Page 166 of Bonded in Death

“He wouldn’t have stopped with them. It wouldn’t have been enough. After he’d killed the rest of The Twelve, me, maybe you,” she said to Roarke, then glanced in the back at Peabody, “maybe you, he’d have picked more targets. Anybody still alive who’d had any part in his incarceration.”

“Their families,” Roarke added. “He’d have felt more power, more triumph with every kill. He’d have spent the rest of his life waging his personal war.”

“Now he’ll spend it back in a cage.” Jenkinson tapped his tie. “Just like this. And since we’re all friends here, nice sneaky punch.”

“I enjoyed it.”

“Enough of that. I still say you shouldn’t have had my cops’ rides taken down to Central.”

“Simpler this way.”

“Only you’d think that.” But she’d let it go as they could all use this time as a team. “You could’ve gotten some sleep at home.”

“I will when you will.”

“It’s still going to take me a while to set things up for interview.”

“I’ll find a way to occupy myself.”

He always did, she thought, and let that go, too. And since they werejust that, a team, she shifted and spent the rest of the drive laying out her strategy for interview. And beyond.

“You know what I like about you, boss?” Jenkinson got out of the van in the garage. “You got mean smarts. Mean’s just mean, smart’s just smart. But together, you got something.”

When they piled in the elevator, Roarke did something to the controls. “Nonstop.”

“You’re not supposed to do that.”

“I like he did,” Reineke commented. “Wish I could figure out how he did it.”

“No.” Eve said it flatly, and stepped off as soon as they reached Homicide. “Peabody, we don’t need the conference room. Why don’t you go break that down? You could give her a hand, since you need to occupy yourself.”

“Happy to.”

Roarke walked off with Peabody; the rest of the bullpen scattered to desks and cubes. Craving coffee, Eve went into her office to find Reo at her desk.

“Give me good news.”

“I believe I have some, which is why I’m enjoying your coffee and I’m not sitting in that horrible chair.”

“Sit wherever you want. Gimme.”

Crossing her legs, swiveling gently side to side in Eve’s desk chair, Reo smiled. She wore a deep blue suit, and either that or satisfaction made her blue eyes sparkle.

“It’s not finalized, not set in stone, but I know when a deal’s going to happen. And the fact is, there’s considerable agreement for your solution on the other side.”

Eve satisfied her coffee craving.

“There’s blood on your shirt. Yours or his?”

“Mine, but it’s fine. Has he asked for a lawyer, a legal rep?”

“No.”

“That’s always advantage us, but either way. Mira?”

“I contacted her after Abernathy. She’s in.”

“Another advantage us.”

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