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At the sound of the voice through the speaker, Roarke firmed his lips against a grin and stared dutifully at the door.
“Lieutenant Dallas, Ms. Gable.”
“I want to see your identification. Hold it up to the peep.”
After Eve complied there was a long silence. “It appears to be in order. There’s a man with you. You didn’t indicate there would be a man with you.”
“My associate, Ms. Gable. May we come in, please? I don’t want to take up any more of your time than necessary.”
“Very well.”
There was another stretch during which Eve assumed various locks were being turned. Roberta Gable opened the door, and scowled.
Her identification photo was, if anything, flattering. Her thin face had the sort of hard edges Eve judged came from not only avoiding any of the softer areas of life but disparaging them. The grooves around her mouth indicated that the scowl wa
s a regular feature. Her hair was pulled back so tightly it gave Eve a headache just to look at it.
She was dressed in gray, like her hair—a crisp shirt and skirt that hung on her bony body. Her shoes were black and thick soled, with laces tied in very precise knots.
“I know you,” she said to Roarke, and sucked in so much air her nostrils flared visibly. “You are not a police officer.”
“No, ma’am.”
“Civilian consultants are often utilized by the police department,” Eve put in. “If you have any questions about this procedure, you can call my commanding officer in New York. We can wait outside until you verify.”
“That won’t be necessary.” She stepped back until they entered the living area. It was ruthlessly clean, and spartan. None of the frilly business Eve generally expected from older women living alone was in evidence.
No pillows or dust-catchers, no framed photos or flowers. There was a single sofa, a single chair, two tables, two lamps. It was as soulless, and just as welcoming, as a cage in a high-security prison.
One would not, she was sure, hear the dulcet sounds of a Carmichael Smith CD within these walls. That, at least, was one small mercy.
“You may sit, on the sofa. I will not offer refreshments this close to mealtime.”
She took the chair, sat with her back straight as a poker, her feet flat on the floor with her knees pressed so tightly together they might have been glued. She folded her hands in her lap.
“You indicated you wished to speak to me regarding one of my former charges, but refused to give me a name. I find that quite rude, Miss Dallas.”
“I find murder quite rude, and that’s what I’m investigating.”
“There is no need for sass. If you can’t conduct yourself with respect, this interview is over.”
“Respect’s a two-way street. My name is Lieutenant Dallas.”
Gable’s mouth folded in, but she inclined her head in acknowledgment. “Very well. Lieutenant Dallas. I assume since you’ve attained that rank you have some aptitude for your profession, and some sense. If you’ll explain, succinctly, why you’ve come to speak to me, we can conclude this matter and get back to our business.”
“My questions will be of a highly confidential nature. I’m asking for your discretion.”
“I lived and worked in private homes, among important families, most of my life. I am nothing if not discreet.”
“One of those families included a son. Niles Renquist.”
Gable’s eyebrows shot up, the first genuine animation she’d shown. “If you’ve come all the way from New York to ask me about the Renquists, you’re wasting my time and your own. Mine is valuable to me.”
“Valuable enough, I’d imagine, to want to avoid being transported to New York and brought into formal interview.” The threat was hot air. No judge would give her the power to drag a civilian across state lines on what little she’d gathered. But the idea of the inconvenience was often enough to elicit cooperation.
“I don’t believe you can have me taken to New York like a common criminal.” There was more animation now as temper put an almost rosy flush in Gable’s cheeks. “I have no doubt my attorney could prevent such a high-handed tactic.”
“Maybe. Go ahead and contact him, if you want to go to the trouble, the time, and the expense. We’ll see who wins in the end.”
