Celebrity in Death

around in it. We’ll do the caring.”
    “Even though she was a bitch.”
    “Even though. Contact McNab, get him to start looking through her financials, see if he can find anything that connects to the PI. We’ll take it to the vic’s hotel after we get Marlo’s recording.”
    “You know what would happen if it leaked? The recordings—either or both?”
    “Yeah, so let’s make sure we keep it plugged.”

 
    EVE UNSEALED THE RECORDING HER ESCORT officers had bagged, labeled, and logged. “Close the door, Peabody.”
    Wanting a bigger screen than the mini, Eve plugged it into her comp, ordered a read-and-play. Then crossed her fingers her machine would cooperate.
    It hiccupped a couple times, flickered, then steadied with Marlo’s face filling the screen.
    “Marlo Durn and Matthew Zank.”
    “Hey, how come you get top billing?”
    She laughed, then angled the recorder so both of them came into view. Eve recognized the earrings Marlo had worn the night before. “Durn and Zank—alpha order. Let’s make sure it worked.”
    After a short blank space, the recording picked up. “Okay.” Marlo’s voice, quieter now, and the view a semi-obstructed one of an elevator.“We both know how we’re going to deal with it. She’s going to be pissed, right off, that I’m with you.”
    “Fuck her. She may be crazy, but she can’t be as pissed as I am. I want to punch her face in.”
    “Matthew.”
    “Okay, you punch her. Girl on girl—better, and sexy.”
    “Jesus,” Eve muttered, “what
is
it with men and girl fights?”
    “Plus,” Matthew continued, “you’re ripped—seriously ripped—since you’ve trained for Dallas.”
    “I’d love to try it.” The recorder caught a partial view of flexed female biceps. “But this is better. It’s good she’ll be pissed, like we talked about. She’ll go off about what she did, she’ll go off on her threats about making that sex recording public.”
    “Bitch. Still … I’d kind of like to see it. Private showing? You and me?”
    Marlo laughed again, and the angle changed so Eve saw Matthew’s torso, then up to his grinning face. “I’ll bring the popcorn. But we need to get it first. And if this works, she’ll trade it. She won’t risk her career over this. Will she?”
    “It’s going to be okay, babe. It’ll all work out. She’s going to find out she can’t mess around with Zank and Durn. Inverted alpha order.”
    “I really love you.” The screen shifted as they walked into the lounge. “When this is finished, when we’re all done, let’s go somewhere for a while. Find an island, a mountaintop. Somewhere we can keep us between us, just a little while longer.”
    “Anything you want. Anywhere you want.” The screen blurred.
    Obviously, Eve thought, however Marlo had rigged up the opening in her bag, it was now pressed to some part of Matthew as they embraced.
    “Doesn’t sound like murder being planned,” Peabody commented.
    “Not yet.”
    “Okay.” Marlo moved back, let out a deep breath. “Action.”
    “Exterior scene, night,” Matthew murmured as they walked out on the roof terrace. “God, it’s gorgeous out. I liked it better when we came up before, just sat out.”
    “We’ll do it again. When this thing’s settled.”
    “It’s a date. Okay. K.T.!” he called out. “You wanted to have this out. Let’s do it.”
    “I don’t see her. Maybe she didn’t come up yet.”
    “She wasn’t in the theater. Damn it, K.T., stop screwing around.”
    They continued to walk. Lights played off the surface of the corner of the pool as they entered the dome.
    “Maybe she’s—”
    “Oh God!”
    “Marlo, what—oh Jesus!”
    The image tilted, tipped, showed Matthew racing toward the pool, jumping in fully dressed, turning over the floating body to reveal K.T.’s face.
    Marlo let out a choked scream, and the view slid and blurred as the purse fell to the pool skirt. Eve saw her legs and feet, running, watched her drop to her knees, reach out to help Matthew pull the body to the side. Their voices, their words, mixed and jumbled.
    What happened?
    Help me get her out.
    Is she dead? Oh God, is she dead?
    Give me room, give me room. She’s not breathing.
    She watched Matthew perform CPR, try mouth-to-mouth while Marlo rubbed K.T.’s hand between hers as if to try to warm it.
    Come back, come back! Come on!
    She’s cold. She’s so cold. Should I find a blanket?
    She’s gone, Marlo. She’s gone.
    He sat back on his