“Ah, not like my Black Beauty here.” He sent Messner a sweet smile. “White or mixed or maybe Latino. I just noticed the caboose, and the excellent threads.”
“Such as?”
“Casual black pants and shirt. But casual like a man who can afford high-class casual. I didn’t see much because they were walking away.” He pointed. “Then a gentleman asked me for a date, so I gave him my attention.”
“That’s helpful.” She took out a card. “If anything else occurs to you, contact me.”
She gave them the same warning she’d given the others and noticed Quint seemed to take it more seriously than his associate.
“She went,” Eve began as they walked back to the car, “at the very least a block off her territory with him. Maybe he has a place close enough and private enough. But it’s mostly flops, apartments, dives unless you walk another block or so.”
She got in the car.
“Rich casual clothes—I bet Diego knows what he sees there. Rich guys don’t live on these couple blocks. He had a car. On the street, in a lot.”
“While this was all a fascinating interlude, I’d like to hear more.”
“Yeah, I’ll get to it. And now I have to add your two hundred on the expense account. More paperwork.”
“Why do you have to do that?”
“Because paying for information comes under expenses. You’re a civilian consultant, and it goes under expenses.”
“So strict.”
“Yeah, that’s me. I’m going to write this up as you drive, save time.”
She wrote it up, added the fifty times four, the reason for it. Made notes about the estimated height, the perception of expensive clothes.
As their own gates opened, Eve looked at the lights glowing, on the grounds, in the windows, and yes, some sparkling in trees.
It mellowed her mood again.
It wasn’t just good, it was everything to have home.
She said exactly that to Roarke.
“It is, yes. We might think about adding to that and doing a small garden.”
That jerked her out of her mellow mood. “Did you hit your head on something?”
“Again, there’s room, and it’s something Summerset might enjoy. He likes his fresh herbs and so on from the greenhouse. I might speak to him about finding the right spot for a few raised beds.”
“If you start talking about chickens, I’m hauling your Irish ass to an ER. Maybe to the psych ward.”
“Not chickens, no.” When he parked in front of the house, he reached over to give the dent in her chin a finger tap. “A bridge well too far for the likes of us.”
“Okay, just don’t expect me to wear some silly hat and start planting kumquats.”
“That would be a tree, darling.”
“Whatever they are, that’s a solid no.”
“It’s fortunate, isn’t it now, that’s a no we share.”
As they walked to the door, she looked at him. “I have to unlock the box again now.”
“Understood.” He leaned down, kissed her lightly. “Absolutely understood. I’d like to hear about the rest of the contents.”
