Read In Death 22 - Memory in Death for Free Online Page A

pick-up-something list? Was she actually
    going to have to startmakinga list?
    If it came to that it might be best to move away altogether and start over.
    She could dump the whole business on Roarke, of course. He actually liked to come across stuff to
    pick up. The man shoppedsomething she avoided at all possible costs. But if you were going to end
    up with all these people in your life, it seemed you should at least spend a half a minute picking
    something up, personally. Plus, she thought it was another kind of rule.
    Relationships were lousy with rules, that much she’d learned. It was just her bad luck that she usually tried to play by them.
    One of the rules she enjoyed was verbally bitch-slapping Summerset on her way in or out the door. He was thereof course he was there, the skeleton in a black suitin the foyer.
    “My vehicle better be right where I left it, Nancy.”
    His lips thinned. “You’ll find the object you call a vehicle currently embarrassing the front of this house.
    I require any and all additions or adjustments to your personal guest list for tomorrow’s gathering by two this afternoon.”
    “Yeah? Well, check with my social secretary. I’ll be a little busy serving and protecting the city for lists.”
    She strolled out, then hissed. List? She was supposed to have a list for this, too? What was wrong with just running into someone and telling them to come on by?
    She hunched against the nasty, freezing rain, slid into her car. The heater was already running. Summerset’s work, probably, which would have to go on the list of reasons not to strangle him in his sleep.
    At least that was a short one.
    She started down the drive, engaged the dash ‘link and tagged Roarke.
    “Miss me already?”
    “Every second without you is a personal hell. Listen, am I supposed to have a list? Like a guest list for this deal tomorrow?”
    “Do you want one?”
    “No. No, I don’t want a damn list, but”
    “It’s taken care of, Eve.”
    “Okay, good then. Fine.” Another thought wandered into her brain. “I probably have an entire outfit, down to the underwear, all picked out, too, don’t I?”
    “Showing exquisite tastewith underwear optional.”
    It made her laugh. “I never miss a trick. Later.”
    * * *
    Peabody was already at her desk when Eve walked into Central. It added another little pinch of guilt.
    She crossed over, waited until Peabody glanced up from her paperwork.
    “Would you mind coming into my office for a minute?”
    There was a blink of surprise. “Sure. Right behind you.”
    With a nod, Eve headed into her office, programmed two coffees one light and sweet for Peabody. That got her another blink of surprise when Peabody stepped in.
    “Shut the door, will you?”
    “Sure. Um, I have the report on … thanks,” she added when Eve handed her the coffee. “On Zero. The PA went in hard, Second Degree, two counts, using the illegals sale as a deadly weapon in the act of committing, with”
    “Sit down.”
    “Jeez, am I being transferred to Long Island or something?”
    “No.” Eve sat herself, waiting, watched Peabody warily take a seat. “I’m going to apologize for walking out on you yesterday, for not doing my job, and leaving you to deal with it.”
    “We were all but wrapped, and you were sick.”
    “It wasn’t wrapped, and if I was sick, it was my problem. I made it yours. You called Roarke.”
    Eve waited a beat while Peabody got busy looking at the wall and drinking coffee. “I was going to slap you good for that,” she said when Peabody opened her mouth. “But it was probably the sort of thing a partner should do.”
    “You were in bad shape. I didn’t know what elsetodo. Okay now?”
    “Fine.” She studied her coffee a moment. Partnership was another thing with rules. “There was a woman in my office when we got back yesterday. Someone I knew a long time ago. It gave me a knock. A big one. She was my first foster motherloose term on the mother. It was a