AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She arched a brow. “I guess you’ve never heard of murder for hire.”
“That boy doesn’t have the guts for it, or the steel.” He ate another nut. “And where’s the motive? Did he pick those people out of a hat? And there’s this. What he’s got requires proximity to tap the subconscious. You can’t place him at any of the scenes.”
“He said something about remote capabilities.”
“Yeah, it had a fine one, but it wouldn’t command this option. Not that I can figure.”
She sat back, deflated. “You’re not making
my day here, Feeney.”
“Just food for thought. If he’s got a hand in it, he’s got help. Or a more personal, portable unit.”
“Could it be adjusted into VR goggles?”
The idea intrigued him, made his hangdog eyes gleam. “Can’t say for sure. It’ll take some time to work that out.”
“I hope you’ve got the time. He’s all I’ve got, Feeney. If I can’t crack him, he’s going to walk on the murders. Tucking him away for ten to twenty on what we’ve got doesn’t do it for me.” She huffed out a breath. “He’ll go for a psych evaluation. He’ll go for anything he thinks will buy him a shot. Maybe Mira can pin him.”
“Send him over after the break,” Feeney suggested. “Let her take him for a few hours, and do yourself a favor. Go home and get some sleep. You run on empty long enough, you drop.”
“Maybe I will. I’ll set it up, deal with Whitney. A couple hours off might clear my head. I must be missing something.”
For once, Summerset wasn’t hovering. Eve snuck in the house like a thief, limped her way upstairs. She left a trail of clothes on her way to the bed, and she sighed greedily when she fell on it.
Ten minutes later, she was on her back, staring at the ceiling. The aches were bad enough, she thought grumpily. But the stimulator she’d taken hours before hadn’t worn off. It was passing, leaving her light-headed with fatigue, while her system still bubbled like a brew.
Sleep was not going to happen.
She found herself picking apart the pieces of the case, putting them back together. Each time the puzzle formed differently until it was a blurred jumble of facts and theories.
At this rate, she wouldn’t be close to coherent when she met with Mira.
She considered indulging in a long, hot bath in lieu of sleep. Then, inspired, she popped up and grabbed a robe. She took the elevator, with the purpose of avoiding Summerset, and stepped up on the lower level into the garden path of the solarium. A session in the lagoon pool, she decided, was just the ticket.
She dumped the robe, padded naked to the dark water walled in genuine stone and framed with fragrant blooms. When she dipped a toe, she found it blissfully warm. She sat on the first step and set the control panel for jets and bubbles. As the water began to churn, she started to program music. With a quick grimace, she decided she wasn’t in the mood for tunes.
She simply floated at first, grateful there was no one around to hear her whimpering as the pulsing water worked on her aches. She let herself breathe. Floral perfume. She let herself drift. Simple pleasures.
The conflict of fatigue and stimulation balanced out into relaxation. Drugs, she decided, were highly overrated. Water worked wonders. Turning over lazily, she began to swim, slowly at first while her muscles warmed and limbered. Then she put some kick into it, hoping to work off the excess of the stimulant and revive herself with natural exercise.
When the timer clicked and the water calmed, she continued with long, steady strokes, skimmed down to the glossy black bottom until she felt like an embryo in the womb, then broke the surface with a loud, satisfied groan.
“You swim like a fish.”
Instinct had Eve reaching for her side arm only to encounter her own naked ribs. Quickly, she blinked the water out of her eyes and focused on Reeanna.
“It’s a cliché.” She walked to the edge of the pool. “But accurate.” She set her shoes aside, sat, and slid her legs into the water. “Do you mind?”
“Help yourself.” Eve didn’t consider herself fanatically modest, but she dipped a little lower. She hated being caught naked. “Were you looking for Roarke?”
“No, actually, I’ve just left him. He and William are still at it upstairs in his office. I was just leaving for a salon appointment.” She tugged at her gorgeous, glossy red curls. “I’ve got to do something about this mop. Summerset mentioned you were down here, so I thought I’d just drop in on you.”
Summerset. Eve smiled grimly. He’d spotted her after all. “I had a couple of hours personal time. Thought I’d take advantage of it.”
“And what a lovely spot to take it. Roarke’s got such amazing class, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah, you could say so.”
