The In Death Collection, Books 11-15

by J. D. Robb

  “No one in particular. In any case, if someone wanted to yank my attention away from a project, cause me to neglect it, the most certain way of doing that would have been to try for you.”

  “And have you hound them until they’re no more than husks you can kick into dust? I don’t think so.”

  He skimmed a finger down the shallow dent in her chin. “You have a point.”

  “If it’s nothing from now, then you have to think back. The past can circle back on us no matter what kind of maze we build. We both know that. Part of yours is splashing around in your swimming pool right now.”

  “True enough.”

  “Roarke.” She hesitated, then leaped. “You haven’t seen him for a long time. You don’t know who he is now, or what he’s done in the years between. He shows up, right in the lobby of the hotel, hours, really, after the murder.”

  “You’re looking at Mick in this?” He was able to smile again, shake his head. “He’s a thief, a grifter, a liar, certainly, and not one you’d trust farther than a good boot in the ass would send him, but murder isn’t in him. This kind,” he continued before she could argue, “this cold and calculated kind is either in a man or isn’t, Eve. We both know that.”

  “Maybe. But people change. And paying for murder can add a nice, cozy buffer for some.”

  “For some. Not Mick.” On that point, at least, he hadn’t a doubt. “You’re right that he may have changed. But never on that most elemental level. He’d cheerfully cheat a grandmother, even his own, out of her life’s savings, but he wouldn’t kill a mongrel dog, or order it done, for rubies. He was the softest of us when it came to bloodshed.”

  “Okay.” But she’d keep an eye on Mick Connelly nonetheless. “Someone else from back then. You need to put your mind to it. To deals from before, to deals right now. Something I can work with.”

  “I’ll set my mind on it, I promise you.”

  “Good. And you’ll increase your personal security.”

  “Will I?”

  She’d hoped to sneak that one in, but hadn’t really counted on it. “You’re the target. It’s possible Darlene French was just a warning shot. ‘Look how close I can get without really trying.’ The next step might be to go after you directly.”

  “Or you,” he countered. “Are you increasing your personal security?”

  “I don’t have any personal security.”

  “Exactly.”

  “I’m a cop.”

  “And I sleep with one.” He snuck an arm around her waist. “Aren’t I lucky?”

  “Cut it out. This isn’t a joke.”

  “No, indeed it isn’t. But that crack about increasing my personal security I’ll take as one so I don’t become annoyed with my wife right before we have guests for dinner. Shut up,” he suggested as she opened her mouth, then insured she did so.

  The kiss was long, and it was hard, and not particularly playful. So when she surfaced from it, her eyes narrowed.

  “I can hang cops all over you.”

  “You could,” he agreed. “And I could shake them right off again, as you well know. You’re the only cop I want hanging all over me, Lieutenant. In fact . . .” His clever fingers had her shirt half-unbuttoned before she slapped them away.

  “Cut it out. I don’t have time for this.”

  He grinned. “Then I’ll be quick.”

  “I said—” But his teeth sunk lightly into her throat, shooting the thrill straight down the center of her body, right through the toes. Her eyes might have crossed, but she gave him a decent elbow jab. “Stop it.”

  “I can’t. I have to hurry.” And he was laughing as he unfastened the hook of her trousers. Laughing when his mouth came back to cover hers.

  She might have kicked him if her feet hadn’t gotten tangled, but her heart wouldn’t have been in it. Even her yelp as he plopped her onto her own desk didn’t register much of a protest.

  Half-naked, already breathless, she levered herself on her elbows. “All right, just get it over with.”

  He leaned over her, nipped her chin. “I heard that snicker.”

  “That was the sound of a sneer.”

  “Was it?” Amused, aroused, he distracted her with a nibble on her bottom lip. “I can never tell the difference. And what sound is this?”

  “What sound?”

  He drove himself into her, one powerful and deep thrust that ripped a shocked cry from her throat.

  “That one.” He lowered his head, tasting the heat that rose to her flesh even as her hips arched to meet him. “And that one.”

  She struggled to get her breath back. “Tolerance,” she managed.

