Page 61 of Bonded in Death

“Summerset’s a spy? He was one of the group?”

“You should pack away the ‘holy shits’ for now because you’ll run out of them. These are The Twelve, or were. I’ve added the code names they used.”

“Summerset was Fox. I can see that. You just don’t think someone you know could be a spy. Which is part of the deal, sure, but… Wow.”

“Alice Dormer, Fawn, was his wife.”

“His—oh God, oh jeez. That’s just really awful. She was so young. I guess I never thought about her being so young. So pretty.”

“This is the man responsible. Conrad Potter—Shark. Responsiblefor her death, the death of Leroy Dubois—Hawk. He was tried for war crimes, and spent over three decades in a prison in the UK. He died five years ago. But there’s no way he’s not responsible for Rossi.

“Get coffee, take my chair. I have a lot to tell you.”

“Did he have family? Potter. An accomplice. Maybe somebody he worked with who went inside for a while, but was released?”

“All good questions. I’m going to start at the beginning. Summerset recognized Rossi.”

She worked through it. Even for Peabody she left out Kolchek, and details on Summerset’s background that didn’t directly apply to the investigation.

Roarke would have called it a matter of respect. She preferred thinking of it as keeping a deal.

“She was a teacher. Sorry,” Peabody said. “I can’t imagine what it was like for her. For him, for any of them. Being part of something like that, and having someone you trusted, a partner really, turn on you. And he was a cop. It shouldn’t make it worse, but it does.”

“It does,” Eve agreed.

“I’m surprised he lived long enough to stand trial.”

“He ran, he hid, but not fast or far enough. Rossi got to him first. And broke these two fingers fighting him.”

Eve held up the index and middle finger.

“Where the killer put the card, and the message. It all ties in. But Potter’s dead.”

“I’m going to contact the prison, get more details on that. Summerset knows the date. November 3, 2056. He contacted the survivors. They’re coming to New York today. They’ll all be in, at the house by this afternoon.”

“Yourhouse?”

“It’s secure, as secure as it gets. I need to report to Whitney. I need to write this up, send the report to him, to Mira. Then meet with him, consult with Mira.”

“What do you want me to cover?”

“Take them one at a time, do deep background. You’re going to run into blocks during the Urbans, and some bullshit that’ll be cover.”

“Summerset, too?”

“No, I’ve got him. I’d say it’s unlikely—but unlikely’s not good enough—any of them were working with Potter. Knowing more about them, even small details, will help us with the interviews.”

“Us?”

“Until we’ve got more solid, they’re suspects. Low probability, but we interview them with that in mind. Potter never flipped on anyone, so very low on the probability. We’ll make it zero.”

“I get to interview spies!” With obvious delight, Peabody pressed her hands to the side of her head. “I love my job! I freaking love it!”

“Then go do it. Wait. What time is it in England?”

“Ah…”

“Never mind, I’ll look it up.”

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