In Death 06 - Vengeance in Death by authors_sort

into the smoke, caught the scent of scorched meat. The operators were too busy screaming at each other to notice her until she elbowed one of them aside to reach the regulation extinguisher hanging on the corner of the nearest cart.
    There was a fifty-fifty shot that it would contain anything but air, but luck fell on her side. She coated both carts with foam, snuffing out the fire and eliciting a stream of furious Italian from one operator and what might have been Mandarin Chinese from the other.
    They might have joined forces and jumped her, but Peabody stepped through the stink and smoke. The sight of a uniformed cop had both operators satisfying themselves with threatening curses and vicious glares.
    Peabody scanned the crowd that had gathered to watch the show, and furrowed her brow. "Move along," she ordered. "There's nothing more to see here. I always wanted to say that," she murmured to Eve, but got no quick, answering grin in response.
    "Make their day perfect and write them up for creating a public hazard."
    "Yes, sir." Peabody sighed when Eve walked back to the car.
    Ten minutes later, and in silence, they pulled up in front of the Luxury Towers. The droid was on duty at the door and only nodded respectfully when Eve flashed her badge and walked by him. She headed straight to the elevator and stood dead center of the glass tube as it shot them up to the twelfth floor.
    Peabody remained silent as Eve pressed the bell at Audrey Morrell's snowy white door. A moment later it was opened by a tidy brunette with mild green eyes and a cautious smile.
    "Yes, can I help you?"
    "Audrey Morrell?"
    "That's correct." The woman focused on Peabody, the uniform, and lifted a hand to the single strand of white stones around her neck. "Is there a problem?"
    "We'd like to ask you a few questions." Eve took out her badge, held it up. "It shouldn't take long."
    "Of course. Please come in."
    She stepped back into a lofty living area made cozy with soft pastel hues and the clever grouping of conversation areas. The walls were crowded with paintings in dreamy, bleeding colors.
    She led them to a trio of U-shaped chairs covered in Easter-egg blue.
    "May I offer you anything? Coffee perhaps?"
    "No, nothing."
    "Well then." With an uncertain smile, Audrey sat.
    This would be Summerset's type was Eve's first thought. This slim, pretty woman wearing a classically simple pale green sheath. Her hair was neatly arranged in smooth waves.
    Age was difficult to gauge. Her complexion was creamy and smooth, her hands long and narrow, her voice quiet and cultured. Mid-forties was Eve's best guess, with plenty of bucks spent on body maintenance.
    "Ms. Morrell, are you acquainted with a man named Summerset?"
    "Lawrence." Instantly the green eyes took on a sparkle, and the smile grew wider and more relaxed. "Yes, of course."
    "How do you know him?"
    "He attends my watercolor class. I teach painting on Tuesday nights at the Culture Exchange. Lawrence is one of my students."
    "He paints?"
    "Quite well, too. He's working on a lovely still life series right now, and I..." She trailed off, and her hand went back to twist her strand of rocks. "Is he in trouble? Is he all right? I was annoyed when he missed our engagement on Saturday, but it never occurred to me that -- "
    "Saturday? You had an appointment with him on Saturday?"
    "A date, really." Audrey shifted and brushed at her hair. "We... well, we have common interests."
    "Your date wasn't for Friday?"
    "Saturday afternoon. Lunch and a matinee." She let out a breath, worked up a smile again. "I suppose I can confess, as we're all women. I'd gone to quite a bit of time and trouble with my appearance. And I was terribly nervous. Lawrence and I have seen each other outside of class a few times, but always with art as a buffer. This would have been our first actual date. I haven't dated in some time, you see. I'm a widow. I lost my husband five years ago, and... well. I was crushed when he stood me up. But I see