Three Fates

by Nora Roberts

  “Going in,” he said quietly, and boosted himself inside the window.

  “Three minutes, thirty,” Rebecca warned him.

  He unhooked his harness, stepped carefully around the glass, then moved fast through the office area. Cleo rolled in after him and sprinted in the opposite direction.

  Crouched at Anita’s office door, Jack took out a lock pick. It took him nearly as long to make what would appear to be a botched attempt at picking the lock as it would have to succeed.

  At the top of the steps, Cleo debated briefly between a Baccarat wafer dish and a Lalique vase. With no regret, she tipped over the vase, stepping clear as it shattered on the floor.

  “Two minutes, Jack, Cleo. Move out now.”

  “Copy.” They met back at the window, but this time Jack brought his heel down deliberately on the edge of the windowpane to crack it. He attached his line, backed through the opening behind her.

  “Down,” he said to Cleo. “Use your feet, keep your knees loose. Everybody back to base,” he said into his headset.

  On the descent, he dropped a spare jammer, attached to a torn belt loop.

  “Why, it’s a clue!” Cleo said breathlessly as her feet hit the ground. “We got one minute.”

  “Start back.”

  “No. I leave with the guy I came with.” She unhooked her line, shrugged out of her harness and stuffed it back in the bag as Jack did the same. Then she glanced at the dangling rope.

  “Bet that stuff’s expensive.”

  “But not that hard to come by.” Once again he draped an arm over her shoulders. They walked. Just a bit faster than a stroll. “It’ll look like the thieves ran into security trouble and had to abort, and fast.”

  “Five-minute mark,” Rebecca announced. “System’s re-booting. You’ve got thirty seconds. What did you break?”

  “Some vase. Scattered a few whatnots around for good measure.”

  “Thief’s in a hurry, drops loot. Works for me.”

  “One question,” Cleo asked him. “You didn’t need a sidekick for tonight. Why’d you bring me?”

  “The point was to make it look like no less than two involved. I couldn’t have gotten to opposite ends of the fourth floor in the allotted time. Knowing there were two should make Anita a little more nervous.”

  “One would’ve made her nervous enough.”

  “Yeah. But it’ll take two to get into the house, into the safe and get out again without any hitch. I needed to see how you held up.”

  “So, this was like an audition.”

  “There you go. And you got the part.”

  “Wait till I tell my agent.”

  They were a full block away, walking easily now, hand in hand, when the alarms went wild.

  IT WAS JUST past two A.M. when Jack popped the cork on a bottle of champagne.

  “I can’t believe the whole thing took less than an hour.” Tia dropped into a chair. “I’m exhausted, and I didn’t do anything.”

  “We’re the tech crew,” Rebecca reminded her. “That’s essential personnel. And we were superb.”

  “It’s a bit early for back-patting and celebration.” Malachi lifted his glass. “But what the hell. Just knowing Anita’s going to be wakened by the police is cause enough for a round. We’ve a lot of work ahead of us yet.”

  “Don’t bring me down.” Cleo gulped down the first glass of champagne. “I’m still flying. You think Anita’ll drag her ass out of bed and go down there?”

  “Count on it. The cops’ll notify her, she’ll get there quick, fast and in a hurry. First thing she’ll do, check her office safe. Or she will if that’s where she’s stashed the Fate. Once she reassures herself it’s where she left it, she’ll do a dance with the cops, then she’ll start calling me. She’s going to be seriously pissed with Burdett Securities.”

  “But you’ll fix that,” Malachi said.

  “Yep, because the system held. That’s number one. They got in, but didn’t have time to do the job because the backup system clicked into place, as advertised. Then I’ll give her my report on Cleo.”

  “I bet it’s terribly hot in Athens this time of year,” Tia mused. “Do you think she’ll leave soon?”

  “If we have two days to put this all together, I’ll be satisfied.” He winked at Cleo. “My partner’s a natural.”

  “I think we could’ve gone all the way tonight.” Cleo held out her glass for a second round. “Into her office, into the safe and away with the prize.”

  “Maybe,” Jack agreed. “Be a damn shame if we’d gone to all that trouble and it wasn’t there.”

  “Yeah, yeah, practicalities. But all in all, you know how to show a girl a good time.”

  “That’s what they all say. You should go get some sleep. All of you. I’ll man the recorder. She’s going to be calling me in an hour or so anyway.”

  “I could make you some coffee and sandwiches,” Tia offered.

  “You’re a jewel, you are.”

