In Death 03 - Immortal in Death

breath, he reached down and hauled her up over his shoulder. "Oh sure, take advantage of a dead woman."
    "Dead weight," he muttered and crossed the gym to the changing area. He shifted her more securely, then stepped onto the tile. With a wicked grin, he turned around so that her face would encounter the full force of one of the crisscrossing sprays. "Sixty-three degrees, maximum spray."
    "Sixty -- " It was all she had time for. The rest of her words were lost in screams and curses that echoed off the shining tiles.
    She wasn't dead weight now, but a wriggling, wet, desperate woman. He clamped down hard, roaring with laughter as she sputtered and swore at him.
    "Ninety-two," she shouted. "Ninety fucking two degrees. Now."
    When the spray pumped hot, she managed to catch her breath. "I'll kill you, Roarke. The minute I thaw out."
    "It's good for you." He set her carefully on her feet and offered her the soap. "Clean up, Lieutenant. I'm starving."
    So was she. "I'll kill you later," she decided. "After I eat."
    Within the hour, she was showered, satisfied, dressed, and attacking a two-inch sirloin. "You know, I'm only marrying you for sex and food."
    He sipped a deep red wine and watched her plow through the meal. "Of course."
    She nipped into a shoestring fry. "And because you have a beautiful face."
    Unruffled, he only grinned. "That's what they all say."
    Those weren't the reasons, but good sex, good food, and a beautiful face could certainly mellow a mood. She smiled at him. "How's Mavis?"
    He'd been waiting for her to ask, but he had known she'd needed to get something out of her system first. "She's fine. She and Leonardo are having a kind of reunion in her suite tonight. You can talk to them in the morning."
    Eve looked down at her plate as she cut into the steak again. "What do you think of him?"
    "I think he's desperately, almost pathetically in love with our Mavis. And since I have some experience with that emotion, I have sympathy for his situation."
    "We can't verify his movements on the night of the murder." She picked up her wine. "He had motive, he had means, and very likely opportunity. There's no physical evidence linking him to the crime, but the crime took place in his apartment, and the weapon was his."
    "So you see him killing Pandora, then setting the scene so that Mavis takes the blame?"
    "No." She set her wine down again. "It would just be easier if I could." Eve tapped her fingers on the table, then picked up her glass again. "Do you know Jerry Fitzgerald?"
    "Yes. We're acquainted." He waited a beat. "No, I've never slept with her."
    "I didn't ask."
    "Just simplifying."
    She shrugged and took another sip. "My impressions are smart, ambitious, clever, and tough."
    "Your impressions are usually accurate. I wouldn't argue with them."
    "I don't know a lot about the modeling game, but I've been doing some research. At Fitzgerald's level, it's pretty high stakes. Money, prestige, media. Having top bill on a show that's being anticipated as much as Leonardo's is worth big credits, full-blown coverage. She'll step right into Pandora's shoes on it now."
    "If his designs click, it could be worth a considerable amount to be the top endorser," Roarke agreed. "But it's still speculative."
    "She's involved with Justin Young, and she admitted that Pandora was trying to lure him back."
    Roarke considered. "Difficult for me to imagine Jerry Fitzgerald going into a murderous rage over a man."
    "She'd more likely have one over a stylist," Eve admitted, "but there's more."
    Briefly, she told him of the connection between Boomer's data and death and the new blend found in Pandora's system. "We can't find her cache. Someone else went after it, and knew where to look."
    "Jerry's come out publicly against illegals. Of course, that's publicly," Roarke added. "And you're dealing with profit here, not partying."
    "That's my theory. A new blend like this, quickly addictive, potent, has the potential for a great deal of profit. The fact that it's eventually lethal won't stop its distribution or its use."
    She pushed her half-eaten steak aside, a gesture that had Roarke frowning. When she didn't eat, she was worried. "It seems to me like you have a lead you can get your teeth into, Eve. A lead that steers far wide of Mavis."
    "Yeah." Restless, she rose. "A lead that doesn't point to anyone else. Fitzgerald and Young alibi each other. The security discs confirm their whereabouts at the time of death. Unless, of course, one