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“I don’t know. I don’t know.” If he’d had hair, Eve was sure he’d have been pulling it out. “If I find out, will you leave me the hell alone?”

“I might.”

“I’ll get back to you,” he snapped, and rudely shut off.

“Yeah, I like him.”

She was driving through the gates when he buzzed her back.

“We got all kinds of fricking frames. We’re lousy with them. We don’t carry what I use because, Lucia tells me, then everybody’d use them and they’d no longer be unique or some happy horseshit. I get them from goddamn Helsinki.”

“Helsinki,” Eve repeated, amazed.

“Clean, simple, Scandinavian.” His mouth twisted in a rare smile. “Asinine, but there you go. Special order from some place called Kehys. Means Framework. Har de har. That it?”

“Yeah, for now.”

“Good.” He cut her off again.

“Man after my own heart. Peabody?”

“Already on it. Data on Kehys coming through.”

“Follow it up.”

“Me, sir?”

“It’s your line. Tug it.” With this, Eve rolled out of the car and made a beeline for the house.

She shook herself like a wet dog when she hit the foyer, started to strip off the jacket that had gotten soaked on the short run. And the voice, like God’s coldest wrath, rolled down the pristine hall.

“Stop that immediately! This is a home, not a bathhouse.”

With her jacket dripping in her hand, she watched Summerset come forward. He used a cane, and limped rather heavily, but his face was set in its usual pruney and disapproving lines. He carried towels over his arm.

“If you’re able to walk on those ugly sticks you call legs, why are you still in my universe?”

He handed her a towel, then adroitly snatched the jacket from her. “I will be leaving on my postponed holiday in the morning. Meanwhile, you’re making a puddle on the floor.”

“Meanwhile you’re making a buzzing in my ears.” She turned toward the stairs just as Peabody rushed in.

“Summerset!” The delight in her voice had Eve rolling her eyes heavenward. “Hey, it’s great to see you up and around. How’re you feeling?”

“Quite well all in all, thank you.” He offered her a towel. “Your uniform’s damp, Officer. I’d be happy to get you something dry to wear and have your uniform laundered.”

“I’d really appreciate that.” She broke off at the sound Eve made—a kind of guttural snarl. “I’ll be in her office,” Peabody whispered, then jogged up the stairs behind Eve. “It is damp,” she began. “I could catch a chill or something. Don’t want to get sick during an investigation, especially when I’m studying like mad during my off time.”

“Did I say anything?”

“Oh yeah. You said plenty.”

Eve merely sent Peabody a long, bland stare that made the hair on the back of her aide’s neck stand at attention. “I’m going to change into something nice and comfy and dry.”

She veered off and strode into the bedroom.

Just for spite, she let her wet clothes fall into a soggy pile. That would burn his bony ass, she thought. She dragged on a T-shirt, jeans, strapped her weapon back into place, and considered herself done.

To give Peabody extra time, she headed into Roarke’s office rather than her own.


Tags: J.D. Robb In Death Mystery