a sexual encounter with, I’m sorry for you.”

“If you judge your worth by the number of people who’ve banged you, I’m sorry for you. But I don’t need all the names. Start with the name of the teacher—the one you were ‘fending off.’ I’m sure you remember that name, just as you remember the name of the one who walked in.”

She let out a sigh. “It was a misunderstanding on the part of both instructors. The first who misread my interest in his work as something more personal, and the second who jumped to erroneous conclusions.”

“Names.”

“Van Pierson who taught history, middle grades. I believe he resigned shortly after I left. I’m afraid I don’t know where he went or his position or location at this time. Wyatt Yin, who was young, excitable, and problematic. I believe I heard he decided the rigors of private education weren’t for him after all, and opted to move into public education.”

“Decided that all on his own?”

“That is my recollection. Now, if that’s all.”

“Any other names you can remember? A discarded lover often looks fo

r payback.”

“If you’re intimating I’m in some sort of jeopardy—”

“I’m intimating nothing. I’m saying, very clearly, two people are dead, loved ones of two people some might see as responsible for you leaving Gold and New York—and this lover. We’ve concluded that these murders spring from that.”

“You conclude? Really?” Grange recrossed her legs, twisted her lips into a sneer. “You conclude I’m somehow indirectly responsible for two murders because I exercise my sexual freedom? I take considerable issue with your conclusions, and the hypotheses upon which they’re based. I left Gold eight years ago, cut all ties with the school, with New York. And you, somehow, believe that after eight years someone I may have slept with is punishing those who disagreed with my administrative methods.”

Eve let the silence hang a moment. “In a nutshell.”

On a look—very deliberate—of smug pity, Grange brushed at a wave of her hair. “You had a state-based education, correct, Lieutenant?”

“I did.”

“Then you had, sadly, a bare-bones, limited education. It’s an unfortunate foundation for true critical thinking.”

“You think?” Eve said mildly.

“One rarely finds the brightest minds with such an educational disadvantage. And you, Detective? You were raised and educated by Free-Agers?”

“That’s right.”

“A pity, and a shame your parents didn’t afford you a real education. Being raised in the foster system didn’t allow Lieutenant Dallas much choice regarding her limitations, but your parents, Detective? How foolish and selfish of them to put their own odd lifestyle ahead of the welfare of their children. Still, considering your disadvantages, I suppose you’ve both made the best possible career choice by becoming police officers.”

Eve started to speak, but Peabody jumped to her feet.