In Death 26 - Strangers in Death

Dallas.”
    “We haven’t determined or announced the death as murder.”
    “That’s not what I hear. Strangled, in bed, with considerable kink attached. If not murder, was it accidental death during sex games?”
    So the trickle was already a flood, Eve thought. “You know better, Nadine.”
    “A girl’s gotta try. He was a nice guy, Dallas. I’d like to cover this right.”
    “You knew him?”
    “I did a few features on him, his wife, his nephew over the years. That’s not really knowing someone, but what I did know, I liked. Tabloid media—and a lot of other media—is going to pump up the sex, you know this. I can’t avoid it, but I want to be evenhanded. So help me.”
    “Not this time. But I’ll give you Peabody. You won’t screw with her, or the investigation. And she needs to develop her media chops. So you help her.”
    “That’s a deal. I’ll have my people get in touch with her, but tell her I need her here, at the studio, by five tomorrow.”
    “Nadine, in five words or less, sum up your take on the relationship between Anders and his wife, and Anders and his nephew.”
    “With the wife, affectionate and proud. The same for the nephew, but even more so. I remember asking Anders what he considered his finest accomplishment. He turned a photo around that he kept on his desk—one of his nephew. ‘You’re looking at him,’ is what he said. I ended the piece with it.”
    “Thanks.” Eve clicked off, glanced over as Peabody clomped in with an armload of food.
    “We got your pretend-I’m-turkey wraps, soy chips, and these cute little tubs of veggie hash. I got you a tube of Pepsi.”
    Eve watched while Peabody set food on her desk, tidily organizing debris to make room. “What are you angling for, Peabody?”
    “Angling? Just making sure you don’t forget to eat. You’re always forgetting to eat, which is why you’re skinny as a snake. Which looks great on you.” Peabody’s gaze darted up and away while she added a napkin and plastic fork. Then her breath huffed out as Eve continued to give her the fish-eye. “Okay, okay. Maybe I was hoping, if we’re not on the tail of some hot lead or whatever, you could find it in your big, generous heart to—”
    “Cut the crap.”
    “I want to leave early, take an hour’s personal time. McNab and I have a date.”
    “You and McNab live together.”
    “Yeah, well, see, that’s kind of the point.” Peabody dragged the visitor’s chair over, picked up her wrap, and chowed down. “We realized we didn’t want the cohab thing to take the romance out of things. The spark. So we instituted Date Night. Tonight’s the first, so I really want to get home in time to buff myself up. Special, you know? Kick him in the balls special.”
    “If you want to kick him in the balls—and I often want to myself—you should stay home.”
    “Dallas.”
    “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Take the hour, buff and polish, kick him in the balls.”
    “Thanks. We’re going to this club, and not one of those bump-and-fuck joints,” Peabody added, gesturing with a soy chip before popping it into her mouth to crunch. “But where you actually go to listen to music and dance with each other and stuff. I really want to look extreme, so you know, need that hour.”
    “Fine. You’ll be making it up tomorrow. You need to report to Nadine’s studio at Channel 75 at seventeen hundred.”
    “Whafo?” Peabody asked with a mouthful of veggie hash.
    “She’ll interview you on the Anders case, so make sure you’re—”
    “What? On the air? Me?” She choked, whistled out a breath while her eyes wheeled, then glugged down Diet Pepsi. “No.”
    “You’ll be representing the department, and this division, so don’t screw it up.”
    “But…But people watch Now . Practically everybody. I can’t—”
    “Screw it up. Exactly.” It was small, it was mean, but Eve couldn’t deny Peabody’s reaction made the pretend turkey almost tasty. “Nadine has respect for cops, and for the process, but she’s still a reporter. She’s sneaky. Don’t forget that. You give the facts I’ll clear you to give, and the feel, your own take, but when she presses you—and she will—on investigative details, you block. Standard, I’m not at liberty.”
    Faintly green now, Peabody pressed a hand to her belly. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
    “You boot on my desk, I’ll throw your gagging body out my window. You won’t have to worry about going on screen.”
    “Can’t