Visions In Death

But she wasn't finished. Not yet.

She dug in her pocket for another Stay-Up, dry-swallowing it as she walked to the copter where Roarke waited.

"I'm going to ask you for one thing," he began.

"You're entitled to more than one after the night you put in. Above and beyond, Roarke." "We see that differently, but I will ask for one thing from you. When this is done, when you've closed it down, I want two days. Two days away from this, from all of it. We can stay at home, or go anywhere you like, but I want that time for both of us. To I'd say to get this out of our system, but we never will. Not really." He pulled off the leather strap he'd used to tie back his hair. "To rebalance ourselves, I'll say." "It's going to take some time yet. I need to be around until Peabody's on her feet." That goes without saying." "Yeah." Because she understood it did, she pointed, then walked to the other side of the copter. Maybe it was silly to need it as a shield, but there were still a lot of cops on scene.

She'd given her official statement to the media, though a few lingered, hoping for more.

They'd get no more from her tonight, and she wanted private moments to stay private.

She slid her arms around his waist, pressed her cheek to his. "Let's just hold on here a minute." "Gratefully." "It shakes me. You can never get yourself ready for something like this. No matter what. And you know they'll never be enough payment made for it. There can't be. I'm sick.

I'm sick in every part of myself." She turned her head so it rested on his shoulder. "So yeah, I'll give you two days and take them. Somewhere away, Roarke. Away, where it's just us. Let's go to the island." She tightened her grip, tried to envision the sugary sand, the blue water, and erase the vision of the muddy ground and body bags. "We don't even have to take any clothes." With a small sigh, he rested his head on top of hers. "I can't think of anything more perfect." "I got to finish up tonight's work. A couple days more, maybe after that. Then we'll get the hell out." He gave her a boost into the copter. "You sure you're up to the rest of this tonight? You're ru

Celina opened the gate to the elevator in her loft. "Dallas, Roarke. You both look exhausted." "You're not wrong. I know it's late. I'm sorry." "Don't worry about that. Come in and sit." She gestured them in. "Let me get you something. Have you eaten?" "Not thinking about food for some time yet. But wouldn't say no to a chair."

"And some tea, I think." "She could use it," Roarke said before Eve could speak.

"We both could." "Just give me a minute." She hurried away on bare feet with her lounging robe floating around her ankles. "Peabody?" she asked from the kitchen.

"She's pretty good, considering. In a regular room well in the hospital palace Roarke finagled for her. She'll need a couple more days in anyway, then maybe she can switch to at-home care until she's a hundred percent again." Tm so glad to hear it. I don't know if you've talked to Mira, but we made more progress today, and I think I could work with a police artist tomorrow." She carried a tray back in, hesitated when she saw Eve's face. "What?" "We ID'd him this afternoon. We got him." "My God." Celina set the tray down with a little thunk and rattle. "You're sure? I can't believe it." "We're sure. It's one of the reasons we came by. Guess you haven't had the screen on." "No, I haven't. Clearing the mind, and all that. How? When?" "I figured I'd left you out of the loop, but everything moved fast once it started moving." "That's not even an issue. He's locked up? It's done." She breathed out slowly, then reached for the teapot. "I don't even know how to think, or feel. It's such a relief. How did you find him?" "Witnesses who saw him assault Peabody got a decent look at him, and his ride. We worked from there. Picked him up.

He broke in Interview in less than an hour." "You must be not only exhausted but very pleased." She passed cups of tea around. "It came down to straight cop work, after all." "And some luck."

"I guess I didn't contribute much, at the end of things." "Not so. You did quite a bit." "You have a gift," Roarke continued. "You've utilized it." "It's not something I have a choice over." "Oh, I disagree." Eve sipped tea. "You certainly chose to use it when you murdered A

This is hideous and horrible. You're accusing me of murder? Of killing poor A

Fifteen, Celina. He had their eyes on display. Over the past few hours we've been disinterring bodies from the backyard on his mother's place upstate. Bet you know about that place, too. We have thirteen bodies. Thirteen including his mother whose remains have been positively ID'd. Thirteen women he practiced on." Eve's face wasn't pale. It was hard as stone, cold as ice, but a faint flush of rage tinged it. "Did you watch him kill them, too? Add Elisa Maplewood, add Lily Napier, and you've got your fifteen." Celina's hands fluttered up, crossed over her breasts. "I can't believe what I'm hearing. I think you must have pushed yourself over some edge." "Right up to it, but not over. If I'd gone over, I'd be breaking your face right now, the way Blue broke my partner's." "You'd accuse me, after I came to you, after I've tried to help, because you have one too many bodies to fit your case? For God's sake. I want you to leave my house. I want you-" When she started to rise, Roarke simply reached out, shoved her back into place. "You want to sit quietly, Celina." And his voice was deathly calm. "We've both had a miserable few hours and may be less courteous than you're accustomed to. So I'd sit still if I were you." "Now you're threatening me. I'm calling my lawyer." "Haven't read you your rights yet, so you don't get any.

I'll read them to you, Celina, and you can call your lawyer, but right now, we're just having a conversation." "I don't like the tone of this conversation." "You know what I don't like? I don't like being used. I don't like being hosed by some selfish bitch with a sixth sense so she can kill her boyfriend's new woman." "Listen to yourself! I was at home, all night, when she was killed. I took a tranq. I never left the house." "Not at all true," Roarke commented. "Oh, you've got the security discs that'll prove you didn't go out the front, use the elevator. But interestingly enough, you've no tenants down below and haven't for the last few months." Summerset's little contribution, Eve thought. "You didn't renew their lease." "It's certainly my choice-" "And that made it very simple," Roarke went on. "You went out the door there where you shut down the security cams down the stairs, into 1-A, and out the emergency evac. I checked it myself, and you didn't think to seal up first. We've your prints on the door, on the window, on the evac mechanism." "It's my property." But her hands were moving restlessly now, from her lap, to her throat, to her hair. "My fingerprints might be anywhere." "A

You're not a two-hundred-eighty-pound man. You needed to distract her, to get her down so she didn't have time to fight." Tor heaven's sakes. He raped her. In whatever fantasy you've dreamed up, for whatever reason, you can hardly accuse me of raping another woman." "Couldn't have been pleasant for you. What appliance did you use? They make all kinds. Some of them are so realistic, you can hardly tell them from the real McCoy." "Please." Eve patted Roarke's knee. "Sorry." "You'll never prove this." "Oh, Celina, I will." Eve leaned forward so Celina could look directly into her eyes. "You know I will. Just like you knew I'd get John Blue, with or without you. You wanted me to, just not before A