Read Online In Death Collection: Books 30-32 by J.D. Robb - Free Book Online

that open with you, right off the jump, he might have been equally talkative with others.”
    â€œPossibly, though that was one of the pitfalls I warned them of. He—they—wanted their own, and I know what it is, that want, that need. That, and well, the boy appealed to me, so it was easy to give them a little boost.”
    â€œMoney?”
    â€œNo.” His shoulder lifted, a careless gesture. “I might have done so if they’d asked. But they had some seed money, and you’ll work harder if it doesn’t come too easy. I had this property—”
    â€œThis? This is your building?”
    â€œWas, so relax yourself,” he told her with the slightest hint of impatience. “I’m not involved here. I rented them space here for a time, and when they’d gotten off the ground, he asked me to sell it to them. As I said, the boy appealed to me, so I did. I made mine; they had theirs. Good business all around.”
    â€œAnd the business is worth considerable.”
    â€œRelatively.”
    â€œCompared to you it’s a nit on a grizzly, but the money’s a motive, as is the technology they’re working on. Can they keep this place afloat without Bart?”
    â€œNo one’s indispensable. Except you to me.”
    â€œAww.” But she rolled her eyes with the sound and made him laugh a little. “They’ll split three ways instead of four.”
    â€œAnd take a hit for the loss of the fourth. From a business standpoint, eliminating Bart’s a foolish move. He was the point man,” Roarke explained, “the public face, the big picture man. And he was good at it.”
    â€œThis kind of murder? Sensational, and tied in with the business. It’s going to get whopping truckloads of media. Free media of the sort that generates sales out of sheer curiosity.”
    â€œYou’re right about that.” He considered. “Yes, but that’s a temporary boost, and still poor business sense. Added to it, unless their dynamics have changed, it’s hard to see any of the other three hurting Bart.”
    â€œPeople do the damnedest things. I have another angle to check out. Feeney will keep you busy if you want to be. I need a copy of the game disc. They’ll hand it over, but they’re going to drag their feet some. If they trust you, you might be able to nudge that along.”
    â€œI’ll see what I can do.”
    â€œI’ll be in the field.”
    He took her hand as she walked to the door. “Take care of my wife.”
    â€œShe takes care of herself.”
    â€œWhen she remembers.”
    She went out, started down. She glanced back once to see him at that glass wall, hands in his pockets, and that sorrow that perhaps only she could see, still shadowing his face.

4
    BACK IN THE BUSY HIVE OF COP CENTRAL, Eve studied Roland Chadwick through the glass of Observation. He continued to sweat, just a bit, and his tear-swollen eyes tended to dart and dash around the room, as if he expected something to materialize in a corner and take a nice big bite out of him.
    Perfect.
    â€œWe’ll take him together to start,” Eve told Peabody. “I’m going hard. He expects it from me now.”
    â€œAnd you’d give him herbal tea and a fluffy pillow otherwise.”
    â€œI’ll leave the fluffy to you, after I storm out of the room in disgust, leaving dire threats in my wake.”
    â€œAnd I ‘there-there’ him until he spills his guts.”
    â€œThat’s the plan.”
    Eve watched as Roland laid his head on the table as if to sleep. It wouldn’t have surprised her in the least if he’d popped his thumb in his mouth.
    â€œWhile you’re doing that, I’ll start on Dubrosky. He’s been around the block a few times, and he has to know his dupe in there is a very weak sister. I believe his guts will also spill.”
    Peabody smiled as Roland cushioned his face on his