Vengeance in Death by Nora Roberts; J. D. Robb

Author:Nora Roberts; J. D. Robb
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Crime & mystery, Dallas, Political, Women detectives, Fiction, Romance, Women Sleuths, Policewomen - New York (State) - New York, Mystery And Suspense Fiction, Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths, Eve (Fictitious character), New York (N.Y.), Policewomen, Mystery fiction, Women detectives - New York (State) - New York, Mystery, Detective, Police Procedural, Mystery & Detective - General, Mystery & Detective, Fiction - Mystery, General, Romantic suspense fiction, Suspense, Mystery & Detective - Police Procedural
ISBN: 9780425160398
Publisher: Berkley Books
Published: 2002-08-15T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

Eve paced the reception area outside Mira's office. What the hell was taking so long, she wondered, and checked her wrist unit once again. It was twelve-thirty. Summerset had been in testing for ninety minutes. Eve had until one to present her progress reports to her commander.

She needed Mira's findings.

To help herself wait, she practiced her oral backup to her written reports. The words she would use, the tone she would take. She felt like a second-rate actor running lines backstage. Sweat pooled at the base of her spine.

The minute the door opened, she leaped at Summerset. "What's the deal?"

His eyes were dark and hard in a pale face, his jaw clenched, his mouth thin. Humiliation rolled greasily in his stomach. "I've followed your orders, Lieutenant, and completed the required testing. I've sacrificed my privacy and my dignity. I hope that satisfies you."

He stalked past her and through the outer doors.

"Screw it," Eve muttered and walked straight into Mira's office.

Mira smiled, sipped her tea. She'd had no trouble hearing Summerset's bitter comments. "He's a complicated man."

"He's an ass, but that's irrelevant. Can you give me a bottom line?"

"It will take some time for me to review all the tests and complete my report."

"I've got Whitney in twenty minutes. I'll take anything you can give me."

"A preliminary opinion then." Mira poured another cup of tea, gesturing for Eve to sit. "He's a man with little respect for the law, and a great deal of respect for order."

Eve took the tea but didn't drink. "Which means?"

"He's most comfortable when things are in their place, and he's somewhat obsessive about keeping them there. The law itself, the laws society makes mean little to him as they are variable, often poorly designed, and quite often fail. Aesthetics are also important to him -- his surroundings, appearances -- as he appreciates the order in beauty. He's a creature of routine. This soothes him, this pattern, this stability. He arises at a certain hour and retires at a certain hour. His duties are clearly outlined and followed. Even his recreation, his free time is organized."

"So, he's a tight-ass. I already knew that."

"His way of dealing with the horrors he witnessed during the Urban Wars, the poverty and despair he escaped from, and the loss of his only child is to create a certain acceptable pattern, then follow it. But... in unclinical terms, yes, he's a tight-ass. However rigid he might be, however much he may sneer at the laws of society, he is one of the most non-violent personalities I've encountered."

"He's given me a few bruises," Eve muttered under her breath.

"You disturb his need for order," Mira said, not without sympathy. "But the fact is, true violence is abhorrent to him. It offends his very rigid sense of order and place. And it's wasteful. He finds waste repellent. Again, I believe, because he saw far too much of it throughout his life. As I said, it will take a bit of time to review the

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