In Death 03 - Immortal in Death by authors_sort Page B
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and she had to do it herself.
Still, she was glad when Roarke opened the door.
"I can see it in your face." And he took her face in his hands. "I'm sorry, Eve."
"I have a warrant. I have to take her in, book her. There's nothing else I can do."
"I know. Come here." He gathered her close, held her as she burrowed her face in his shoulder. "We'll find the piece of this that clears her, Eve."
"Nothing I've found, nothing, Roarke, helps her. Everything makes it worse. The evidence, it's all there. The motive's there, the timing." She drew back. "If I didn't know her, I wouldn't have a doubt."
"But you do know her."
"She's going to be scared." Frightened herself, Eve looked up the stairs, toward where Mavis would be waiting. "The PA's office told me they wouldn't block bail, but still, she's going to need... Roarke, I hate to ask you -- "
"You don't have to. I've already contacted the best criminal defense team in the country."
"I can't pay you back for that."
"Eve -- "
"I don't mean the money." She took a shuddering breath and gripped both of his hands. "You don't really know her, but you believe in her because I do. That's what I can't pay you back for. I have to go get her."
"You want to do it alone." He understood, and had already convinced himself not to argue the point. "I'll alert her lawyers. What are the charges?"
"Murder two. I'll have to deal with the media. It's certainly going to leak that Mavis and I have history." She pulled her hands through her disordered hair. "That may bleed over onto you."
"Do you think that worries me?"
She nearly smiled. "No, I guess not. This may take awhile. I'll bring her back as soon as I can."
"Eve," he murmured as she started up the stairs. "She believes in you, too. There's good reason for it."
"I hope you're right." Bracing herself, she continued up, walked slowly down the corridor to Mavis's room, and knocked.
"Come on in, Summerset. I told you I'd come down for the cake. Oh." Surprised, Mavis leaned back from the computer where she'd been struggling to write a new song. To cheer herself up, she'd worn a skin suit of bright sapphire and had dyed her hair to match. "I thought it was Summerset."
"And cake."
"Yeah, he buzzed in and told me the cook had baked a triple chocolate fudge cake. Summerset knows I've got this weakness. I know the two of you don't get along, but he's really sweet to me."
"That's because he keeps imagining you naked."
"Whatever works." She began to tap her tricolored nails on the console in a quick, nervous tattoo. "Anyway he's been great. I guess if he thought I had my eye on Roarke, it'd be different. He's like totally devoted. You'd think Roarke was his first and only born or something instead of his boss. That's the only reason he gives you grief -- Well, and you being a cop doesn't help. I think Summerset has this block about cops."
She broke off, trembled visibly. "I'm sorry, Dallas, I'm babbling. I'm so scared. You found Leonardo, didn't you? Something's really, really wrong. He's hurt, isn't he? He's dead."
"No, he's not hurt." Eve crossed the room and sat on the foot of the bed. "He came into the cop shop this morning. He had a cut on his arm, that's all. The two of you had pretty much the same idea last night. He got tanked and headed for your place, ended up cutting his arm on an empty bottle he dropped before he keeled."
"He was drunk?" Mavis sprang up at that. "He hardly ever drinks. He knows he can't. He told me how he does things he can't remember if he drinks too much. It scares him, and... To my place," she said, eyes softening. "That's so sweet. Then he came to see you because he couldn't find me."
"He came to see me to confess to the murder of Pandora."
Mavis reared back as if Eve had struck her. "That's impossible. Leonardo wouldn't hurt anyone. He's just not capable of it. He was just trying to protect me."
"He didn't know anything about your involvement at that time. He believes he must have argued with Pandora,
Still, she was glad when Roarke opened the door.
"I can see it in your face." And he took her face in his hands. "I'm sorry, Eve."
"I have a warrant. I have to take her in, book her. There's nothing else I can do."
"I know. Come here." He gathered her close, held her as she burrowed her face in his shoulder. "We'll find the piece of this that clears her, Eve."
"Nothing I've found, nothing, Roarke, helps her. Everything makes it worse. The evidence, it's all there. The motive's there, the timing." She drew back. "If I didn't know her, I wouldn't have a doubt."
"But you do know her."
"She's going to be scared." Frightened herself, Eve looked up the stairs, toward where Mavis would be waiting. "The PA's office told me they wouldn't block bail, but still, she's going to need... Roarke, I hate to ask you -- "
"You don't have to. I've already contacted the best criminal defense team in the country."
"I can't pay you back for that."
"Eve -- "
"I don't mean the money." She took a shuddering breath and gripped both of his hands. "You don't really know her, but you believe in her because I do. That's what I can't pay you back for. I have to go get her."
"You want to do it alone." He understood, and had already convinced himself not to argue the point. "I'll alert her lawyers. What are the charges?"
"Murder two. I'll have to deal with the media. It's certainly going to leak that Mavis and I have history." She pulled her hands through her disordered hair. "That may bleed over onto you."
"Do you think that worries me?"
She nearly smiled. "No, I guess not. This may take awhile. I'll bring her back as soon as I can."
"Eve," he murmured as she started up the stairs. "She believes in you, too. There's good reason for it."
"I hope you're right." Bracing herself, she continued up, walked slowly down the corridor to Mavis's room, and knocked.
"Come on in, Summerset. I told you I'd come down for the cake. Oh." Surprised, Mavis leaned back from the computer where she'd been struggling to write a new song. To cheer herself up, she'd worn a skin suit of bright sapphire and had dyed her hair to match. "I thought it was Summerset."
"And cake."
"Yeah, he buzzed in and told me the cook had baked a triple chocolate fudge cake. Summerset knows I've got this weakness. I know the two of you don't get along, but he's really sweet to me."
"That's because he keeps imagining you naked."
"Whatever works." She began to tap her tricolored nails on the console in a quick, nervous tattoo. "Anyway he's been great. I guess if he thought I had my eye on Roarke, it'd be different. He's like totally devoted. You'd think Roarke was his first and only born or something instead of his boss. That's the only reason he gives you grief -- Well, and you being a cop doesn't help. I think Summerset has this block about cops."
She broke off, trembled visibly. "I'm sorry, Dallas, I'm babbling. I'm so scared. You found Leonardo, didn't you? Something's really, really wrong. He's hurt, isn't he? He's dead."
"No, he's not hurt." Eve crossed the room and sat on the foot of the bed. "He came into the cop shop this morning. He had a cut on his arm, that's all. The two of you had pretty much the same idea last night. He got tanked and headed for your place, ended up cutting his arm on an empty bottle he dropped before he keeled."
"He was drunk?" Mavis sprang up at that. "He hardly ever drinks. He knows he can't. He told me how he does things he can't remember if he drinks too much. It scares him, and... To my place," she said, eyes softening. "That's so sweet. Then he came to see you because he couldn't find me."
"He came to see me to confess to the murder of Pandora."
Mavis reared back as if Eve had struck her. "That's impossible. Leonardo wouldn't hurt anyone. He's just not capable of it. He was just trying to protect me."
"He didn't know anything about your involvement at that time. He believes he must have argued with Pandora,
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