In Death 03 - Immortal in Death

should be more than enough."
    "Would you like me to relock it? It would only take a moment."
    "Don't bother. We can swing by the lab on the way."
    "On the way to?"
    "To where I've got Peabody staked out. Justin Young's back door." She started out, flicking him a smile. "You know, Roarke, Jerry was right about one thing. I have pretty good taste in men."
    "Darling, your taste is impeccable."

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
    Being hooked up with a rich man had a number of disadvantages in Eve's mind, but it had one overwhelming plus. That was food. On the way back across town she managed to stuff herself to bursting with chicken Kiev from the fully stocked AutoChef in his car.
    "Nobody has chicken Kiev in their car unit," she said with her mouth full.
    "They do if they run around with you. Otherwise you'd live off soy burgers and irradiated powdered eggs."
    "I hate irradiated powdered eggs."
    "Exactly." It pleased him to hear her chuckle. "You're in a rare old mood, Lieutenant."
    "It's coming together, Roarke. They'll drop charges on Mavis by Monday morning, and by then I'll have the bastards. It was all money," she said and dabbed up grains of wild rice with her fingers. "Fucking money. Pandora was the connection to Immortality, and those three high flyers wanted their share."
    "So they lured her to Leonardo's and killed her."
    "Leonardo's was probably her idea. She wasn't letting go there, and she was revved to fight. Gave them the perfect opportunity and setting. Mavis walking in was just icing. They'd have left Leonardo hanging by his balls, otherwise."
    "Not to question your quick, agile, and suspicious mind, but why not just whack her in an alley? If you're right, they'd done it before."
    "So they wanted some staging this time." She moved her shoulders. "Hetta Moppett was a potential loose end. One of them confronted her, likely questioned her, then got rid of her. Better not to chance whatever Boomer had let slip during sex."
    "Then Boomer came next."
    "He knew too much, had too much. It's not likely he knew about all three of them. But he'd nailed at least one, and when he spotted that one in the club, he went underground. They managed to get him out, tortured him, killed him. But they didn't have time to go back and get the stuff."
    "All for profit?"
    "For profit, and if that analysis comes out the way I think it will, for Immortality. Pandora was on it, no question. My take is that whatever Pandora had or wanted, Jerry Fitzgerald wanted to have more. You've got a drug that makes you look good, younger, sexier. It could be worth a fortune to her professionally. Not to mention her ego."
    "But it's lethal."
    "That's what they say about smoking, but I've seen you light up some tobacco." She arched a brow at him. "Unprotected sex was lethal during the latter half of the twentieth century. Didn't stop people from fucking strangers. Guns are lethal, but we spent decades getting them off the street. Then -- "
    "Point taken. Most of us think we're going to live forever. Did you do testing on Redford?"
    "We did. He's clean. Doesn't mean his hands are any less bloody. I'm going to lock the three of them away for the next fifty years."
    Roarke eased the car to a stop at a light, turned to look at her. "Eve, are you after them for murder, or for messing with the life of your friend?"
    "The results are the same."
    "Your feelings aren't."
    "They hurt her," she said tightly. "They put her through hell. Forced me to help them put her through it. She lost her job, and a lot of her confidence. They're going to pay for that."
    "All right. I only have one thing to say."
    "I don't need criticisms on procedure from a guy who pops locks like you, pal."
    He took out a handkerchief, dabbed at her chin. "The next time you start to say you have no family," he began quietly, "think again. Mavis is yours."
    She started to speak, reevaluated. "I'm doing my job," she decided. "If I get some personal pleasure out of it, what's wrong with that?"
    "Not a thing." He kissed her lightly, then turned left.
    "I want to go around the back of the building. Take a right at the next corner, then -- "
    "I know how to get around the back of that building."
    "Don't tell me you own that one, too."
    "All right, I won't tell you. And by the way, if you had asked me about the security setup at Young's place, I could have saved you -- or I should say Feeney -- a little time and trouble." When she huffed, he smiled. "If I get some personal pleasure out of owning large