Epilogue

It took time, and to her amazement, he didn't demand a lawyer until the end.

She'd given him too much credit for smarts.

He ended up with a public defender who huddled with him, who then huddled with Reo.

During the legal huddling, Eve dealt with the paperwork.

Then she closed her murder book and began to clear her murder board.

Then she huddled with Reo, and left satisfied, before she and Peabody went to deliver a different sort of notification.

Shauna deserved to know.

As a result, she drove through her home gates a little late. Not very, she decided, plus, she'd followed the Marriage Rules and tagged Roarke as requested.

She walked in, eyed Summerset, eyed the cat.

"Yeah, I'm late. And a stupid asshole of a murderer's in a cage."

"Then well done to you, Lieutenant."

"As well done as the law allows," she said, and headed upstairs with the cat.

When she walked into her office, Roarke was at her board, clearing it.

"You're clearing my board."

"You said it was done, so I thought I'd save you some time."

"It is, and it does. Thanks. Let's have some wine."

She walked over to grab a bottle herself. Hardly mattered which, as Roarke didn't stock anything that didn't meet his level. And that remained well above hers.

"He confessed?"

"He did. He's an idiot. No, wait, we decided he's a Greg Barney, which is below imbecile. You actually want to hear all this?"

"I do."

"Then let's sit over there, and I'll tell you."

She pointed toward the sofa, brought the wine and glasses herself. He'd opened the terrace doors to the breeze that approached a wind.

And it felt just fine.

She ran through the interview.

"And that was it, truly? He murdered a woman because her relationship with his high school sweetheart embarrassed him?"

"A lot of his self-worth's tied up in Shaunbar, and his incredibly rigid worldview. Shauna deviated from both, and he blamed Erin for it. His usual methods didn't work, so."

She shook her head, drank. "He'd have done it again."

"You think so?"

"I know it. If he'd gotten away with this, he'd have done it again. To Becca, maybe Shauna, a staff member who disrespected him. He'll get a shrink in prison, but I doubt they'll crack the wall of that worldview."

"Did he get a deal after all?"

"I wouldn't call it much of a deal. Life, on-planet. Possibility of parole at twenty-five in."

"You're satisfied with that."

"Yeah. He's in the system now, and he's not smart enough to work it inside. He's just not. He won't get parole at twenty-five."

She stretched out her legs, put her boots on the table as the cat joined them.

"Pushing his buttons turned out to be easier than I thought, and I didn't think it would be that difficult. Talking to Shauna, then Becca after? A lot harder."

"A kind of notification, isn't it?" He topped off both their glasses, then put his boots beside hers. "The center drops out of someone's world."

"Shauna'd had enough time to work through at least some of it. But Becca? She loved the guy, but the guy she loved doesn't exist. Shauna wanted to go with us, and Angie got home when we were there. So they both went with us."

"So Becca had a circle—some of her tribe."

"It helped. I guess it helped. When we left, they were packing up some of her things. She's going to stay at Angie's for a couple of days. I guess that helps, too."

"We need our mates, in good times and in bad."

"Yeah, I guess we do."

"Did you tell Crack?"

"Yeah, I felt he deserved to know. Which makes me think of Rochelle, and that leads to An Didean. Shauna understands I can't take that painting as a gift—and the money from the sales of Erin's paintings is going to a scholarship for artists. She asked if I'd find someone at An Didean for that particular amount."

"That's incredibly kind."

"She sees it as a way to pay me back, and she doesn't have to pay me back for doing my job. But—"

"It remains incredibly kind, and clever with it." He rubbed her thigh. "I'll speak to Rochelle, and she'll help you pick."

"I don't want to pick. Don't make me pick. It's too much pressure. Can't she just pick? It's sort of part of her job."

"That's right enough. That's the way we'll do it."

"Good. Whew. Feel the relief."

She laid her head on his shoulder, then tipped her face up to kiss his jaw. "Let's eat outside again."

"I could grill something."

"Would something be steak?"

"It could be."

"It should be. But let's sit here and finish this glass first. With the doors open, it's practically outside. And it feels good, just sitting here."

She linked her hand with his.

"It's nice being married," she said again.

"My idea, I'll remind you."

"I gotta give you that."

She sat sipping wine, the strong summer breeze blowing in, her hand linked with his, and the cat spread over both their laps.

Yes, she thought. It was pretty damn nice.