Page 72 of Fury In Death

She took another breath. “You think what happened wasn’t an accident. More, you think my brother is alive, and has killed two people.”

“We follow the evidence, and the evidence is leading us there.”

Tears still glimmered, but Olivia’s face, her voice held certainty.

“You didn’t know him. There wasn’t a violent bone in his body. You could ask anyone who did know him. He was smart and kind and funny and loving.”

“And if they killed his family?”

“You believe that? You believe they killed Ari, Luke, the baby, all those people? But why?”

“What would Steve have done if he’d learned something? Something illegal, immoral, unethical. If he’d learned something that was seriously off inside the company?”

“He’d never be a part of it.” A hand to her stomach, Olivia rose, paced. “Never. You didn’t know him,” she repeated. “He dedicated his life to helping people, to finding ways to advance technology for the benefit of people, the planet we live on.”

“And if the company he worked for wasn’t? Or was using his work, or the work of others, he discovered, not to benefit? Maybe to exploit.”

“He’d talk to Ari. And he’d make sure he was right. He’d never just assume or guess. If I’d been home . . . If I’d been here, he might have talked to me. Not just his sister, but another scientist, one he trusted. He’d make sure he could prove it, then he’d bust it wide open.”

Her breath began to hitch. She braced a hand on the back of the chair to stay upright.

“Let me get you some water.” Peabody popped up, eased Olivia into the chair. “Just breathe slowly, and I’ll get you some water.”

Even as Peabody moved to the kitchen, the glass pocket doors opened.

“Mom!” the boy called out. “We’re finished homework.”

“Swear it,” the girl added with a finger crossing her heart.

Olivia took another breath as she got to her feet. “Give me a minute,” she said to Eve, then turned to the twins. “Okay, listen, I need a few more minutes of the just-adults thing.”

“But—” In unison.

“So you guys play in there, without fighting, until I come get you. And it’ll be pizza night. Pizza night,” she repeated. “Without veggies.”

Eve watched two small jaws drop.

The boy let out a whoop as the girl said, “But Dad won’t—”

“He’ll be fine with it. Just wait until I come get you.”

The two kids exchanged a look, a wild, wide grin.

The pocket doors closed.

“Major bribe.” Olivia eased into the chair again. “He’ll understand. Hector’s really strict about vegetables, but he’ll understand. Thank you.” She took the glass of water from Peabody, sipped slowly. “You think Steve’s alive and lucid. Has been alive and lucid for six years. You think he killed those two men.”

“I do. And I think he’ll kill others if we don’t find him, stop him.”

“You don’t know him. I said that before, didn’t I?”

“But you do. Where would he go?”

“We’d hoped, my parents and I, we’d hoped he’d find his way to us. But he never did, and we had to give up that hope. He’d have nowhere else to go.”

“Friends. Friends outside of his work.”

“Yes, he had friends. We gave the police, then the investigator we hired, names, contacts. It led nowhere. Understand, we fought like those two when we were kids.” She gestured toward the playroom. “We fought and we laughed and we hung out and we pissed each other off regularly.