Page 169 of Framed in Death

She waited for the rest to come out of Observation. Mira laid a cool hand on her hot cheek. “You baited her.”

“It didn’t take much.”

“No, it wouldn’t. At first pass, I’d call it borderline personality disorder. She can’t be wrong. Must be the center. Her son has all her love, as to give it to others takes from him. He, at least, gives her the pretense that she’s the center for him. I think she’ll continue to believe, for some time, that her money and position will override all of this, and she and her son will walk free.”

“She won’t,” Reo said. “She will, most likely, insist on a trial, and why not, since we won’t entertain a plea that lets her out in this lifetime. But at trial? We’ll bury her, I swear it.

“I need to update my boss. See you Saturday. I trust you’ll have plenty of wine.”

“You closed the lid,” Whitney told her, then surprised Eve by giving her a light punch on the shoulder. “She swung for the fences. You didn’t even flinch.”

“Well, I saw it coming.”

“Didn’t even flinch,” he repeated, and smiling, walked away.

“Saturday.” Mira touched her lips to Eve’s cheek. “We’ll drink plenty of that wine.”

“I could use some now,” Eve murmured when Mira left them.

“You’ll want to write it up first.”

Eve nodded at Roarke. “I want to close it out. Lid’s on, yeah, but I’m going to lock it down. Peabody, go home. Go bask in your happy kitchen, bake something, build a sofa, play with the kid, whatever.”

“No, sir. I’m locking my own lid first. He took the lives, but…”

“She’s worse,” Eve finished. She started to her office.

Peabody peeled off at her desk.

“Under an hour,” Eve told Roarke.

“Take the time you need.” Like Mira, he laid his lips on her cheek. “I saw it coming as well. I believe I flinched.”

Since that made her laugh, she hugged him. “Under an hour. Close it down, lock it up.”

“Then we’ll go home, take a walk to the pond, have some wine.”

Since she’d taken off her jacket as he’d suggested that morning, he tapped her weapon harness.

“You did look formidable, Lieutenant. Every inch of formidable. Tag me when you’re ready.”

“Roarke?”

He paused at her doorway.

“I’m glad you were here for the end of it. Now we don’t have to talk about it tonight. We don’t have to give them a minute’s more time once we walk out of Central.”

“Just you, me, and the cat for the evening.”

“Sounds good. Real good.”

When he left, she stood a moment, rolled her shoulders. As before, she marveled at the weight lessened.

Duty done, justice served, she thought.

Then she sat to close it out and lock it up.