Trueheart was cheering her on, and looked about two years older than his charge.
“You got it now, you got it! Blast 'em good, Nix. In pursuit, armed suspects! You rock.”
The tiniest smile tugged at her cheeks, but her eyes were focused, her brow knitted in fierce concentration.
Eve smelled popcorn, and saw a bowl of it on one of the tables. The wall screen was on, volume up to scream, with one of Mavis's videos blaring. Mavis Freestone herself, in little more than a sparkle of paint, cavorted on that screen with what looked to be a number of mostly naked pirates. Black patches weren't just worn over the eye in Mavis's world, Eve observed.
She recognized the song-so to speak. Something about having your heart sunk and your love shipwrecked.
“I'm not sure that video, however entertaining, is appropriate for a girl Nixie's age.”
“Huh?” Eve looked back at Mira. “Oh, well, shit. Am I supposed to turn it off?”
“Never mind.” Mira patted Eve's hand, and waited until Nixie lost the ball.
“I still didn't get high score.”
“Beat the pants off of me,” Trueheart reminded her.
“But I can't beat Roarke. Maybe he cheats.”
“Wouldn't put it past him,” Eve said. “But I've watched him on that thing. You just can't beat him.”
She'd hoped the casual, somewhat cheerful tone would keep Nixie in the game mood. But as soon as the kid stepped down from the stool, she stared at Eve, the question in her gaze clear.
“No.” Eve spoke tersely now. “Not yet. When I get them, you'll be the first to know.”
“Hello, Nixie.” Mira stepped up to the machine. “You may not have gotten high score, but that looks very impressive to me.”
“It's not good enough.”
“When it's the best you can do, it's good enough. But maybe Roarke will play it with you sometime. Maybe he'll show you some of his tricks.”
A spark of interest lit her face. “Do you think?”
“You can ask him and see. Hello, Officer Trueheart.”
“Dr. Mira. Nice to see you.”
“Do you know all the police?” Nixie wanted to know.
“No, not all. But quite a few. I'd like to talk to you again, Nixie, but first I wonder if you could show me how to play that machine. It looks like fun.”
“I guess. If you want.”
“I do. I'll need to turn off the screen first.”
“But it's Mavis. She's the ult.”
“Oh, I think so, too.” Mira smiled at the cool suspicion in Nixie's eyes. “I have quite a few of her discs myself. Did you know Lieutenant Dallas and Mavis are friends? Very good friends.”
“Get back!” Then she bit her lip. “Excuse me, I'm not supposed to sass adults.”
“That's all right. You were just surprised. Eve?”
“Huh?” She'd been wondering why seeing a mostly naked Mavis, and company, on-screen was inappropriate for a kid who'd seen murder up close and personal. “Oh, yeah. Yeah, Mavis and I are pals.”
“You talk to her, in person?”
“Well, sure.”
“Does she ever come here, right to the house?”
“All the time.” Eve was treated to that long, unblinking stare again. Shifted her stance. Thought about security and procedure. Felt her bones start to burn under that stare. “Listen, if I can swing it, and she's not busy, I'll see if she can come by sometime. You can meet her and… whatever.”
“For real?”
“No, for false. Jesus, kid.”
“You're not supposed to swear in front of me.” Nixie informed her of this, quite primly.
“Then turn around so I can swear behind you. You straight here now?” Eve asked, just a little desperately, of Mira. “I've got work.”
“We're fine.”
“Trueheart, with me.”
“Yes, sir. See you later, Nixie.”
But before she got to the door, Nixie trotted up behind her. “Dallas. They all call youDallas,” she said when Eve looked back. “Except for her. For the doctor.”
“Yeah, so?”
“Are you going away to work?”
“No, I'm going to work here for a while.”
“Okay.” She walked back to Mira. “I'll show you how to play now.”
Awhile” was hours. McNab might've exaggerated about their ears bleeding, but Eve thought her eyes might. She ran search after search, waiting for names to cross. When the sun went down and the light in her office dimmed, she programmed more coffee, and kept going.
“Food.” Roarke walked in. “You've sent your team home for food, to recharge, to rest. Do the same for yourself.”
“There's going to be a match. Has to be.”
“And the computer can continue the runs while you eat. We're going downstairs.”
“Why down-oh.” She scrubbed her hands over her face. “Right. What are we supposed to talk to her about now?”
“I'm sure we'll think of something.”
“You know what? She's a little scary. I think all of that breed is. Kids I mean. It's like they know stuff you've forgotten, but they still hammer you with questions. She rocked up, though, when Mira told her I was friends with Mavis.”
“Ah.” He sat on the corner of the desk. “A Mavis fan. Considerable conversation to be mined there.”
“And she wants you to play pinball with her. She's got a competitive streak, seems like. She's a little bent she can't meet your scores.”
“Really?” His smile bloomed. “I'd enjoy that. I'll take her down for a bit after dinner. Good practice for when we have a brood of our own.”
She didn't pale, but her eyes did go glassy. “Are you trying to wig me?”
“It's fairly irresistible. Come on.” He held out a hand. “Be a good girl and come to dinner.”
Before she could rise, her 'link beeped. “Minute,” she said, and noted the commander's home data on the ID. “It's Whitney.” Without thinking about it she straightened up in the chair, squared her shoulders. “Dallas.”
“Lieutenant. The safe house on Ninety-second has been hit.”
“Ninety-second.” Not trusting her mental file, she flipped her fingers over the keyboard to bring up the data. “Prestonand Knight.”
“They're both down.”
Now she did pale. “Down, sir?”
“DOS.” His face was grim, his voice was flat. “Security was compromised. Both officers were terminated. Report to the scene immediately.”
“Yes, sir. Commander, the other locations-”
“Additional units have been dispatched. Reports are coming in. I'll meet you on-scene.”
When the screen went blank, she sat just as she was. Sat just as she was when Roarke came around the desk to lay his hand on her shoulder.
“I hand-picked them. Preston and Knight. Because they were good, solid cops. Good instincts. If there was going to be a hit on one of the locations, I wanted solid cops with good instincts covering them.”
“I'm sorry, Eve.”
“Didn't have to move a wit from that location. Didn't have anybody there, but it was one of the addresses Newman should have known, so it had to be covered. She's dead, too, by now. Stone dead. Tally's up to eight.”
She rose then, checked her weapon harness. “Two good cops. I'm going to hunt them down like dogs.”
She didn't argue when he said he was going with her. She wanted him behind the wheel until she was more sure of her control.
As she jogged down the stairs, pulled her jacket on, Nixie came out into the foyer. “You're supposed to come to dinner now.”
“We have to go out.” There was a firestorm raging in Eve's head she'd yet to be able to shut down to cold.
“Out to dinner?”
“No.” Roarke stepped to Nixie, brushed a hand lightly over her hair. “The lieutenant has work. I'm going to help, but we'll be back as soon as we can.”
She looked at him, then focused on Eve. “Is somebody else dead?”
She started to fob it off, even to lie, but decided on truth. “Yes.”
“What if they come while you're gone? What if the bad guys come when you're not here? What-”
“They can't get in.” Roarke said it so simply it could be taken as nothing less than fact. “And look here.” He took a small 'link out of his pocket as he crouched down to her level. “You keep this. If you're afraid, you should tell Summerset or one of the police we have in the house. But if you can't tell them, you push this. Do you see?”