In Death 16 - Portrait in Death

foolish enough to go back into hell because she'd wanted to make a family. Give him a father.
     
     
God help them all.
     
     
Ill, tired, unbearably sad, Roarke sealed all the data he'd accumulated under his voice command and a password. Then he left the room, told himself he'd left the trouble of it-what else could be done-and went to prepare for the day.
     
     
He had work waiting, too much to shuffle around because he wasn't feeling quite himself. He'd built a fucking empire, a flaming universe, hadn't he, and it had to be run.
     
     
He'd have a shower, some food, make some excuse to Eve for his behavior the night before. There was no point in bringing her into it, no point in dragging out the whole sad and ugly business yet again.
     
     
But she wasn't there. The sheets were in tangles, which told him she'd spent as poor a night as he had. Guilt twisted inside him as he wondered if she'd been plagued by nightmares.
     
     
She never slept well without him. He knew that.
     
     
He saw the memo, picked it up.
     
     
"I caught a case. I don't know when I'll be back."
     
     
Feeling foolish, feeling raw, he played it back twice just to hear her voice. Then closing his fist around the little cube, he sat on the side of the bed.
     
     
Alone, he grieved for a woman he'd never known, and ached for the only one he'd ever loved.
     
     
***
     
     
Eve walked into her office, saw that Nadine was already inside. There was no point in tearing her hair out over the fact that Nadine ran tame in Central. For once, having her in the office rather than one of the waiting rooms suited her. It saved time.
     
     
"I need to put a tracer on your unit at 75."
     
     
Nadine crossed her legs, examined her toes in their strappy, heeled sandals. "Oh sure. Why should it be a problem to have a reporter's work unit tapped into by the cops? Why, everybody will be thrilled to pass me information that's going straight to Cop Central at the same time. I'll be deluged with tips."
     
     
"He's using you as a conduit. If he has anything more to say, he'll go through you. You authorize the tracer, or I impound the unit-and I can impound you, too, Nadine."
     
     
She waited a beat while Nadine's head snapped up. "Material witness, police protection, and so forth. I'm tempted to do it because I like you. I like you breathing."
     
     
"He's not coming after me."
     
     
"Maybe not. But psychopaths sometimes become annoyed with their tools. I'm banking on you taking care of yourself. I've got a call in to Mira. If she indicates there's a chance he'll turn on you, I'll have you wrapped up and packed away before you can freshen your lip dye for a one-on-one."
     
     
"Try it."
     
     
"Oh, I'll do it." Seated, Eve stretched out her legs. "I didn't ask you to be my friend, you know. Just worked out that way. Now you have to live with it."
     
     
"Shit." With her foxy face sulky, she drummed her fingers on the arm of the chair. Then the corner of her mouth twitched. "I like you, too, for some insane reason."
     
     
"Good, now we're all cozy. You get your picture taken lately? Professionally?"
     
     
Nadine glanced down at the photos Eve had set on the desk. "We get them taken every year at the station. Publicity shots for viewers, and for posters they have framed in the Green Room."
     
     
"Who takes them?"
     
     
"I'll find out. What's the connection between Howard and Sulu, other than the photographs?"
     
     
"I'll find out." Eve jerked a thumb at her doorway. "McNab's waiting to go to 75 with you, install the trace."
     
     
"Damn sure of yourself."
     
     
"That's right." She studied her boots as Nadine rose to leave, then she swiveled in her chair. "You're banging that suit?"
     
     
"Generally, I make him take off the suit before we bang, as you so romantically put it."
     
     
"Whatever. What I mean is, you know about men."
     
     
One perfect eyebrow lifted as Nadine turned. "Enough to be baffled, fascinated, and annoyed by the species. Why? Trouble in paradise?"
     
     
Eve opened her mouth, then firmly closed it again. "No. It's nothing." She waved Nadine away, then swiveled back to write her report. She'd let Hastings stew for a while before heading into interview. And make sure she had her own head clear before she questioned him.
     
     
She spent several minutes scrolling through the names of customers who'd registered purchases of high-end cameras over the last twelve months.
     
     
Could go back beyond that, she