In Death 25 - Creation in Death

him. He was too tired for the anger.
    “Copy document C to disc, save all data. Ah, continue current run, copy and save when complete. Operator will be off-line.”
    Acknowledged.
    Before he left, he put in a call to Dublin.
    “Good morning to you, Brian.”
    His old mate’s wide face creased with a surprised smile. “Well now, if it isn’t the man himself. Which side of the pond would you be on?”
    “The Yank side. It’s a bit early on your side of it for me to be calling a publican. I hope I didn’t wake you.”
    “You didn’t, no. I’m just having my tea. How is our Lieutenant Darling?”
    “She’s well, thanks. Would you be alone there?”
    “I would be, more’s the pity. I’ve no enchanting woman to warm the sheets with me at the moment, as you do.”
    “I’m sorry for that. Brian, I’m looking for a torturer.”
    “Is that so?” Only the mildest surprise showed in Brian’s eyes. “And are you too delicate these days to be after taking care of such matters yourself?”
    “I was always too delicate for this, and so were you. He’s done over twenty women in the last decade, late twenties, early thirties, all of them. And all of them with brown hair, light skin. The last was found only yesterday. She worked for me.”
    “Ah,” Brian said. “Well.”
    “Another is missing—that’s part of his method—and she was mine as well.”
    Brian sucked air through his nose. “Were you diddling with them, on the side, like?”
    “No. He’d be older than we are, that’s how they’re profiling him. At least a decade older if not more. He’s very skilled. He travels. He must have enough of the ready to afford a place, a private place, to do this work. If he’s a professional, he takes this busman’s holiday every year or two. There’s no sex involved. No rape. He takes, binds, tortures, kills, cleanses. And he times how long each lasts under it.”
    “I haven’t heard of anyone like this. Nasty business.” Brian pulled on his ear. “I can make some inquiries, tap a few shoulders.”
    “I’d be grateful if you would.”
    “I’ll be in touch if and when,” Brian told him. “Meanwhile, give Lieutenant Darling a sweet kiss from me, and tell her I’m only waiting for her to throw your worthless ass aside and come into my waiting embrace.”
    “I’ll be sure to do that.”
    After he’d ended the transmission, Roarke took the discs he’d generated and, with the machines still humming, left the office.
    He found Eve where he’d expected to. Her head was on her desk, pillowed on her forearm. He noted the murder boards, the pair of them, the discs, the handwritten notes, the comp-generated ones.
    The half cup of coffee, not quite cold—and the cat curled in her sleep chair.
    He moved to Eve, lifted her out of the chair. She muttered some complaint, stirred, and shifted.
    “What?”
    “Bed,” he said as he carried her toward the elevator.
    “Time is it? Jeez.” She rubbed at her eyes. “I must’ve conked.”
    “Not for long, your coffee was still warm. We need to shut down, both of us.”
    “Briefing at eight.” Her voice slurred with fatigue. “Need to be up by six. Need to organize first. I didn’t—”
    “Fine, fine.” He stepped out of the elevator into the bedroom. “Go back to sleep, six will come soon enough.”
    “You get anything?”
    “Still running.” He set her on the bed, seeing no reason she couldn’t sleep in her sweats. Apparently neither did she as she crawled under the duvet as she was.
    “Is there any data I can use? Anything I can work in?”
    “We’ll see in the morning.” He stripped off his shirt, his pants, slid into bed with her.
    “If there’s any—”
    “Quiet.” He drew her against him, brushed her lips with his. “Sleep.”
    He heard her sigh once—it might’ve been annoyance. But by the time the sigh was done, she was under.

7
    IT WAS SO UNUSUAL FOR HIM NOT TO BE UP before her that Eve just stared into the Celtic blue eyes when he woke her by stroking her hair.
    “You think of something?”
    “Apparently, I inevitably think of something when I’m in bed with my wife.”
    “Being a man—and you—you probably think of sex when you’re crossing the street.”
    “And aren’t you lucky that’s true?” He kissed the tip of her nose. “But thinking’s as far as we’ll get this morning. You wanted to be up at six.”
    “Oh, yeah. Shit. Okay.” She rolled onto her back and willed her body clock to accept morning.