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She was, to Eve’s racious femininity

“I appreciate you fitting ”

“I feel a vested interest,” Mira began as she progra a witness In all my years attached to the NYPSD, I’ve never witnessed a murder” She turned with two cups of floral-scented tea in her hand and caught the dark flicker in Eve’s eyes “Richard Draco was not a murder, Eve It was an execution An entirely different matter”

She took her seat, handing Eve the tea they both knew she’d barely sip “I study murder Murderers I listen to them, and I analyze them I profile them And as a doctor, I know, understand, and respect death But, having a ht in front of iven me some bad moments It’s difficult”

“I was thinking ingenious”

“Well” A ghost of a smile curved Mira’s lips “Your viewpoint and les, I suppose”

“Yeah” And Eve’s angle was often standing over the dead with blood on her boots It occurred to her now she hadn’t taken Mira’s state of ht at the theater She had simply drafted her onto the team and used her as it seemed most efficient

“I’ave you a choice”

“You had no reason to think of it And at the time, neither did I” She shook it off, lifted her tea “You were backstage and at work very quickly How soon did you realize the knife was real?”

“Not soon enough to stop it That’s what counts I’ve startedon the actors first”

“Yes, the cri” More comfortable with the analytical distance, Mira ran the scene in her mind “An actor or someone who aspires or aspired to be one fits the profile On the other hand, the murder was clean, well produced, carefully executed Your killer is bold, Eve, but also cool-headed”

“Would they have needed to see it happen?”

“Yes, I think so To see it, under the lights, on the stage, with the audience gasping in shock That, in my opinion, was as important to this individual as Draco’s death The thrill of it and the ensuing act Their own shock and horror, well rehearsed”

She considered “It was too well staged not to have been rehearsed Draco was touted as one of the greatest actors of our ti him, even if only in the killer’s mind, was an essential second”

“You’re saying it was professionally motivated”