  “Oh, well, if that’s the best we can do.” He started to move back. She reared up, wrapped around him.

  “I need to practice my tolerance.” She skimmed the hair away from his face with her fingers, then fisted her hands. Her lips curved, met his.

  When the in-house ’link signaled, he simply reached over and manually switched it to standby.

  It turned out he wasn’t as quick as he was thorough. When she was reasonably certain her legs would hold her again, she pushed off the desk and stood, wearing her boots, an open shirt, and her shoulder harness.

  Absurdly sexy, he thought, his cop.

  “I don’t suppose you’d wait just a moment while I get a camera.”

  Not quite steady, she glanced down, got a reasonably clear picture of herself, and curled her lip at him. “Play time’s over.” She reached down for her trousers, then had to simply stay bent over. “Man, you fuzz up my brain.”

  “Thank you, darling. It wasn’t my best effort, but I was under considerable time restraint.”

  With her hands on her knees she looked up. His hair was tousled from her fingers, his eyes deep blue and sleepy with satisfaction. “Maybe I’ll let you try again later.”

  “You’re too good to me.” He walked by, patting her affectionately on the ass. “We’d better tidy ourselves up for dinner.”

  The thing about dinner parties, Eve had discovered, was that you couldn’t just sit down at the table and ask your neighbor to pass the potatoes. There was a whole ritual to be observed, which included proper attire and body adornments, an exchange of pleasantries, even if you weren’t feeling particularly pleasant, and the premeal consumption of alcohol and tiny bits of food in a room other than the one fashioned for serious dining.

  This, by her estimation, added about an hour to the event, and didn’t begin to include the after-meal section of the interlude.

  She thought she’d become reasonably adept at handling the ceremony—not as smoothly as Roarke, but then who could? Still it didn’t take that much brain power to act as host to a bunch of people in your own house, even if her mind did tend to wander now and again toward activities she’d rather have been involved in.

  If she could get a solid line on the luggage and on the silver wire, she could begin to put together a geographic pattern on Yost. Where he shopped, how he shopped. Which could lead to the area of where and how he lived.

  The man liked steak, medium rare. Slabs of prime beef didn’t come cheap. Did he buy his own meat, or go out to restaurants?

  Top of the line, whichever it was.

  Did he treat himself to the best when he was working, or was it a daily habit?

  What else did he spend his money on? He had plenty of it. How did he access his funds? If she could—

  “You seem to be somewhere else entirely.”

  “What?” Eve focused on Magda, struggled to clear her head. “Sorry.”

  “No, don’t apologize.” They were sitting on the silky cushions of one of the antique sofas in the formal parlor. Diamonds, bright and round as planets, flashed at Magda’s ears and at the hollow of her throat. She sipped at a frothy and pale pink drink in a small flute. “What’s on your mind is, I’m sure, a great deal more important than the foolishness on ours. You were thinking about that poor girl who was murdered. Do you know my suite’s directly below wher
e she was killed?”

  “No.” Eve let that play around in her mind a bit. “I didn’t know.”

  “Horrible. She was hardly more than a child, wasn’t she? I believe I saw her, just the night before it happened, in the hall as I was leaving my room. She said good evening to me, and called me by name. I gave her no more than an absent smile because I was in a hurry. Little regrets,” Magda murmured, “that make no difference at all.”

  “Was she alone? Did you see anyone with her? Do you remember the time?” Even as Magda blinked, Eve was shaking her head. “Sorry. Sorry. Occupational hazard.”

  “It’s perfectly all right. I didn’t notice anyone, but I do know it was seven-forty-five, because I was to meet people in the bar at seven-thirty, and I was annoyed with myself for being late. So divalike. I’d been on the ’link with my agent about a new project I’m considering.”

  Put it away, Eve ordered herself. “A new movie?”

  “It’s sweet of you to ask when you couldn’t be the least bit interested. Yes, a good, solid part. But I can’t give the decision the attention it deserves until after the auction. Now, should I tell you about your guests tonight, or has Roarke already briefed you?”

  “There wasn’t a lot of time for that,” Eve said and thought about the fast, impulsive sex on her desk. Nearly grinned.

