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Quilla rolled her eyes at Eve’s back, but closed her mouth firmly.
“Last screw. It’s heavier than it looks. Hold that side, Quilla, so it doesn’t— There.”
Peabody lifted it from the wall. “They went for real bronze. It’s got serious weight, and . . . It’s double-sided.”
“The cousin’s on the back,” Eve said.
“Nail, head, hit.”
When Peabody turned it around, Eve read:
With deep regret and sorrow, in memory of Kyle.
A man of faith, loyalty, and pure spirit.
“Who’s Kyle?” Quilla demanded. “How come he has to face the wall. That doesn’t seem fair.”
“Really doesn’t. Bag it, Peabody. Got something else.” She pulled out a little gold heart on a thin chain. “Oldest sister’s. It’s got Selma inscribed on the back.”
Peabody walked over with an evidence bag. “It just feels sadder.”
“Screw sad,” Eve stated, and dug in again. “And here we are, the missing piece.”
Eve held up a ring.
“Wow! That was in there, too? What else is in there?”
“Don’t touch anything,” Eve snapped at Quilla.
She examined the ring, its entwined hearts with a tiny white stone at their intersection.
“It’s pretty,” Quilla said, but kept her hands behind her back.
Peabody huffed as she sealed the heavy plaque. “The kind of ring you give a sweetheart.”
“Is it?” With that in mind, Eve turned it, aimed toward the light. “Good call. It’s inscribed inside. P&P=1 heart.
“Let’s find out who the second P is. Clear out,” Eve ordered Quilla. “And keep it zipped.”
“Copy that.” She grinned. “This is fucking frosty stuff. I’m going to write about it.”
“Everybody’s writing about something. Have the sweepers take the evidence in, log it, and seal the room.”
“Copy that,” Peabody said with a smile. “I’m just going to put the plants back in the pots so they don’t die.”
“Make it fast.”
She walked out and up to Shivitz’s station. “Where’s Ms. Jones?”
“She’s in session.”
“Get her out, now, or I will.”
“I think you’re cold and cruel. I’m sorry for you.”
“Think whatever you like, just get her.”
With her nose pointed toward the ceiling, Shivitz stalked down a hallway. Moments later, Philadelphia walked quickly back the same route.
