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“Is he on the street or in a cage?”

“On the street First violent offense, bail was dead low Being it wasbracelet, but that doesn’tabout electronics Would she have met with him?”

“Absolutely not It would corrupt her case toof Cicely, re Cicely, Whitney shook his head “That she’d never risk But he could have used other means to lure her there”

“Like I said, I’ht with George Hammett Do you know him?”

“Socially They saw each other occasionally Nothing serious, according toto find the perfect man for Cicely”

“Commander, it’s best if I ask now, off the record Were you sexually involved with the victim?”

A muscle in his cheek jerked, but his eyes stayed level “No, I wasn’t We had a friendship, and that friendship was very valuable In essence, she was family You wouldn’t understand family, Dallas”

“No” Her voice was flat “I suppose not”

“I’ his eyes shut, Whitney rubbed his hands over his face “That was uncalled for, and unfair And your question was relevant” He dropped his hands “You’ve never lost anyone close to you, have you, Dallas?”

“Not that I remember”

“It shreds you to pieces,” he murmured

She supposed it would In the decade she had known Whitney, she had seen him furious, impatient, even coldly cruel But she had never seen him devastated

If that hat being close, and losing, did to a strong man, Eve supposed she was better off as she was She had no faly flashes of her childhood Her life as it was now had begun when she was eight years old and had been found, battered and abandoned, in Texas What had happened before that day didn’t matter She told herself constantly that it didn’t matter She had made herself into what she ho she was For friendship she had precious few she cared enough for, trusted enough in As for more than friendship, there was Roarke He had whittled away at her until she’d given hihten her because she kneouldn’t be satisfied until he had all

If she gave him all, then lost him, would she be in shreds?

Rather than dwell on it, Eve dosed herself with coffee and the remains of a candy bar she unearthed in her desk The prospect of lunch was a fantasy right up there with spending a week in the tropics She sipped and munched while she scanned the final autopsy report on her monitor