“Oh, yeah. Ick. Well, we’ll keep thinking. Catch you later.”
Imagining an enormous piece of fruit with eyes and legs inside her friend’s belly, Eve shuddered. To get rid of it, she contacted Whitney’s office.
“Commander,” she began when she was put through, “I’ve had a break in the Lombard homicide.”
* * *
She took the elevator straight up from the garage, taking on the body jam for the sake of speed. She wanted to move now, move fast. It must’ve shown on her face, as Peabody jumped up from her desk the minute Eve came into the bull pen.
“Sir. Reo’s on her way. I shot her the data, up to current, so she’d have a sense before you spoke with her. Aw, you’re wearing the sweater I made you.”
Baffled for a moment, Eve looked down. She’d been too distracted that morning to pay attention to something like wardrobe. But saw now she was wearing Peabody’s sweater.
“Ah… it’s warm, but light. I like it. It’s… You made it?”
“Yeah. Both of them—Roarke’s, too. And I made this really mag jacket for McNab. Worked on that up at Mavis’s, so he wouldn’t catch on. Been awhile since I did any serious weaving.”
She reached out to fiddle with Eve’s sleeve. “McNab sprang for the material, and we worked on the colors together. It looks good.”
Momentarily baffled, Eve looked down at the sweater, soft and warm and in shades of heathery blue. “It’s great.” She didn’t think anyone had ever made her a sweater, or much of anything else for that matter. Leonardo didn’t count, she decided. It was his business.
“It’s really great,” she added. “Thanks.”
“We wanted to do something unique, you know? Because you guys are. And personal. So I’m glad you like it.”
“I do.” Or did now that she knew it was Peabody’s own work. Before that, it had just been a sweater.
“Baxter, Trueheart. With me.” She headed into her office. It was too small for the four of them, but she didn’t want to take time to book a conference room.
“I’m working on warrants. Zana Lombard.”
“The Texas housewife?” Baxter interrupted.
“The Texas housewife, who I believe I can prove was once fostered by Trudy Lombard. Who changed her identity for the purpose—at least in part—of ingratiating herself with the victim’s son in order to exact revenge on the mother. I want this bumping, so when those warrants come through, I’m having the subject escorted here. Ostensibly to go over her statements, update her, blah, blah. Once her hotel room’s clear, I want you in there. Here’s what I’m looking for.”
She took out a disc. “Descriptions here of a handbag, perfume, a sweater, and some enhancements purchased by the victim. I think Zana, who is in actuality one Marnie Ralston, helped herself to them after she killed Trudy Lombard. Find them, and let me know when you do.
“Peabody.”
“We’re rolling.”
“Contact the investigators of the Miami bombing. Club Zed, spring of 2055. Data’s in the file. I want to know exactly how body was ID’d. Exactly. Send Reo through when she gets here.”
“She pushed him into the street,” Baxter said. “That’s why we didn’t see anybody tailing them, didn’t see anyone approach. She did it herself.”
“That’s what I get.” She saw, too, both relief and anger wash over his face. “And what happened there’s on me because I didn’t see that step. Find those goods, and anything else that puts her with Trudy the night of the murder.”
She shoved them out, shut her door. Sitting at her desk, she took a moment to smooth herself out, then contacted Zana at the hotel.
“Hey, sorry. I woke you up.”
“It’s okay. I’m not sleeping very well. Gosh, it’s after nine.” She rubbed her eyes like a child. “I think Bobby’s going to get out of the hospital this afternoon. It may not be until tomorrow, but I’m hoping for today. They’re going to call me, so I can have everything ready for him.”
“That’s good news.”
“The best. We had a really nice Christmas.” She said it, Eve noted, with the tone of a brave little wife, making the best of the bad. “I hope you did, too.”
“Yeah, really nice. Listen, Zana, I hate to put you out, but I need to go over some things with you for reports. Paperwork, routine red tape that got bogged down with the holidays. It would really help me out if you could come down here. I’m buried under it. I can have you driven down.”