  “Good, it gives me a chance for quick gossip. My son.” She glanced over with affection at the golden-haired man standing by the fireplace, his face handsome and serious. “My one and only. He’s becoming quite the sober and steady businessman,” she said with pride shining. “I don’t know what I’d do without him. He’s not yet settled down to give me the grandchildren I’ve begun to crave, but I have hope. Not,” she said with some spirit, “that I see Liza Trent in the role of my daughter-in-law. She’s gorgeous, of course.”

  Magda leaned back and studied the curvy blonde who stood with her hand on Vince’s arm and appeared to hang on his every word. “Ambitious, and a reasonably good actor. Not Vince’s type for the long haul. Not very bright, all in all. But so good for the ego. See how she looks at him as though the words fall from his mouth like gold coins.”

  “You don’t like her.”

  “I don’t dislike her. It’s the mother in me, I suppose, becoming impatient for Vince to move on.”

  It didn’t look like it would happen anytime soon, Eve mused. Vince Lane might have been his mother’s apple, but to her he looked a bit weak around the chin.

  Fashion-wise, he went for the trendy and expensive, and looked, in her opinion, elaborate and overdressed next to Roarke’s understated elegance.

  But then, what did she know about fashion?

  “Then there’s Carlton Mince,” Magda went on. “Looks a bit like a mole, doesn’t he? Bless him. He’s managed my finances for more years than I care to count. He’s helped me tremendously with the ins and outs of the foundation. Steady as a rock, that’s Carlton, and I’m afraid just as interesting to most people. His wife, the woman in the remarkably ugly and unsuitable gown, is Minnie. Minnie Mince, can you imagine? She’s walking proof that you can indeed be too thin and too addicted to body sculpting.”

  Eve felt herself smirk before she could stop it. The fact was, the woman looked like an overdressed, overpolished stick with a tower of gaudy red hair.

  “Twenty years ago she was his bookkeeper,” Magda continued, “with bad hair and an eye on the goal. The last twelve she’s been his wife. She got the goal, Carlton, and still has bad hair.”

  Eve laughed. “That’s probably mean.”

  “Oh, probably. But where’s the fun in talking about people if you only say nice things? You look at Minnie and are assured money can’t buy taste, but at the same time she suits Carlton to the ground. She makes him happy, and since I’m enormously fond of him, I like her for that alone. Last, we have Roarke’s charming friend from Ireland. What can you tell me about him?”

  “Not a lot. They were boys together in Dublin, and haven’t seen each other for a number of years.”

  “And you watch him with a calculating eye.”

  “Do I?” Eve moved her shoulders. It paid to remember that actors were the observant sort. At least the good ones were. “I probably watch everyone that way. Another occupational hazard.”

  “You don’t look at this one with a cop’s eye,” Magda commented as Roarke crossed the room toward them.

  “Ladies.” In a gesture both absent and intimate, he trailed his fingers over Eve’s shoulder. On cue, Summerset came to the door to announce dinner.

  During the meal Eve confirmed that Magda was, for the most part, a keen observer of human nature. Liza Trent either giggled or knit her brows in rapt concentration whenever Vince spoke. The fact that she could put on a good show of fascination with his tedious remarks earned her points, in Eve’s mind, as an actor.

  Carlton Mince was as quiet as the mole Magda had compared him to, speaking in polite and modulated tones when called on to do so, and otherwise steadily burrowing his way through each course. As for his wife, Eve caught her surreptitiously examining the silverware for the maker’s mark.

  Conversation wound its way around to the auction, and there, at least, Vince appeared to know his business. “Magda Lane’s collection of theater memorabilia, particularly costume, is unrivaled.” He cut delicately into his pressed duck. “In fact, I tried to persuade her to limit the auction to that alone.”

  “One fell swoop,” Magda said with a laugh. “I never could do anything in pieces.”

  “Truer words.” Her son sent her a warm, if exasperated look. “Still, saving the ball gown from Pride’s Fall until last will end the event on a high note.”

