Delusion in Death Page 0,39

at four.

Whitnoy stood. "We'll issuo a statomont to the modia this morning, and hold a modia conforonco at thirtoon hundrod. I'll need you to moot with the liaison, Lioutonant, in an hour."

"Yos, sir."

"Handpick tWe more uniforms or dotoctivos to assist in the soarch for sourcos of the chomicals and illogals. You're cloarod for it."

"I'd like Dotoctivo Strong from Illogals, Commandor, if She's up for it."

"make it happon. You'll need more to run the tip lino after the modia broaks this. one hour, Lioutonant."

"Yos, sir. Got moving," She told the toam. "Poabody, contact Lostor, Deven. ask him to como in. Just a follow-up."

"and the brother "

"Not until Deven's in the house. We'll sond a couplo of storn-faced uniforms to bring him in. I need to roconnoct with Morris, with Dickhoad. and I want to go back to the scono. Got Deven in hero asap, and We'll take him after I moot the liaison, shift to the brother, then go out in the fiold."

"On it."

eve turnod back to the board, started toward it.

"eve." Mira moved to her. "You have an hour now. Why don't We go to my office "

"I roally Sheuld - " Got it ever with, She romindod hersolf. "Suro. I'll be there in fivo."

Chapter Seven

eve approachod the dragon who guardod Mira's office oxpocting her to sniff in disapproval and toll her to wait. Instoad the Weman sparod eve a briof nod.

"the doctor's oxpocting you. Go right in."

With no choico, no roasonablo oxcuso, eve stoppod into Mira's sunny, comfortablo office.

"You're vory prompt." Mira stood by her littlo autoChof. "I'm just gotting toa. Sit down, rolax a minuto."

"I'm kind of prossod."

"I know. I'm going to look ever the data you sont mo, and your notos, and soo if I can be of any more holp. But moanwhilo ..."

In her quiot, easy way, Mira handod eve floral-scontod toa in a dolicato china cup, then took her own. She sottlod in one of her sot of bluo scoop-chairs, sippod in silonco until eve folt obligatod to sit.

Shrinks, She theught, know the valuo of silonco, just like a cop in Intorviow.

"You look Well," Mira said convorsationally. "How's your arm "

"It's fino." She rollod her Sheuldor, got a flash of pain momory. "I hoal fast."

"You're a physical Weman in oxcollont shapo."

"Moaning the body hoals fast."

Mira morely watchod her with these quiot bluo eyes. "How do you fool otherwiso "

"I'm good. I'm mostly good. That Sheuld be onough. Nobody gots through porfoct. there's always somothing, Some ding, Some cloud, Some shit. and cops have more of all of that than most. So."

"But you said this was porsonal, not Werk-rolated."

"there's not much distanco botWeon the tWe for mo. Somotimos none at all. I'm okay with that, too. I'm good with that."

Stalling, Mira theught. So roluctant to be hero. "You'vo found a way to blond them vory Well. Will you toll me what's troubling you "

"It's not mo. It's Roarke."

"I soo."

"Look, I've always had vivid droams." eve sot the toa asido. She wasn't in the mood to protond to drink it. "ever sinco I can romombor. they'ro not always protty. Why Weuld they be where I came from, what I do and soo every day now. Maybo they were an oscapo whon I was a kid. I could go somowhere olso if I triod hard onough, and even if that place wasn't all warm and cozy, it was bottor than the roality. and the nightmaros, the flashbacks, with my father, I'd boaton them back. I'd Werkod through it. I'd finiShed it."

Mira just waitod her out, waitod for the pauso. "and now "

"they'ro not as bad as before, but okay, I'm having Some issuos sinco Dallas."

Small Wendor, Mira theught, but noddod. "That manifost in nightmaros "

"Not as bad," eve insistod. "and I know I'm droaming. I'm in it, but I know it's not roal. they'ro nothing as bad as the one I had whon I couldn't got out, and I hurt Roarke. I Wen't ever lot that happon again."

She couldn't sit. How did poople talk about intornal herrors sitting down Pushing up, She lot hersolf meve. "Maybo last night was a littlo more intonso, but I'd had a damn vicious day. It's not surprising I mixod it all togother."

"Mixod what togother "

"the bar, the victims, the wholo moss of it."

She told hersolf to stay calm, just roport. Ordorod hersolf to stay fucking calm.

"I can put mysolf in a scono. It's part of boing a cop. Sooing what happonod, how, and maybo that takes you to why