  AND SO, TWO hours later almost to the minute, while he polished off a ham and cheese on rye, Jack’s home line rang. He smiled, let it ring three times. He’d already heard Anita curse him from her office.

  Just as he’d heard her open her office safe, breathe a long sigh of relief.

  “Burdett.”

  “Jack. Goddamn it, Jack. I’m at Morningside. There’s been a break-in.”

  “Anita? When?”

  “Tonight. The police are here now. I want you in here, Jack, and I want you in here now.”

  “Give me twenty minutes,” he said. He hung up, and finished his coffee.

  BY THE TIME he arrived, the Crime Scene Unit was busily at work. He figured he’d left them enough to keep them that way. He got a minor hassle from one of the uniforms blocking the entrance of the building, and had to flag down a familiar face, then wait to be cleared.

  Normally the delay would have been mildly irritating, but in this case he figured it only gave Anita more time to stew. He found her in her office, verbally skinning one of the investigators who’d been unlucky enough to catch the case.

  “I want to know what you’re doing to find the people who violated my property.”

  “Ma’am, we’re doing everything possible to—”

  “If you were doing everything possible, someone couldn’t have broken a window and climbed into this building. I’d like to know where the police were when thieves damaged my property and waltzed into this building. That’s what I’d like to know.”

  “Ms. Gaye, the first unit responded within two minutes after the alarm—”

  “Two minutes is too late.” She bared her teeth, and it occurred to Jack that if she worked herself up much higher, she’d use them to bite someone’s throat out. “I expect the police to protect my property. Do you have any conception of the taxes I pay in this area? I’m not funneling thousands of dollars into this city so the police force can sit on their asses eating doughnuts while thieves walk off with priceless antiques.”

  “Ms. Gaye, at this time, we can’t be sure if any of your inventory was stolen. If you’d—”

  “Through no help of the New York Police Department. Now you and your clumsy, fat-fingered colleagues are stomping around my building, making a mess of things, and you refuse to tell me the status of the investigation. Would you prefer I called the mayor—a personal acquaintance of mine—and ask him to speak to your superior?”

  “Ma’am, you can call God almighty and I’m still not going to be able to tell you any more than I have. This investigation is just over two hours old. I’d be moving that investigation along a lot faster if you’d give me information instead of slinging abuse and threats.”

  Jack figured she hadn’t painted and polished herself as carefully as usual, and with the furious color staining her cheeks, it was hardly surprising Anita wasn’t looking her best.

  “I want your name and your badge number, and I want you off my property.”

  “Detective Lewis Gilbert.”

&nb
sp; Lew was already taking one of his cards out of his wallet. Jack decided to give him a break and distract Anita. He put what he hoped was concern on his face and stepped into the room.

  “Lew.”

  “Jack.” Lew laid the card on Anita’s desk. “Got the word the security was Burdett.”

  “Yeah.” Jack’s mouth went grim. “Where did they breech?”

  “Fourth-floor window, rear, far east corner.”

  “Did they get inside?”

  “Yep. Tripped up somewhere, though, sprang the alarm. Left some toys behind.”

  “They get anything?”

  Lew slid a baleful glance in Anita’s direction. “Undetermined.”

  “I’d like to speak with Mr. Burdett. Privately,” Anita said coldly.

  Knowing it was likely to make her choke on her own bile, Jack held up a finger and continued talking to Lew. “If I could take a look at the breech, I might be able to give you something on it.”

  “Appreciate that.”

  “I will not be ignored while you—”

  “Just hold on.” Jack interrupted Anita’s newest tirade and walked out with Lew, leaving her vibrating with fury.

  “Piece of work, that one,” Lew began.

  “Tell me about it. The shit she was dumping on you won’t come close to what she’ll dump on me.”

  They walked to the east corner, where the office area opened into an alcove. The chilly early morning air came through the empty window. Crime-scene people were measuring, dusting, picking at the window frame for trace evidence.

  “Must’ve counted on the upper window being most vulnerable,” Jack began. “That glass is reinforced and wired. They had to circumvent the primary alarm system to get this far. Serious tech capabilities required for that. How’d they get up here?”

  “Rappel lines. Looks like the alarm went, and they took off in a quick hurry. Left the lines behind.”

  “Huh.” Jack frowned, tucked his thumbs in his pockets. “Might be they didn’t count on the secondary system.” He explained the setup as he and Lew walked downstairs and into the utility area, where the main security panels were installed.

