J. Robb - Treachery in Death

“Maybe. We’ll see what Bix has to say about it.”

“Looking forward to it. Well, shall we proceed?” Janburry said to his partner.

“See? Reads a lot.”

Enjoying their rhythm, Eve split off to prepare for the interview.

In her office, she put together what she needed, then sent memos to Whitney and Webster, leaving it to them to inform their superiors of the interview she’d scheduled. She put in a request for Mira to observe, if possible.

Then she tagged Feeney.

“Progress?”

“Nobody likes a nag.”

“Hey, it’s been hours.”

“Not in e-time. We’re getting there. We’re close.” He crunched down on one of his habitual almonds. “It’s not like replacing a mother-board, you know.”

“Fine. You should be aware I’ve just come from pissing Renee off, adding some more pressure. She said she didn’t like me.”

“That must’ve hurt your feelings.”

“They’re bruised. I ratted her out to her old man re Garnet’s temper tantrum last night, and if he didn’t head down there and give her a spanking, I’ll dress like McNab for a week. She called me a bitch, right to my face.”

“I’m shocked by her use of harsh language.”

“I could barely conceal my pain and embarrassment. I also tweaked her boy, Bix, and have him scheduled for Interview in a few minutes, regarding Garnet’s possible use of Renee’s weasel, the now deceased Keener, as Renee graciously opened that door.”

“She’s going to want to do more than use harsh language on you.”

“You think? What’s Peabody’s status?”

“She’s hunkered down in your office here. That’s all I know.”

“Roarke?”

“What am I? The freaking hall monitor?” The screen filled with his aggrieved face. “He’s doing rich, important-guy shit. He’s in and out.”

“Okay. Keep me updated. Text only.”

“When we’ve got it, you’ll know. Otherwise, don’t bother me.”

“Jeez,” she muttered when he clicked off. “Temperamental geek.”

She started down to Interview, and spotted Baxter at Vending.

“Did you close up the wit?”

“Is that a rhetorical question?” He chose a coconut cream bar, which made her stomach curdle. “You want?” he offered, obviously in a generous mood.

“Not if I were trapped under the rubble of a fallen building for five days and it was my only possible sustenance.”

“I like ’em.” To prove it, he ripped the wrapper, bit in. “Trueheart and I are working the suspect in Interview. We’re taking a break so he can sulk and reflect on the error of his ways. Funny thing, when I came out I saw an Illegals detective going into B. Bix.”

“Do you know Bix?”

“No, I haven’t had that pleasure. So how did I know it was Bix, you may ask.”

“I may.”

“I call it cop curiosity.” He took another bite, chewed. “My LT is butting heads with Illegals LT Oberman, I just have to find out a little more about the opposition and her crew. Hence, my recognition of Bix.”

“Hence,” she repeated. “You must read a lot.”

“I’ve been known to crack a book. Now my cop curiosity extends to Bix in Interview, perhaps sulking.”

“Perhaps.” She hooked a thumb in her pocket. “I can’t tell you, Baxter.”

“Well.” He bit, chewed. “If and when, I’d like in.”

“Why?”

“Is that yet another rhetorical question?”

She had to laugh, but shook her head. “A storm’s coming.”

“As a trained observer with considerable cop curiosity, I already figured that. If you need another umbrella, just let me know.”

“So noted.”

“Meanwhile, it may or may not be of interest to you but there are mutters that you’re after Oberman because she’s on the fast track to captain, or because she has bigger tits. Or because she spurned your sexual advances.”

“You made that last one up.”

“Actually I didn’t, but I wish I had. Those mutters aren’t getting far as they’re overpowered by louder mutters that Garnet was an asshole and Oberman didn’t rein him in. Or that you spurned her sexual advances. Mostly the other mutters haven’t gotten a foothold because people are more scared of you than Oberman.”

“I like fear. It’s versatile.”

“In the right hands.”

She left him contemplating his choices for washing down the coconut cream and walked into Interview, where she’d kept Bix waiting.

“Record on. Dallas, Lieutenant Eve, entering Interview with Bix, Detective Carl. Detective, I’m formalizing this as our discussion will involve another police officer whose death has been deemed a homicide and is being investigated by other detectives. Do you understand and agree?”

“Yes.”

“I’m going to Mirandize you to keep this interview formal, and to adhere to the letter of procedure.” She read him the Revised Miranda. “Do you understand your rights and obligations in this matter?”

His jaw twitched, just a little. “I’m a cop. I know what being Mirandized means.”

“Excellent. Detective, your direct superior is Lieutenant Renee Oberman, Illegals, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Under Lieutenant Oberman you have often partnered with Detective Bill Garnet, of the same squad.”

“Yes.”

“Most recently, you and Detective Garnet were assigned as lead investigators on the Giraldi case. According to my information, Detective Garnet believed that case was about to break.”

“We were pursuing several lines of investigation.”

Eve opened a file, skimmed it as if looking for specific data. “Were any of those lines of investigation pursued due to information received from your lieutenant’s CI, Rickie Keener, now deceased?”

“Not to my knowledge.”

She cocked up her eyebrows. “You had not solicited information from that source?”

“No.”

“Had Garnet?”

“Not to my knowledge.”

“It runs a very high probability, Detective, that as both Keener and Garnet were killed at the same location, their murders are connected, either by perpetrator or purpose, or both.”

“I don’t believe Keener was murdered. I think he overdosed, as his kind often do.”

“That determination isn’t yours to make, Detective. It falls to the ME, to me, to the evidence, which all weigh in on homicide.”

She closed a file, opened another, exposing Keener’s crime scene photos, then slid out one of Garnet’s and set them side-by-side.

“It would be a very strange coincidence if Detective Garnet was murdered in the same location and his death had no connection to Keener’s. Adding to that, you and Garnet entered Keener’s residence, after his death, and performed an illegal search.”

“We believed we had cause, and did not—at that time—know Keener was dead.”

“The cause being a possible connection to your investigation.”

“That’s right.”

“But you had not solicited Keener prior.”

“I didn’t. I said I had no knowledge whether Garnet did. He said he had a hunch, that we needed to give Keener a shake.”

“What was the hunch? What was the purpose of the shake?”

“I don’t know.”

She leaned back. “You and Garnet were working what you consider a major case, one you believed would shortly break. He has a hunch, and you both go to the flop of your lieutenant’s CI. But you don’t ask why, or what you’re looking for when you conduct the illegal search, you don’t ask how Keener might be connected to your investigation.”

Bix shrugged, the first move he’d made since she’d come in to the room. “Garnet wanted to give him a shake. I backed him up.”

“You don’t have much cop curiosity, do you, Bix?”

“I do the job.”