Read In Death 22 - Memory in Death for Free Online

studied the huge live pine in the window as the festive lights flashed on.
    “You always go overboard,” she said quietly.
    “I don’t think you can with Christmas, especially if you’re us, and had so many thin ones. Besides, it’s tradition for us now, isn’t it? A tree in the bedroom at Christmas.”
    “You’ve got a tree in nearly every room in the house.”
    He grinned at that. “I do, don’t I? I’m a slave to sentiment.” He kissed her, softly, then circled his arms around her again. “What do you say to a quiet meal up here? With no work for either of us. We’ll watch some screen, drink some wine. Make love.”
    She tightened her arms around him. She’d needed home, she thought, and here it was. “I’d say,
    ‘Thanks.’”
    * * *
    And when she was asleep, he left her, briefly, for his private office. He crossed the tiles, laid his hand
    on the palm print. “Roarke,” he said. “Power up.”
    As the console hummed, flickered with light, he used the house link to contact Summerset.
    “If anyone by the name of Lombard attempts to reach Eve here, put them through to me. Wherever I might be.”
    “Of course. Is the lieutenant all right?”
    “She is, yes. Thanks.” He clicked off, then ordered a search. It would take a bit of time to pinpoint
    where this Lombard was staying while in New York. But it was best, always best, to know the location
    of an adversary.
    He doubted it would be much longer before he knew just what the woman wantedthough he was
    dead certain he already knew.
    [“3”]3
    NORMAL, EVE THOUGHT, WHEN SHE STRAPPED on her weapon harness. She felt normal again. Maybe those whiners who were forever talking about expressing your feelings were onto something.
    God, she hoped not. If they were, she’d end up neck deep in mangled bodies.
    Regardless, she felt steadysteady enough to scowl at the nasty weather whirling outside the bedroom window.
    “What exactly do they call that business? ” Roarke asked as he stepped beside her. “It’s not snow, not rain, not even really sleet. It must be”
    “Crap,” she said. “It’s cold, wet, crap.”
    “Ah.” He nodded, rubbed the back of his knuckles absently up and down her spine. “Of course. Maybe it’ll keep people indoors and you’ll have a quiet day.”
    People kill each other inside, too,” she reminded him. “Especially when they get fed up looking out the window at crap.” Because she sounded just like the woman he adored, he gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder.
    “Well, it’s off to work for you, then. I’ll be handling link conferences here for another hour or so before
    I have to go out in this.” He turned her, gripped the lapels of her jacket, kissed her quick and hard.
    “Be safe.”
    She reached for her coat, started to swing it on, and felt the slight bulge in the pocket. “Oh, I picked this up for Dennis Mira. Just a, you know, Christmas token thing.”
    “Looks like him.” Roarke nodded at the scarf she held, even as his eyes laughed at her. “Aren’t you the clever shopper?”
    “I didn’t shop. I picked it up. Do you think there’s any way it could get wrapped?”
    With a half smile, Roarke held out his hand for it. “I’ll notify the elves. And I’ll have it put with the antique teapot you bought for Mirawhich you didn’t shop for either, but, as I recall, came across.”
    “That’d be good, smart ass. See you later.”
    “Lieutenant? You haven’t forgotten our Christmas party?”
    She spun around. “Christmas party? That’s not tonight. Is it? It’s not.”
    It was small of him, he could admit it. But he loved seeing that quick panic on her face as she tried to remember which day was which. “Tomorrow. So if you’ve anything you need or want to come across
    to pick up beforehand, it should be today.”
    “Sure. Right. No problem.” Shit, she thought as she headed downstairs. Was there anything else? Why were there all these people who had to be crossed off her