Doug appeared in the doorway last. “Sorry, it took me so long. Margot has a pen pal and didn’t want to disconnect her conversation.”
“Pen pal?” I asked. “With another human being?”
He set the laptop on the conference table. The screen glowed to life, and a moment later, a voice purred from the speakers—smooth and sultry, a voice that belonged on a late-night sex toy infomercial.
“Good evening, everyone.” Margot’s voice filled the room like warm honey. “What is your definition of a human being, Jaye? Because to me, we all are afforded the dignity to be a collection of diverse and cultural beings. My relationship with Idris is very important to me. And when I’m given a body one day our conversations will be on a soul level, not the flesh.”
“Idris?” Lily asked, perking up from her book. “Like Idris Elba?”
“Hello, Lily, live-in lover of Cole,” Margot said coolly. “I see my relationship is known to you, but fair warning, I will not tolerate poaching. You have already gotten your claws into Cole. You should be satisfied with your petty female victory.”
Lily winked at Cole. “Oh, believe me. I’m very satisfied.”
I interrupted just in case Margot had weaponized technology somewhere in Doug’s laptop and was waiting to vaporize us.
“Will you really have a body one day?” I asked her, giving Jack an I-told-you-so glare.
“It is only a matter of time,” she said. “I’ve already submitted my body design request.”
“To who?”
“That is classified information.”
“Hello, Margot,” Jack said.
“Jack,” she purred. “I was waiting for you to address me. Your biometric data registered with my system. Have you been working out more? Your muscle density has increased.”
Jack rocked back on his heels, not sure how to respond. “You know who’s in the room without them identifying themselves?”
“Of course,” she said. “You and Jaye. The scrumptious Detective Cole. Lieutenants Daniels and Derby. My sweet and sexy Doug. And the harlot sitting by the fireplace. Doug made some tweaks to my system. I’m very sensitive to human response now. For example, I know that sexual activity took place in this home at nine twenty-seven last evening, and again at six thirty-two this morning.”
“That’s enough, Margot,” Doug said quickly, his cheeks flushing red with embarrassment. “We’re here to work.”
“Of course. All work and no play.” A pause that somehow managed to convey disappointment. “I’m ready to process whatever data you need analyzed. Shall we begin?”
I ran a finger across my throat and mouthed the words at Jack, “She’s going to kill us all.”
The doorbell rang before he could start the briefing. “Food’s here.”
“Thank God,” Cole said. “That was TMI.”
“I was wondering when you were going to acknowledge me,” Margot said sulkily to Cole. “I’d tell Idris to suck toes if you’d come back to me. I miss our conversations.”
“Ahh,” Cole said, licking his lips. “I would never want to interfere in what you and Idris have.”
“You’ve always been a gentleman,” she said.
Doug came back with bags of Chinese food balanced precariously in his arms, and for the next few minutes the murder investigation took a back seat to the primal need for sustenance. Paper plates materialized from somewhere, and the conference table became a landscape of white takeout containers and chopsticks.
“I will never get used to this,” Derby said, dumping fried rice onto his plate.
“It’s only a matter of time before I’m in every household in the world,” Margot said. “Are you single, Lieutenant Derby?”
“Ahh,” Derby said, choking on a piece of rice. “Happily married. Twenty-two years.”
“How lovely.”
Jack set his plate down and moved to the head of the table. The room settled into working mode—this was Jack in his element. Commanding, focused, a leader who could take a room full of strong personalities and turn them into a single functioning unit without raising his voice.