“Oh… well, it’s just that if Bobby needs me…”
“You’ve got some time before they release him, even if it’s today. And you’ll be downtown, nearer the hospital. Tell you what, if there’s anything you need to pick up, I’ll have the uniforms take you around. Then give you a hand getting Bobby home.”
“Really? I could really use the help.”
“I’ll try to get clear here, give you a hand myself.”
“I don’t know what I’d have done without you the last few days.” Those big blue eyes went predictably damp. “It’ll take me a little while to get dressed and everything.”
“No rush. I’ve got things I’ve got to get out of the way first. I’ll just have the uniforms bring you down when you’re ready. How’s that?”
“Okay.”
At the knock on her door, Eve sighed. “Gotta go. It’s crazed around here this morning.”
“I can’t even imagine it. I’ll be down as soon as I can.”
“Yeah, you will,” Eve muttered when she cut transmission. “Come on in. Reo.” She nodded at the curvy blond APA. “My Christmas was great, yours was, too. Blah, blah, blah, let’s get down to it.”
“Nice sweater, blah, blah, blah. Everything you’ve got is circumstantial and speculative. We can’t charge, much less prosecute.”
“I’ll get more. I need the warrants first.”
“I can wrangle the search. Items missing from victim’s room, victim’s daughter-in-law’s prints, as well as the blood and the prints in the room next door. Getting the match on the mouth is good, it’ll give it a nice push, but it’s still in that speculative area. A pair of lips aren’t solid ID.”
“I’ll get more,” Eve repeated. “I’m getting more. Get me the search and seizure. I’ve got her coming in for Interview. I know how to work her.”
“You’re going to need a confession to lock this up.”
Eve smiled. “I’m going to get one.”
“Sounds like something I’ll want to watch. I’ll get the search warrant. Bring her in.”
When it was done, she rounded up Baxter and Trueheart. “She’s on her way in. Go in, find me what I need. When you’re back here with it, give me a beep on my communicator. When I’m ready, I’ll send Peabody out for it.”
“She seemed so normal,” Trueheart commented. “Nice, too.”
“Bet she thinks she is. But that’s for Mira,” who was someone else Eve wanted to bring in.
She called Mira’s office, plowed her way through the admin. “I need you in Observation, Interview Room A.”
“Now?”
“In twenty. I’m bringing Zana Lombard in. I believe she’s actually Marnie Ralston, who assumed a new identity in order to get inside the Lombard household. I’m sending you my report now. I’ve got the PA’s office moving with me. I need you on this.”
“I’ll do what I can to shuffle things around.”
That would have to do, Eve decided. She made a few more contacts, then sat back, cleared her mind.
“Dallas?” Peabody stepped to the office door. “They’re bringing her up.”
“Okay. It’s showtime.”
* * *
She went out, met Zana and her escorts in the busy corridor outside her division.
Dressed for it, Eve thought. If she wasn’t mistaken—and she was getting good at bull’s-eyeing wardrobe—Zana was wearing a light blue cashmere crew neck, with floral embroidery on the cuffs. And that matched the description of one of Trudy’s purchases.
Ballsy, Eve decided.
Smug.
“I really appreciate you coming down. Things are wonky with the holidays.”
“After everything you’ve done for me and Bobby, it’s the least I can do. I talked to him right before I left, told him you were going to try to help me bring him back to the hotel from the hospital.”
“We’ll try to make that happen. Listen, I’m going to use one of the rooms to finish this up. It’ll be more comfortable than my office. You want something? Really bad coffee, vending drink?”
Zana looked around the busy corridors like a tourist at a street fair. “Oh, I wouldn’t mind a fizzy, any flavor but lemon.”
“Peabody? Would you take care of that? I’m going to take Zana into A.”
“Sure, no problem.”
Eve shifted the file folder as she walked. “Paperwork’s a killer,” she said casually. “And mostly a pain in the ass, but we want to have all the t’s crossed on this, so you and Bobby can get back home.”
“We are getting anxious. Work’s really piled up, and Bobby wants to get back to it. Plus, I guess we’re just not big-city types.”
