Eyes still closed, she thought out loud. “Why didn’t he run? Didn’t he hear Barrister coming down the steps, moving around? Why didn’t he? If he did, why not take what he had in hand and go? It’s a lot, right there. And for all he knew, the Barristers would just swallow the loss. But you add murder, it’s going down just like it’s going down. Instead of a stretch in a cage, it’s life.”
“He may have killed before.”
“Yeah, I’m going to look at that.”
“After you’ve had a meal.”
“I need an hour down first. My brain’s going numb. Just an hour.”
“All right then. It’s still pleasant out. After you rest a bit, why don’t I grill some burgers? We’ll retire the grill for the season soon enough.”
“Peabody says her dad grills the whole year. Goes out even in the snow to grill the veg burgers or whatever.”
“I don’t believe I’m that dedicated.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t be, either. I gotta look at the wife, because you’ve gotta. Dig down, see if she’s got gambling shit, or a side piece, something she could be blackmailed for. She didn’t want him dead, but the rest… I don’t see it, but I have to clear it. Same with the sister, the daughters, the staff.”
“Why don’t I look into their financials?”
“Yeah, that’s why you’re the expert consultant. You can’t fake that kind of grief,” she murmured. “The wife. I see grief all the time. Some can fake it, and damn well. Others feel it even if they did the killing. Those can throw you off the scent, for a while at least. But you can’t fake what I saw. She loved him, depended on him, enjoyed him. She didn’t want him dead. But it doesn’t mean she didn’t have some part in the theft.”
“You have to look,” he agreed. “But I don’t see it, either. As you said before, why take a guest room?”
“He insisted on taking one, so she did instead. She said she drifted off awhile. Maybe she was keeping watch, but did just that. Drifted off.”
Like I’m doing right now, Eve thought as he drove through the gates.
“Wakes up. ‘Oh shit, where’d he go?’ Goes down, finds him. Last thing she wanted. Pile some guilt on grief.” She sighed as he parked. “Doesn’t ring for me, but I’m looking anyway.”
She walked to the door, turned to Roarke. “If Summerset snoots at me, I may just bite him in the throat.”
“Fortunately for all of us, he’s at the street fair. He enjoys them.”
“Right.” So she walked into a blissfully empty house.
Before she could take the stairs, Roarke scooped her up.
“I’m not that tired.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Yeah.” She let her head drop on his shoulder. “I am. I need to get a consult with Mira.”
“Mmm.”
“Henry Barrister’s a big factor in this. I want her take. Have to talk to the ex-wives. Any of the sex mates he had most recently. Somebody knew about the goddamn vault.”
“No question of it.”
The cat came out from wherever he’d occupied himself and jogged along beside Roarke. Intuiting the direction, he bounded ahead, and was sprawled across the bed when Roarke carried Eve in.
“You’ll make room, mate.”
He set Eve down, took off her jacket, her weapon harness.
“Just an hour. I just need an hour.”
“Then turn off your numb brain and take it.”
