In Death 21 - Origin in Death

curse, and pulled out her 'link.
    "Can you squeeze out any time between formulating plans for world domination and buying all the turkey in all the land?"
    "Possibly. If there was incentive."
    "I've got a hidden room. Can't find entry. It's probably electronically activated. I can call in EDD, but since you're still home, you're closer
    "Address."
    She gave it to him.
    "Ten minutes."
    Eve sat more comfortably on the floor. "I'll wait for him, contact tr.-alibi while I do. You want to have chats with some of the neighbors:
    "No problem."
    Eve made the call from where she sat, and wasn't surprised when Avril's Hamptons alibi checked out precisely. For the hell of it, she contacted the ice-cream parlor where Avril stated she'd taken the children And was again unsurprised when the statement held up to the letter
    "You were damn well prepared," she muttered, and rising, walked back downstairs.
    She tagged Morris.
    "Just about to buzz you, Dallas. Stomach contents confirm the re-ported last meal. Tox shows a blocker. Standard stuff. And a mild tranq. Both ingested under an hour prior to death."
    "How mild?"
    "He'd have been relaxed, a little sleepy. He had a standard dose in him of both meds. A cocktail you might take if you had a nasty headache and wanted to rest."
    "Fits." She thought of his position on the sofa. "Yeah, it fits. Got anything else?"
    "No other trauma. Healthy male, superior face and body work. He’d have been conscious at time of death, but groggy. Identical weapon, single wound to the heart."
    The door opened, and Roarke strolled in. "All right. Appreciate the speed. Later. You didn't have to pick the locks," she said to Roarke.
    "Practice. Lovely home." He studied the decor of the foyer and living area. "A bit overly traditional, not particularly creative, but love of its kind."
    "I'll be sure to put that in my report." She jerked a thumb toward the stairs, then started up.
    "It's good security, by the way," he said conversationally. "It would have taken me longer if EDD hadn't already fiddled with it. As it was, a couple of neighbors gave me the eye. I believe they took me for a cop. Amazing."
    She glanced over at him, the god of eye candy in his ten-thousand-dollar suit. "No, they didn't. It's in here."
    He looked around the office. He could see the trace dust left by the sweepers, noted the lack of electronics. Already in EDD, he assumed. "The paintings are the best part of the decor."
    He walked to a chalk sketch, an informal family portrait. Icove sitting on the floor, one foot planted, his wife sitting beside him, head tipped toward his arm, her legs swept to the side. And the children snuggled in front of them.
    "Lovely, loving work. Pretty family. The young widow is talented."
    "I'll say." But Eve took time out to stand beside him, study the portrait. "Loving work?"
    "The pose, the light, the body language, her lines and curves. It strikes me as a happy moment."
    "Why do you kill what you love?"
    "We couldn't count the reasons."
    "You're right on that," Eve agreed, and turned toward the bathroom.
    "You believe she did it."
    "I know she was part of it. Can't prove dick at this point, but I know." She hooked her thumbs in her front pockets, nodded. "It's behind there, other side of that closet."
    Like she had, he took scope of the room. "It would be." From his Docket, he took a handheld. It shot out a thin red beam when he engaged it. Roarke ran the beam over the wall and shelves.
    "What does that do?"
    "Sssh."
    She heard it, barely. A low hum emitting from the gadget he held.
    "You've got steel behind the wall," he said, glancing at the readout.
    "I figured that out without the toy."
    He merely lifted an eyebrow at her. Moving closer, he keyed something into the handheld. The hum became a slow, rhythmic beep. He played the beam of light, centimeter by centimeter, until she could hear her own teeth grinding.
    "What if you-"
    "Sssh," he ordered again.
    Eve gave up and walked out to meet Peabody when she heard the front door open.
    "Snagged a couple neighbors. Nobody noticed any activity. Lots of shock and dismay over Icove. Nice, happy family, according to next door. Caught the woman-Maude Jacobs-before she headed out to work. Belongs to the same health club as Avril Icove, and they'd work out together sometimes. Have a veggie juice after. Describes her as a nice woman, good mother, happy. Families did the dinner party thing every couple months. She never noticed any friction."
    Peabody glanced