Three Fates

“It’s just so difficult. And the police . . . I can’t tell you what it’s like. They’re so cold, so callous. You understand what Morningside is to me. This break-in, Jack, it’s a kind of rape. You let me down. I depended on you to protect what’s mine.”
    “And I have.”
    “How can you say that? The system failed.”
    “No, it didn’t. It worked. If it hadn’t, you’d be filing a claim for a lot more than a pane of glass. The secondary system kicked in, just as designed.”
    “I don’t know what they’ve taken,” she insisted. “I’ve been too upset to start checking inventory.”
    “Then we’ll deal with it. I’ll be working with the police as closely as possible. Burdett will inspect, evaluate, repair and replace any and all parts of the system as necessary. At our expense. I’ll have a team here as soon as the cops clear the crime scene. The secondary would have taken over five minutes after the primary went off-line. Odds of anyone getting much of anything out in that space of time are pretty low. I’d concentrate on checking this floor, and it’s mostly office space.”
    He paused, deliberately scanned her office. “You’ve got some valuables in here, and in the waiting areas outside. How about your office door. Was it secured?”
    She drew a breath, let it out shakily. “Yes. I locked it and set the alarm on it before I left. The police . . . they think someone tried to pick the lock.”
    He frowned, walked over and stooped to study the lock himself. “Yeah, looks like an attempt. Not a very good one.” He straightened. “I can’t see why they’d waste time stripping down an office with what’s laid out in the show-rooms. A few goodies lying around, but nothing worth the time and trouble.”
    He was watching her as he spoke, and he saw her gaze toward the purse that sat on her desk.
    “They’d hardly break into Morningside looking for office equipment,” she began. And rose.
    In a casual move, he beat her to the purse by two strides. She froze. “I’m going to go over the system, chip by chip,” he promised, picking up the elegant and heavy snakeskin bag. “I’m sorry you have to go through this, Anita, but trust me, Morningside is as secure as possible. Now, why don’t you fix your face.” He handed her the purse, saw her fingers dig possessively into the supple leather. “And I’ll drive you home so you can get some sleep before you have to face all this.”
    “I couldn’t possibly sleep,” she began, then reconsidered. “No, you’re right. I should go home, clear my head.” She tucked the bag and its contents firmly under her arm. “And I’d feel safer with you taking me home.”
     
     
    HE WAS BANKING on catching a couple hours’ sleep himself and was surprised to see Rebecca in the living room when he came in.
    “I heard the elevator,” she said. “I was restless. You’ve been out?”
    “Yeah.” He shrugged off his jacket. “She called, on cue. It went so much as expected, I could’ve written the script. She’s locked the Fate in her home safe by now.”
    “You’re sure of that.”
    “As death and taxes.” He filled her in, short and spare, as he walked into the kitchen, pulled out orange juice and drank straight from the carton.
    Rebecca was too fascinated to scold him for it. “You were so close to it. I don’t know if I could have stopped myself from just planting a fist in her face and walking away with it.”
    “It’s a thought. I’ve never hit a woman before, but she’d be a satisfying first. It’s nearly as satisfying knowing we’ve messed with her head.” He replaced the juice. “Or as satisfying as what’s coming next. We’ll go back over in a while. Me and my top tech,” he added with a wink, “to run a system check personally.”
    She took the carton back out of the fridge, shook it to show him it was empty, then tossed it in the trash. “And what’s my hourly wage?”
    “Contingent on performance. How’d you know that was empty?”
    “The juice? Because you’re a man and I was reared with two of your kind. And after I’ve completed my brilliance with the security system?”
    “I give Anita a report. Then I’ll remember about the other little task she asked me to do.”
    He yawned, rubbed his hands over his face. “But now I’m going to grab a shower, and some sleep.”
    “You’re working awfully hard for this,” Rebecca commented as he walked toward the bath. “Risking a great deal as