  “I should be able to do a run, see how long the system was down—maybe how it came to be put down—once you guys are finished doing what you do. But I can tell you just from what I’ve already seen, they didn’t do it from down here.”

  “Who knows the system? This particular one.”

  “My team. You know how I screen my people, Lew. Nobody who works for me had a part in this. If they did, and were stupid enough not to take out the secondary, hell, I’d have to fire them for it.”

  Lew gave a snort, scratched his jaw. “Need the names anyhow, you know how it goes.”

  “Yeah, part of the job description.” He blew out a breath. “I’ll have to check, see who worked with me on this job. Original system was put in for the old man, Paul Morningside. I’ve done some upgrading since. The widow insists on the latest, and not just in her designer shoes.”

  He opened his mouth, then shook his head, shut it again.

  “Spill,” Lew demanded.

  “I don’t want to influence the angle of your investigation.” As if reluctant, Jack dragged a hand through his hair, glanced toward the stairway. “I just want to point out that the client knows the system—or its basic makeup.”

  Lew looked decidedly cheered at the notion. “Guess she would, wouldn’t she?”

  “Now I’m going to have to go up and let her bust my balls.”

  “Got a next of kin I should notify?”

  Jack spared Lew a sour smile, then headed back up.

  Anita was just slamming down the phone when Jack walked into her office again. He wondered, fleetingly, who she’d called to berate at five in the morning. Then saw the insurance file open on her desk.

  The lady didn’t waste any time.

  “Have you decided you can spare a moment for me?” Her voice dripped, like sugar laced with strychnine.

  “I won’t do you any good unless I know what happened. I can’t figure out what happened until I see the system and the breach.”

  “I’ll tell you what happened. You were paid to design and install a security system to protect my business from vandals and thieves. You’re paid a monthly retainer to maintain, evaluate and oversee that system, with additional fees for upgrading as the technology becomes available.”

  “I see you read your contract,” he said mildly.

  “You think you’re dealing with a bimbo here?” Her voice spiked as she stalked around her desk. “You think because I have tits I don’t have a fucking brain?”

  “I never underestimated your brain, Anita. Or commented on your tits. Why don’t you sit down?”

  “Don’t tell me to sit down.” She jabbed a finger into his chest, and her eyes widened in shock when he closed his hand over her wrist.

  “Watch it.” His voice remained level. “A cop might have to tolerate a civilian’s bullshit, but I don’t have to tolerate a client’s. Pull yourself together.”

  “Do you think you can speak to me that way?”

  And he saw, by her expression and the tone of her voice, that she liked it. Go figure, he thought in disgust. “Slap at me, I slap back. I didn’t roll out of bed at four in the morning because you snapped your fingers. I’m here because I stand by my work. Now sit down, and calm down.”

  He could almost see the instant she decided to change gears, the moment she opted to turn on the tears. “I’ve been violated. I feel so exposed, so helpless.”

  My ass, he thought, but played the game with her. “I know you’re upset, and scared. Sit down now.” He led her to a chair. “Do you want me to get you anything? Some water?”

  “No, no.” She waved a hand, then dabbed delicately at her cheek with the side of her finger. “It’s just so difficult. And the police . . . I can’t tell you what it’s like. They’re so cold, so callous. You understand what Morningside is to me. This break-in, Jack, it’s a kind of rape. You let me down. I depended on you to protect what’s mine.”

  “And I have.”

  “How can you say that? The system failed.”

  “No, it didn’t. It worked. If it hadn’t, you’d be filing a claim for a lot more than a pane of glass. The secondary system kicked in, just as designed.”

  “I don’t know what they’ve taken,” she insisted. “I’ve been too upset to start checking inventory.”

  “Then we’ll deal with it. I’ll be working with the police as closely as possible. Burdett will inspect, evaluate, repair and replace any and all parts of the system as necessary. At our expense. I’ll have a team here as soon as the cops clear the crime scene. The secondary would have taken over five minutes after the primary went off-line. Odds of anyone getting much of anything out in that space of time are pretty low. I’d concentrate on checking this floor, and it’s mostly office space.”

  He paused, deliberately scanned her office. “You’ve got some valuables in here, and in the waiting areas outside. How about your office door. Was it secured?”

  She drew a breath, let it out shakily. “Yes. I locked it and set the alarm on it before I left. The police . . . they think someone tried to pick the lock.”

  He frowned, walked over and stooped to study the lock himself. “Yeah, looks like an attempt. Not a very good one.” He straightened. “I can’t see why they’d waste time stripping down an