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And because she knew he’d keep at her until she gave in anyway, she sat down in the sitting area of the bedroom and ate the oatmeal Roarke ordered for her.
But she cast a suspicious eye on the milky liquid in the glass beside her coffee. “What’s that?”
“A protein drink.”
“I don’t need a protein drink. I’m eating the stupid oatmeal, aren’t I?”
“You’ll have both.” He stroked a hand over Galahad’s head, then gave his attention to Eve rather than the morning financials scrolling by on-screen. “They’ll offset the candy bar you probably plan to have for lunch. You didn’t sleep well.”
“I’ve got a lot on my mind. How come you don’t have to have a protein drink?”
He forked up a section of grapefruit. “Can’t abide the stuff. And I’m not the one who’s going to have to deal with the mayor today.”
“Yeah. I have to get started on that.”
“I’m sure he’ll find it an even more unpleasant way to start his day than you do yours. Drink up, Lieutenant.”
She scowled, but drank. She was actually starting to like whatever he dumped in those mixes. “This data doesn’t go to the rest of the team yet. I have to report it to Whitney, probably Tibble, and won’t that be fun?”
“We should have your virus fully ID’d today. You’re closing in.”
“I’ve been thinking about that, too.” She looked toward the data center. “I’ve been making plenty of noise. They’ll know I’ve got some solid leads now. Could they dump that virus in this system here?”
“This system’s security is a great deal more complex than what you’ll find on other home systems.”
Galahad inched toward the table, the plates. Roarke merely gave him one cool look. The cat shot up a leg and began to wash as if that had been the plan all along.
“And I’ve taken separate precautions,” he continued, “based on the shield we’ve been working on in the lab. I can’t give you a hundred percent guarantee, but unless they upgrade and modify what they’ve used to date, no. They can’t infect this system.”
“Let me take it in another direction. If there was an attempt to infect, can you rig some alarm, some detector, whatever, to alert us to it, maybe track the source?”
“You interest me, Lieutenant. I’ve already started working on that. It can’t be done with any real success until we complete the full ID. But your lab rats have been devising some creative options. Jamie’s particularly skilled in this area. I swear, if the boy wasn’t determined to be you, he’d make his first billion before . . . well, before I made mine.”
“If you could track it from this system, would you be able to track it back from one of the infected units?” She saw the look on his face. “Okay, so I’m one step behind the master geek plan. You get me that today, I might just dig up a pair of garters.”
“I want the corset, too. And the shoes.”
“You get me a source location, you get the shoes.”
“I’m really starting to like this job. You have to wear the shoes the whole time we—”
“Let’s not push it, pal.” She rose. “I’m going to make this call from my office.”
She closed her door. Though she wasn’t sure of Whitney’s schedule, she assumed he was already on the way in from Westchester. She tried his car ’link, and didn’t mind admitting to herself that she’d timed it so she didn’t have to tag him at home and chance dealing with his wife.
“Whitney.”
“Sir. There’s been a development in the investigation that requires your attention, and I believe Chief Tibble’s.”
“What development?”
“I don’t believe I can discuss this over ’link, Commander. My judgment puts this at Code Five.”
She saw his eyes narrow. Code Five meant complete media block, and all departmental records would be sealed during the investigation.
“Are you at your home office?”
“Yes, sir. I can be at Central in—”
