up. You, too,” Eve ordered McNab. “Shut up and hear her out.”
“I knew you’d get it.” Tears welled again as Mavis threw herself at Eve. Tears fell again as she drew back. “Sorry, sorry. I can’t. Leonardo, you tell them.”
“These are my girls,” he said. “The most precious things in my life. And I’m going to have another precious thing come into my life. How could I risk them? You said it yourself. It’s private here, and we’d need to do background checks, and even then … It’s not the same as apartment living. We don’t want someone we don’t know living here with us, sharing the yard with us. We need friends. Someone we know, without question, Bella and the baby will be safe with.”
“You’re cops,” Mavis managed. “What’s safer than living beside cops? And we love you.”
As if hitting a cue, Bella threw out her arms to Peabody.
“But it’s—”
“Don’t be stupid.” Eve spoke flatly. “Because I’m going to tell them, flat out, they don’t rent to anyone they don’t know. Not here, behind a gate, when they’re fricking celebrities with a kid and another coming. It’s you or it goes empty, which is stupid. This is the perfect solution for everybody.”
Tears still raining, Mavis hurled herself into Eve’s arms again. Eve just rolled her eyes, and patted Mavis on the back.
She watched Peabody and McNab exchange looks, could interpret the nonverbal conversation between them. Especially when tears spilled from Peabody.
“Please, for God’s sake, say yes before we drown in here.”
“Peas,” Bella said, and stroked Peabody’s damp cheek.
“We’d love to be your tenants.”
To Eve’s relief, Mavis launched herself at Peabody. Somewhere in the hug, they both began to bounce, and Bella to laugh like a maniac.
“Great, that’s settled. Now I have to get to work.”
“Don’t you want to see the rest?”
Eve shook her head at Mavis. “I’ve seen enough. I don’t know how or why, but this place is perfect for the five … five-point-whatever of you,” she corrected with a gesture toward Mavis. “Roarke says it’s rock solid, so it is. He says you can fix it up in a couple or three months, so you can. Between him and McNab, you’ll have the best security there is.”
Mavis wiped at her eyes. “I’ve got a bottle of champagne, for everybody but me, Bella, and point-whatever.”
“Pop it, enjoy it. We’ll come back for another bottle once you exorcise the demon walls. So … congratulations all around. Sincerely.”
She got out before more tears flooded. Roarke took her hand, kissed it as they walked around to her car.
“Well done, Lieutenant. And when did you cop to the big reveal?”
“The minute we walked into that science lab of a kitchen. Attached rental space, Mavis and Leonardo beaming with Peabody mooning over tiara moldings.”
“Crown moldings.”
“Whatever.” She turned for a last look. “It really will work for all of them.” When they got into the car, she looked at him. “And when did you have the idea of Peabody and McNab as tenants?”
“As soon as Mavis and Leonardo fell in love with the place. But I didn’t suggest it, and they both came up with it immediately themselves. As you said, a perfect solution.”
She settled back, started to reach for her PPC. Stopped herself. “I’m sorry I had to break up the moment.”
“We all had the moment. Now they can bask in it together. But instead of doing whatever’s next on your cop list, why don’t you take this time to catch me up so I can help if need be.”
“I’ve already earmarked money stuff for you to look at.”
“And there we are. A perfect solution for us as well.”
It kind of was, she thought.
She spent the time he drove uptown catching him up on murder.
7
“I do know Merit Caine and his family a bit. I don’t know the Huffmans, but know of them.” Roarke considered as he wound through traffic. “I recall seeing the engagement announcement, and hearing a bit of this, a bit of that.”
“I’d like to hear the bits.”
“I’ll say it’s an open secret the Huffmans—the elder Huffmans—have an association with Natural Order, so some of the bits came from surprise Merit would align himself with that family.”
“Money often speaks to money.” She shrugged. “But my impression was he’s in love with her. So that trumps the parents. What do you know about the parents—the Huffmans?”
“They’re respected for their medical skills, from what I know, and, of course, for their wealth and position. But liked is a different matter. Where, again,