She walked into the room after Eve opened the door, then hesitated. “Oh, is this an interview room, like you see on the cop shows onscreen ? ”
“Yeah. Most efficient way to go through the statements. You okay with that?”
“Oh, I guess. Actually, it’s kind of exciting. I’ve never been in a police station before.”
“We’ll sign off on Bobby’s statements at the hotel, seeing as he’s injured. But we can get yours out of the way, start moving you back toward Texas. Have a seat.”
“Have you brought many criminals in here?”
“My share.”
“I don’t know how you do it. Did you always want to?”
“As long as I can remember.” Eve sat across the table from her, slouched back. “I guess Trudy’s part of that.”
“I don’t understand.”
“That lack of control I felt when I was with her. Being defenseless. It was a pretty rough time for me.”
Zana lowered her eyes. “Bobby told me she wasn’t very nice to you. And now, here you are, working so hard to find out who killed her. It’s…”
“Ironic? That’s crossed my mind.” She glanced over as Peabody stepped in.
“Got you a cherry,” she told Zana. “Tube of Pepsi for you, Dallas.”
“I love cherry, thanks.” Zana accepted the tube, and a straw. “What do we do now?”
“To keep everything official—and part of the formality, Zana, is my former relationship with Trudy—I’m going to read out the Revised Miranda.”
“Oh. Oh, well, gee.”
“It’s for your protection, and mine,” Eve explained. “If this case ends up in the cold file—”
“Cold file?”
“Unsolved.” Eve shook her head. “It’s tough to realize that may be what happens. But if it does, it’s better all around if we have everything very official.”
“Well, okay.”
“I’m going to set the record.” Eve read off the time, the date, the names of those in the room, the case file, then recited the Revised Miranda. “Do you understand your rights and obligations in this matter?”
“Yes. Boy, I’m a little nervous.”
“Relax, it won’t take long. You are married to Bobby Lombard, the son of the victim, Trudy Lombard. Correct?”
“Yes. We’ve been married nearly seven months.”
“You were well acquainted with the victim.”
“Oh, yes. I worked for Bobby and his partner before Bobby and I got married. I got to know Mama Tru. That’s what I called her. Um, well, after Bobby and I got married, that’s what I called her.”
“And your relationship with her was friendly.”
“Yes, it was. Am I doing this right?” she added in a whisper.
“You’re doing fine. The victim was, according to your previous statements and statements on record from others, a difficult woman.”
“Well… she could be, I guess you could call it demanding, but I didn’t mind so much. I lost my own mother, so Mama Tru and Bobby are my only family.” She stared at the wall, blinked her eyes. “It’s just me and Bobby now.”
“You’ve stated you moved to Copper Cove, Texas, looking for employment, sometime after the death of your mother.”
“And after I finished business school. I wanted a fresh start.” Her lips curved. “And I found my Bobby.”
“You had never met the victim or her son before that time.”
“No. I guess it was fate. You know how you see somebody, and you just know?”
Eve thought of Roarke, of the way their eyes had met at a funeral. “Yeah, I do.”
“It was like that for me and Bobby. D.K., um, Densil K. Easton, Bobby’s partner, used to say every time we talked to each other, little hearts flew out of our mouths.”
“Sweet. Whose idea was it to come to New York at this time?”
“Um, well, Mama Tru’s. She wanted to talk to you. She’d seen you on media reports, about that cloning business, and recognized you.”
“Who selected the hotel where you were staying at the time of her death?”
“She did. I guess that’s just awful when you think about it. She picked the place where she died.”
“We could call that ironic, too. At the time of the murder, you and Bobby were in the room across the hall and three doors down from the victim’s.”
“Um, gee. I know we were across the hall. I don’t remember how many doors down, but that sounds right.”
“And at the time of the murder, you and Bobby were in your room.”