  “Ah, I remember it well.” Mick let out a wistful, loverlike sigh. “The spoiled and headstrong Pamela sweeps into the ballroom at Carlyle Hall in her simmering gown of the ice goddess, daring any man to resist her. The dreams I had that night, after seeing you in that dress, Miss Lane, why they’d bring a blush to your cheek.”

  Obviously delighted, she leaned toward him. “I don’t blush easily, Mr. Connelly.”

  He chuckled. “I do. Does it hurt your heart, a little, to part with your memories?”

  “I’ll never part with them, just the visual aides. And what the foundation will do with the proceeds will keep me very warm at night.”

  “It costs the earth to keep all those costumes protected and stored,” Minnie put in, and earned the faintest of sneers from Magda.

  “As a former bookkeeper, I’m sure you’ll agree, at the end of the day, the investment’s been well worth it.”

  “Unquestionably.” Though he kept his attention focused on his duck, Carlton nodded his head. “The tax benefits alone from—”

  “Oh, not taxes, Carlton.” Magda held up her hands in surrender. “Not at such a lovely meal. Even the thought gives me indigestion. Roarke, this wine is sinful. One of yours?”

  “Mmmm. The Montcart ’49. Elegant,” he said, lifting his glass to the light. “Polished with just a hint of bite. I thought it suited you.”

  She all but purred. “Eve, I’ll have to confess to being desperately in love with your husband. I hope you don’t arrest me for it.”

  “If that was a crime in this state, I’d have three-quarters of the female population of New York in cages.”

  “Darling.” Roarke looked down the table, met her eyes. “You flatter me.”

  “That wasn’t flattery.”

  Liza giggled, as if she didn’t know what else to do. “It’s so hard not to be jealous when you’ve got a handsome, powerful man.” She gave Vince’s arm a quick squeeze. “I just want to scratch their eyes out when they come on to my Vinnie.”

  “Yeah?” Eve sipped the elegant ’49, enjoyed the little bite. “Me, I just punch them in the face.”

  While Liza tried to decide whether to look shocked or impressed, Mick smothered a laugh behind his napkin. “From what I’ve seen, and heard, Roarke’s stopped collecting women. He found the jewel of the lot,
one with numerous facets and who shines in the setting he had waiting. Now when we were lads, he could barely walk for all the girls throwing themselves at his feet.”

  “You must have stories.” Magda danced her fingertips on the back of Mick’s hand. “Fascinating ones. Roarke’s always so mysterious about his past accomplishments. It only whets the curiosity.”

  “I’ve stories in bushels and more. The pretty redhead with the rich father visiting Dublin from Paris, France. Or the little brunette with the lovely shape on her who baked scones twice weekly to curry his favor. I think her name was Bridgett. Do I have the right of that, Roarke?”

  “You do. And she married Tim Farrell, the baker’s son, which seemed to suit everyone.” He recalled, just as clearly, that they’d plucked the Parisian redhead’s—whatever her name might have been—deep purse to the bottom while he’d seduced her.

  No one had been dissatisfied with the end results.

  “Those were the days.” Mick sighed. “But being a friend, and a gentleman, I’ll tell no tales on my old mate. No more collecting women for the likes of Roarke, but a collector he always was. Rumors are you’ve an impressive one of weapons.”

  “I’ve picked up a few here and there over the years.”

  “Guns?” Vince brightened up, and his mother rolled her eyes.

  “Vince has been fascinated by guns all his life. Drove the property masters wild whenever I was in a period piece and he came on set.”

  “I have a number of guns in my collection. Perhaps you’d like to see it.”

  “I’d love it.”

  It was a room that echoed with violence, and the tools men devised to wield against men. Pikes and lances, muskets, the Colts they’d called Peacemakers, and the auto-blasters that had made life among the cheapest commodities during the Urban Wars.

  The tasteful setting with its soaring ceiling and sparkling glass didn’t disguise the grim purpose of each display. Nor did it dim the elemental and human fascination for the art of self-destruction.

  “Lord.” Vince circled the room. “I haven’t seen anything like this outside of the Smithsonian. It must have taken you years to put your collection together.”