Delusion in Death

came to food, she thought, cops had noses like blood-hounds. She put her comm away, watched Peabody trot in behind the delivery team.
    Then Jenkinson, Baxter, Reineke.
    “Let them set it up, for Christ’s sake, before you swarm it like locusts. And leave some for the rest. Peabody.”
    Looking mildly concerned she might qualify as “the rest,” and miss out, Peabody hurried over. “Most of us missed lunch.”
    “I’m aware. We have an addition to the team,” Eve began, and laid it out.
    Peabody’s face settled into stubborn lines that slid into a sulk. “I don’t like her.”
    “You haven’t laid eyes on her.”
    “I don’t care, and Teasdale’s a pussy name. A prissy pussy name.”
    “Really? And Peabody’s a name that makes bad guys shiver in fear?”
    “If they know what’s good for them. Besides, she’s HSO, and that makes her a prissy pussy in a bad black suit.”
    Well, Eve thought, her partner had the suit right. “Deal with it, and her. Now grab a slice, then finish the board.”
    She started to grab one herself but moved off when someone called her away. Instead, she found a reasonably quiet corner and began her run on Jeni Curve.
    She saw Teasdale come in, take her time crossing the room. The HSO agent would have to weather the flat, suspicious looks.

    “Agent Teasdale. You’re welcome to fight for a slice of the pie.”
    “Thank you. I’ve eaten.”
    “Suit yourself. Have a seat.”
    When Whitney and Tibble came in, the noise level dropped by half.
    “We’ll start in a few minutes, Chief, Commander. Most of the team didn’t manage lunch today.”
    “I didn’t manage it myself,” Tibble told her. “It smells good.”
    “Please, help yourselves.”
    As they did just that, Eve turned and nearly walked into Teasdale. The woman moved like a cat, one with considerably less bulk than Galahad.
    “Problem?” Eve asked her.
    “No. I wondered if your AutoChef is stocked with tea, and if so, if I might impose.”
    “There’s some herbal crap in there. Dr. Mira prefers it.”
    “Doctor Charlotte Mira.” Interest kindled on Teasdale’s face. “I’ve studied much of her work. I’m looking forward to meeting her.”
    “She’ll be here. And Teasdale?”
    “Yes, Lieutenant.”
    “If you’re working in the room, whatever’s in the AC’s up for grabs. You don’t have to ask.”
    “Thank you.”
    Teasdale moved away. The cops in the room evaded and avoided, aimed suspicious stares at her back.
    “It seems I’m not the only one who has an issue with HSO.”
    Roarke was another who moved like a cat. Eve merely shrugged. “They’ll suck it up.”
    When Strong from Illegals stepped in, Eve crossed to her. “It’s good to see you, Detective.”

    “I appreciate the assignment. I’ve been on light duty long enough.”
    “You still favor the leg,” Eve pointed out.
    “Some, but it holds.”
    She’d lost weight as well since her injuries. A header down a glide while being chased by a fellow cop who planned to kill you tended to screw up the appetite. “Your new LT working out?”
    “He’s good. Anything’s an improvement over Oberman, may she rot in her cage for the rest of her miserable life. But he’s good. Solid. The squad feels like a squad now that we swept the dirt out.”
    “Grab some pizza and a chair. We’ll get started.”
    She waited until she had the full team in the room, noted that Teasdale introduced herself to Mira, and took a seat beside the doctor. And that, as was his habit, Roarke opted to lean against the wall rather than sit.
    “As you’ve been informed,” Eve began, “we have a consultant from HSO. Agent Teasdale will be given access to all case files, reports, and data, and will share any data she acquires during the course of her consult.
    “Between twelve-fifty-five and thirteen hundred this afternoon the occupants of Café West were exposed to the same chemical substance identified at On the Rocks. The ME and lab have confirmed. There are forty-four additional dead. The smaller venue, and the quick response by patrol officers resulted in more survivors. Jenkinson, Reineke.”
    “We talked to some survivors and wits on scene,” Jenkinson began. “The uniforms stunned anybody who advanced, and that kept them breathing. Most of them were dazed, not yet lucid. Some of the injuries were severe, and we lost a couple more as a result.”
    “We talked to some of the injured at the hospital.” Reineke picked up the report. “The