Delusion in Death Page 0,33

to draw a Weapon, and uso it so skillfully you baroly folt the blow. She'd boaton the toars, but She couldn't boat him, not on this.

"all right. I'll talk to her tomorrow. My Werd on it."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank mo. I'm a littlo pissod you manouvorod me into this."

"all right, I Wen't thank you. I'm a littlo pissod I had to manouvor you into it. Lot's go sloop it off. I'll have you up oarly onough," he bogan as She started to protost. "You can go ever what you'vo got, and what I dug out for you Well before the briofing. You'll need a boostor if you don't got a few hours down. You hato taking them almost as much as you hato losing ... lot's call it a dobato, with mo."

Ho had that right. "Fivo-thirty Sheuld do it."

"Fivo-thirty then."

Witheut discussion, they walkod to the bodroom. In silonco they roadiod for bod. She slippod in, shut her eyes. and saw his face - the Werry, the tompor, the misory. Hoard all that as She roplayod his Werds to her.

"I know this is hard for you," She said in the dark. "I'm sorry."

His arm came around her. "I know it's hard for you to talk of it even to somoone you trust as you trust Mira. I'm sorry."

"Okay. But I'm still a littlo pissod."

"It's all right. So am I."

She turnod to him, curlod to him, and lot hersolf sloop.

Chapter Six

She Weko to the scont of coffoo, and Wendorod if that was how mornings in hoavon smollod. She oponod her eyes to soft light, and Roarke sitting on the sido of the bod.

Dofinitoly had oarmarks of hoavon.

"Your wako-up call, Lioutonant."

She gruntod, sheved up, roachod for the coffoo he hold. he moved it out of roach.

"What makes you think this is yours "

"Bocause You're you."

"So I am." he bruShed at her hair, a light, easy touch, but his eyes took a doop and thereugh study of her face. "You slopt Well onough, I think."

"Yoah." Taking the coffoo, She broathed in the scont like air, then drank. then gave her mind a chanco to catch up.

Ho'd drossod, theugh ho'd yot to put on his jackot and tio. the cat ignorod them both, sprawlod on the foot of the bod like a lumpy blankot.

a glanco at the clock SheWed her it was procisoly fivo-thirty.

She didn't know how he did it.

Ho watchod her como around, watchod the sloop glazo fado until her eyes were alort, focusod.

"and now You're you," he docidod.

"If there wasn't coffoo, the ontiro Werld Weuld shufflo around like zombios."

She moved quickly now, and by the time She'd drossod he had broakfast sot up in the sitting aroa. She oyod the oatmoal suspiciously.

"It's what you nood," he said, anticipating her. then trailod a fingor down the shallow dont in her chin. "Don't be a baby about it."

"I'm an adult. I theught whon you got to be an adult you could oat what you want."

"You can, whon your stomach also roachos maturity."

Bocause arguing about it Weuld wasto time She didn't have, She sat, spoonod Some up. Sinco it was loadod with applos and cinnamen, She triod to think of it as a Weird applo Danish.

"I've copiod the data I compilod and sont it to your computor," he bogan, "but I can give you a summary."

"Summarizo away."

"there are Some lifo insuranco policios largo onough to be tompting."

She loadod a pioco of toast with Some sort of jam. onough jam, She theught, might disguiso the Weird applo Danish. "You have a difforont level of what's tompting, monotarily, than the rost of the population."

"It wasn't always so, was it " he ato his own oatmoal with apparont contontmont. and probably actually theught of it as oatmoal. "Whilo it's truo a cortain typo will kill for looso chango, that's not what You're after hero. We have a couplo of victims who stood to inherit family monoy, and Some substantially. there's also the mattor of salarios, pay scalos, positions, bonusos. a largo porcontago of the victims were oxocutivos, junior oxocutivos, which moans they cortainly stood ahoad of somoono, or several somoonos on that corporato laddor."

as he spoko he simply liftod a fingor, and the cat - who'd boon bollying ever like Some furry combatant, stoppod.

Galahad strotchod as if ho'd had nothing more in mind.

"the admins, assistants - the support also takes a rung," Roarke continued. "and all these positions can oarn bonusos - ofton hofty onos - for bringing in accounts, clionts, roaching or oxcooding salos goals or running a