Interlude In Death

"Pretty pointed," Eve decided.

"A lot of the terrestrial cops walked out then."

"So he's probably a little shaky now himself. I'll take him," Eve said. "Peabody, you track down Feeney, see what other details you can dig out on the two victims and anyone else on-site who's co

Darcia polished off her wine. "It does."

Eve detoured back to the suite first. She wanted a few more details before questioning Ski

He was on the 'link when she got there, talking to his head of hotel security. Restless, Eve wandered out onto the terrace and let her mind shuffle the facts, the evidence,the lines of possibilities.

Two dead.Both victims' fathers martyred cops. And those co

A setup from the begi

He wanted blood.

She turned as Roarke stepped out. "In the end, destroying you won't be enough. He's setting you up, step by step, for execution.A lot of weapons on this site. He keeps the pressure on, piles up the circumstantial so there's enough appearance that you might have ordered these hits. All he needs is one soldier willing to take the fall. I'm betting Hayes for that one. Ski

"No, he doesn't," Roarke agreed. "I got into his medical records. A year ago he was diagnosed with a rare disorder. It's complicated, but the best I can interpret, it sort of nibbles away at the brain."

"Treatment?"

"Yes, there are some procedures. He's had two – quietly, at a private facility in Zurich. It slowed the process, but in his case… He's had complications.A strain on the heart and lungs. Another attempt at correction would kill him. He was given a year. He has, perhaps, three months of that left.And of that three months, two at the outside where he'll continue to be mobile and lucid. He's made arrangements for self-termination."

"That's rough." Eve slipped her hands into her pockets. There was more – she could see it in Roarke's eyes. Something about the way he watched her now. "It plays into the rest. This one event's been stuck in his gut for decades. He wants to clear his books before he checks out. Whatever's eating at his brain has probably made him more unstable, more fanatic and less worried about the niceties. He needs to see you go down before he does. What else? What is it?"

"I went down several more layers in his case file on the bust.His follow-ups, his notes. He believed he'd tracked my father before he'd slipped out of the country again. Ski

Her stomach clenched, and her heart tripped for several beats. "It's a big place. It doesn't mean…"

"The timing's right." He walked to her, ran his hands up and down her arms as if to warm them."Your father and mine, petty criminals searching for the big score. You were found in that Dallas alley only a few days after Ski

"You're saying they knew each other, your father and mine."

"I'm saying the circle's too tidy to ignore. I nearly didn't tell you," he added, resting his forehead on hers.

"Give me a minute." She stepped away from him, leaned out on the rail, stared out over the resort. But she was seeing that cold, dirty room, and herself huddled in the corner like an animal.Blood on her hands.

"He had a deal going," she said quietly. "Some deal or other, I think. He wasn't drinking as much – and it was worse for me when he wasn't good and drunk when he came back. And he had some money. Well." She took a deep breath. "Well. It plays out. Do you know what I think?"

"Tell me."

"I think sometimes fate cuts you a break. Like it says, okay, you've had enough of that crap, so it's time you fell into something nice. See what you make out of it." She turned back to him then. "We're making something out of it. Whatever they were to us, or to each other, it's what we are now that counts."

"Darling Eve.I adore you."

"Then you'll do me a favor. Keep yourself scarce for the next couple of hours. I don't want to give Ski

"Agreed, with one condition.You go wired." He took a small jeweled pin from his pocket, attached it to her lapel. "I'll monitor from here."

"It's illegal to record without all parties' knowledge and permission unless you have proper authorization."

"Is it really?" He kissed her. "That's what you get for bedding down with bad companions."

"Heard about that, did you?"

"Just as I heard that a large portion of your fellow cops walked out of the speech. Your reputation stands, Lieutenant. I imagine your seminar tomorrow will be packed."

"My… Shit!I forgot. I'm not thinking about it," she muttered on the way out. "Not thinking about it."

She slipped into the conference room where Ski

She scoped out the setup.Ski

Excessive, she thought, and obviously so. The message was that the location, the situation, posed personal jeopardy for Ski

Very neat.

She raised her hand, and was ignored. Five questions passed until she simply got to her feet and addressed him. And as she rose, she noted Hayes slide a hand inside his jacket.

She knew every cop in the room caught the gesture. The room went dead quiet.

"Commander Ski

"Every man who picks up a badge does so acknowledging he will give his life if need be to serve and protect. Every commander must respect that acknowledgment. Personal feelings must be weighed, in order to select the right man for the right situation. This is a matter of experience and the accumulation, through years and that experience, of recognizing the best dynamic for each given op. But personal feelings – i.e., emotional attachments, private co

"So, as commander, you'd have no problem sacrificing a close personal friend or co

His color came up. And the tremor she had noticed in his hand became more pronounced." 'Sacrificing,' Lieutenant Dallas?A poor choice of words. Cops aren't lambs being sent to slaughter. Not passive sacrifices to the greater good, but active, dedicated soldiers in the fight for justice."

"Soldiers are sacrificed in battle.Acceptable losses."