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“Elsi was a virgin. Rape was her only sexual experience. She never had a chance.”
As Peabody led Blake out, Eve pressed her hands to her eyes. Her throat burned, raw and dry. Her head pounded in an ugly beat.
She dropped her hands when Mira stepped in.
“So?” Eve shrugged. “Diminished capacity? Despite the calculation?”
“It’s possible they’ll spend their years in a facility, get treatment, therapy. But they conspired to murder, and succeeded with three.”
“But the law’s slippery and full of loopholes.”
“It is. But you’ve done your job, and more. You stood for those women, too, Eve, and you’ll stand for the rest as they’re identified.”
“Harvo’s come through with more names. Do I contact them? What if they don’t remember, are living their lives? What good would it do?”
Mira laid her hands on Eve’s shoulders, rubbed at the knotted muscles as she met Eve’s eyes in the wide mirror.
“You needed to remember, or you couldn’t live your life, not fully, not as you were meant. You could pass the notifications off, with no shame.”
“It would shame me.”
Turning Eve toward her, Mira cupped Eve’s face. “Because you chose to take a terrible thing and make yourself who you are. You and I, we feel for Grace Blake, for all of them. But what you said to her was truth. It was truth, Eve. I’ll help with the notifications. I’ll offer counseling to every one you find, if they want it from me.”
“You deserve each other.”
“Excuse me?”
“You and Mr. Mira. You really deserve each other. Lucky when that happens. You’ll tell him it’s done.”
“I will.”
“I guess he told you I told him because I thought you’d already told him.”
Understanding perfectly, Mira nodded. “Yes, we talked. He’ll be your champion. He’s a quiet hero, Eve, but he’s steadfast, and he’s true. He’ll never betray your trust, and will always be there for you.”
This time when Eve pressed her fingers to her eyes, tears pressed back. “Okay. I’ve got to finish this. I just want to go home and sleep for a couple days.”
“Go home. Sleep awhile.”
“No, I need to interview the rest of them.”
“Then I’ll observe.”
“And then I have to go there. To where this all happened. I need to see it, document it, secure it. There will be other recordings. Goddamn tradition.”
“Do you want me to go with you?”
“No. No. You should go home. You don’t look like you’ve slept in a week. No offense.”
“None taken, as I have a mirror. Will you do something for me?”
“Sure, if I can.”
“When this is finished, and we both get some sleep, will you come to dinner? You and Roarke. Come to dinner. Dennis will make his chocolate trifle, and you haven’t lived until you’ve tasted it.”
“I’m not sure what it is.”
“Amazing.” She kissed Eve’s cheek. Then, maybe because she needed it just as much, left her cheek pressed against Eve’s. “I’m going to cook you and Roarke a lovely meal, followed by Dennis’s amazing trifle. And we won’t talk about any of this.”
