Vendetta in Death (In Death 49)

Bemused, Eve handed Eloise her cup.

“Darla’s so strict about my caffeine intake these days. It’s juice, meds, water, juice, meds, water.” After a roll of her lovely eyes, Eloise sipped the coffee, sighed in pleasure. “That’s what I’m talking about.” She took another sip, then handed the cup back. “Our secret,” she said with those crystal eyes sparkling.

“Sure.”

“She takes such good care of me—too much of her time doing so. I’ve been under the weather recently, and I’m past the age where I just bounce back. Pissed me off, if you want to know the truth.” She sighed again. “Now tell me, what brings New York’s finest to my door today?”

Before Eve could respond, Eloise glanced toward the arch. Age, Eve concluded, hadn’t hurt her hearing. At the sound of footsteps, Eloise grinned. “Uh-oh, busted.”

Darla, composed again, stepped in. But grief lived in her swollen, red-rimmed eyes. Age also hadn’t dimmed Eloise’s vision.

“Darla! ” When she pushed to her feet, wobbled a bit, Eve moved quickly to steady her. “What’s the matter? Sweetie, what happened?”

“Oh, Grand.” Composure cracked, and fresh tears spilled through the fissures. “It’s Thaddeus. He’s dead. Thaddeus is dead.”

“Dead?” Eloise opened her arms as Darla rushed into them. “Oh, my poor, sweet girl. Here now, you sit.” She steered Darla to a sofa so she could sit beside her, keep an arm around her. “I’m so sorry, Darla. So sorry.”

She looked over at Eve as she soothed and stroked. “Jesus, I’m slow this morning. You’re Homicide. I should have known it was something like this, but I was so delighted to meet you both, I didn’t take the next step.”

“You should rest,” Darla began. “You shouldn’t get upset.”

“I’m fine, just fine. You stop. We’ll get you a soother.”

“No, no, I have to feel. I have to get through it. Oh, Grand, someone killed Thaddeus.”

“I know. I know. We’ll get through it together. How did it happen?” Eloise asked Eve.

“We’re investigating. I can tell you he left his residence in the company of an as yet unidentified female at approximately nine P.M. last night. His body was discovered at his residence several hours later.”

“At?” Eloise frowned as she hugged Darla to her side. “Outside? You didn’t say in, but at.”

Sharp mind, too, Eve concluded. “That’s correct.”

Eloise started to speak, then as Darla continued to struggle beside her, appeared to change her mind. “He lived with a woman. But I’m sure you know that, know about Marcella. So the woman wasn’t she?”

“Also correct, as Ms. Horowitz was out of town at the time, and with several other women. We will, however, speak with her and confirm.”

“How can we help?”

“We need to verify Ms. Pettigrew’s whereabouts from nine P.M. to five A.M.”

Darla sobbed, struggled to compose herself. “They think I hurt Thaddeus.”

“Oh, don’t be silly. You’re upset, but you’re not stupid. They need to know to eliminate you from suspicion. You were married, sweetie, and—I’m sure they know, too—he tossed you aside for Marcella.”

Eloise cuddled Darla close.

“Darla was here.” She spoke firmly, eyes direct on Eve’s. “We were watching a vid. I’m afraid I fell asleep—I tire out much too easily. But we were settled in for the night. You checked on me,” she said to Darla. “I don’t know the precise time, and I admit I was half-asleep, but I remember you laying your hand on my forehead to check for fever. Which I haven’t had in weeks.”

She squeezed Darla’s hand. “Darla moved here with me, at my request, during the divorce. Thaddeus, his betrayal, hurt her very deeply.”

“You helped me so much, Grand.” The picture of grief, Darla pressed her face into her grandmother’s shoulder. “You helped me get through it.”

“We’ve helped each other.” The sweetness in the tone vanished as Eloise looked back at Eve.

Here was a woman with fiber and spine.

“More, Darla had her own company, one she’d worked so hard to build, and he cheated her out of her fair share, insisted as part of the divorce they sell it.”