“Yes. We’d gone out to dinner, Mama Tru said she wasn’t up for it. And we got a bottle of wine. After we got back, we…” She blushed prettily. “Well, we stayed in the room all night. I went down in the morning, to her room, because she wasn’t answering the ‘link. I thought maybe she was sick, or a little irritated with us for going out on the town. Then you came, and—and you found her.”
She lowered her eyes again, worked up a few tears, Eve noted. “It was awful, just so awful. She was lying there, and the blood… You went in. I don’t know how you can do that. It must be so hard, being a policewoman.”
“Has its moments.” Eve opened her file, pushed through some hard copies as if checking facts. “I’ve got my time line here. I’m just going to read through it, on record, and see if you concur.”
While she did, Zana got busy biting her lip. “That sounds right.”
“Good, good, now let’s see what else we need to go over. Nice sweater, by the way.”
Zana preened, looked down. “Thanks. I just liked the color so much.”
“Goes with your eyes, doesn’t it? Trudy’s were green. Wouldn’t have looked nearly as good on her.”
Zana blinked. “I guess not.”
There was a knock on the door. Feeney stepped in. Right on schedule, Eve thought. He held a pocket ‘link, bagged for evidence, keeping his hand over it so that it couldn’t be clearly seen. “Dallas? Need a minute.”
“Sure. Peabody, go ahead and go over the events and time line of the Monday after the murder.” Eve rose, walked over to Feeney while Peabody took the ball.
“How long you want me to stand here jawing?” he said under his breath.
“Just glance over at the suspect.” Eve did the same, over her shoulder. Then, taking Feeney’s arm, drew him out of the room. “Let’s give her a minute to think about that. You’re sure this is the same type registered to the victim.”
“Yep, make, model, color.”
“Good. She’d have gotten just enough of a look for that to register. Appreciate it.”
“Could’ve sent one of my boys down with it, you know.”
“You look more official and scary.” Since she wanted Zana to sweat another minute, Eve dipped her hands in her pockets. “So how’d it go yesterday? Fancy dress dinner.”
“Had one of my grandsons tip the gravy boat. He’s
a good kid, and we got a nice bond.” He smiled wide. “Plus I paid him twenty. Worth it. See, the wife can’t get too pissed at the kid, and I got to lose the suit. That was a winner, Dallas. Appreciate it.”
“Happy to help.” Her communicator beeped. “Dallas.”
“Baxter. Couldn’t find the sweater, but—”
“She’s wearing it.”
“No shit? Cocky little bitch. But we’ve got the handbag, the perfume, and the enhancements. Also—and you’re going to love this—since the warrant included communications and electronics, I had Trueheart take a look at her ‘link log. We’ve got her scanning about flights to Bali. She’s got a hold on a reservation on one, under the name Marnie Zane, next month. Single. One way. Out of New York, not Texas.”
“Isn’t that interesting? I’m sending Peabody out for the bag, and other items. Nice work, Baxter.”
“Me and the kid had to make up for botching the tail.”
“Got her in a corner, Dallas,” Feeney commented when she clicked off.
“Yeah, but I want her in a cage.”
She stepped back into the room, her expression sober. “Detective Peabody, I need you to retrieve some items from Detective Baxter.”
“Yes, sir. We’ve completed the Monday time line.”
“Okay.” Eve sat as Peabody went out. “Zana, did you communicate, by ‘link, with the victim at any time on the day of her death?”
“With Mama Tru? On that Saturday? She called our room, told us she wanted to stay in.”
Eve laid the ‘link on the table briefly, put the file over it. “Did you have further ’link communication with her, later that evening?”
“Ah, I can’t really remember.” She nibbled on her thumbnail. “It’s all sort of muddled.”
“I can refresh you on that. There were more communications from her ‘link to yours. You had a conversation with her, Zana. One you didn’t tell me about during your previous statements.”
“I guess maybe I did.” She looked warily at the folder. “It’s hard to remember all the times we talked, especially after everything that’s gone on.” She offered Eve a guileless smile. “Is it important?”
“Yeah, a little bit important.”
“Gosh, I’m sorry. I was so upset, and it’s hard to remember everything.”