In Death 11 - Judgment in Death

Monet had reflected them in oil.
    There was nothing so comforting, she thought, as a well planted garden.
    "He will disbelieve it initially. He's not a killer but a servant of justice. When he can't deny it, he'll turn to rage. It's his salvation. Once again, the system has betrayed him and tricked him into taking an innocent life. Someone will pay. Perhaps someone in Internal Affairs, where it began. Perhaps you, Eve," she said and turned back. "As you are the one who has, indirectly at least, shoved this horror into his face. He'll be doubly fueled now. For himself, and for Kohli. Very shortly after he learns, and accepts, he'll kill. He'll kill, Eve, until he's caught."
    "How do I make him turn to me, specifically?"
    Mira walked back, sat down. "Do you think I would help you with that, even if I could?"
    "It's better to know his target than to guess."
    "Yes, you'd think so," Mira said placidly. "Particularly if you can make yourself that target. But you can't direct his mind, Eve. His logic is his own. He's already selected his next victim. This information, when he learns of it, may alter his plans. He'll have to grieve, then he'll have to balance his scales."
    Eve frowned. "He has a conscience."
    "Yes, and Kohli will weigh on it. Kohli will cost him. But who he'll blame? That's the shading I can't give you."
    "Why the hell doesn't he go after Ricker?"
    "He may, but first he'll clean his own house."
    "How do you protect and investigate every cop in a precinct?" Eve murmured. "And how do you manage it when they look at you as if you're the enemy?"
    "Is that what's troubling you? Having your own step away from you?"
    "No." She shrugged it off. "No, I can handle it."
    "Then, since there's little to nothing more I can give you on this profile at the moment, I wish you would tell me what is troubling you."
    "I have a lot on my mind." In dismissal, Eve got to her feet. "I appreciate you taking the time to come here. I know it's an inconvenience."
    Eve wasn't the only stubborn woman in the room. "Sit down; I'm not finished."
    A little surprised by the authoritarian tone, Eve sat. "You said -- "
    "I said to tell me what's troubling you. You're unhappy and distracted, and I suspect its cause is personal."
    "If it's personal," Eve said coolly, "then it has no place in this consult."
    "Have the nightmares increased? Are you having more flashbacks?"
    "No. Damn it. This has nothing to do with my father, with my past, with any of that. It's my business."
    "You need to understand something. I care very much about you."
    "Dr. Mira -- "
    "Be quiet." And the command, in that warm, pleasant voice, brooked no argument. "I care, on a very personal level. However much it may discomfort you, Eve, I look on you as a kind of surrogate daughter. It's a pity that causes you embarrassment," she said mildly when that emotion ran over Eve's face. "You don't know my children, but I can promise you that they would tell you I am relentless when concerned about their happiness. While I will try not to interfere, I will know the cause."
    Eve was dumbfounded, and she was chased by so many emotions they ran over themselves on their way to clog her throat. She had no mother, no memory of one. And no defense against the offer from the woman who watched her and seemed so determined to stand as one.
    "I can't talk about it."
    "Of course you can. If it's not your past, it's your present. If it's personal... it's Roarke. Have you had a disagreement?"
    The term, so tame, so civilized, caused a reaction Eve never expected. She laughed, laughed until her sides ached and she realized to her utter shock the sound was coming perilously close to sobs. "I don't know what we had. He's not speaking to me, basically."
    "Eve." Mira reached for her hand, clasped it. The gesture snapped the last lock.
    It poured out of her, everything from the time she'd walked into the bedroom and seen Summerset staggering under the weight of the flowers.
    "I went to see Mavis," Eve continued. "And got drunk. That sounds stupid, but -- "
    "On the contrary, it sounds perfectly sensible. You went to a trusted friend, one who knows both of you and is herself in a committed, monogamous, and loving relationship. Getting drunk was a release valve, but talking it over with her was an avenue."
    "She said I should..." Eve couldn't quite bring herself to repeat Mavis's descriptive phrase. "Seduce him."
    "Again, sensible. Sex opens doors to communication and relieves tension. It didn't