“Yes, sir. Sir, Detective Yancy will be with Dorian Gregg this morning, working with her on sketches. I’d like him to bring her here when we have Beaty. I’d like her to confirm ID on her, and anyone else she recognizes.”
“Has Mira cleared this?”
“She has. She believes it will help the minor female, sir. And Reo believes it will only help nail down the legal case.”
“We’ll set her up in an Observation area when it’s time, with a child advocate.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Get the children out, Lieutenant,” Tibble told her. “And let’s nail the sons of bitches who profited from them to the wall.”
“That’s the plan.”
She headed out, crossed paths with Peabody, who handed her a vest and her earbud. “I’m so ready for this.”
Eve gave her a hard study as they walked to the elevators. “How much booster did you take?”
“Just the one. It’s all I needed. I want to crush them. I want them to squeal and beg for mercy when I do.”
“That’s not very Free-Ager of you.”
Peabody snorted. “I’ll light some candles and meditate to rebalance later. Crush now.”
“Do you actually do that? Light candles and stuff?”
“Bet your skinny ass. Sorry!” She sent Eve a wild-eyed, appalled look. “I’m revved up.”
“I’ll let it go—this time.”
“Revved,” she repeated. “Pissed. And cold. Ice-cold, so don’t worry about me not handling it. I do light candles and stuff. It balances out everything we see and do. That and hot jungle sex with McNab keep me level.”
When Eve’s eye twitched, Peabody grinned. “I figured it was a good time to get away with that one.”
“It’s never a good time. But since I need you at a hundred percent, I’ll put my boot up your ass later.”
“Always something to look forward to.”
And when Eve shoved off the elevator to avoid a crush of cops, Peabody trotted after her.
On the glide, she pulled out her ’link. “I’ve got to balance things,” she said, and tagged Nadine.
“Dallas,” Nadine began.
“Listen, don’t talk. Here’s what you can do, what you can’t. I’m going to give you an address. Get there, bring a camera. No live feed. No. Live. Feed,” she repeated. “Stay across the street. Do not cross to the location. Do not attempt to speak to anyone. Do not release the feed until I say. If you follow all those very specific instructions, I’ll clear you to come into Central, do a few select interviews.”
“You found them. You’re going in.”
“I’ve told you all I’m telling you at this time.” She paused a moment. “You helped find a victim, and she’s safe. You get this.” She read off the address.
She clicked off. And when she hit the stairs to the garage level, nodded to herself. “Better than candles.”
“That’s good, that’s good and smart.”
“Feels like it. Let’s be good and smart now.” She put on her vest as they crossed to the assembled team. “Check comms,” she ordered as she fit in her earbud. “Get it done. Take it down, bring them home.”
She climbed in the back of her assigned van, counted heads as her team followed. Peabody, Roarke, McNab, Feeney, and Jamie; Officers Shelby, Dubock, and Marshall. “We’re set. Move out.”
Detectives Carmichael and Santiago’s team to the crematorium, uniform teams dispatched to suspects’ residences. Jenkinson and Reineke with theirs on the tunnels.
She checked in with Whitney for status on outside locations, then with the commands on water and air support.
“Approaching our mark,” Feeney told her.
Just a normal day for most, Eve thought. Just a muggy morning in the city, traffic snarling, air blimps blasting, people on their way to work, grabbing cart coffee, tourists gawking and hitting up the early sidewalk vendors for caps, T-shirts, knockoff designer bags.
Busy, noisy, impatient, and full of life.
And inside one building, one she saw on-screen now, that life filled with fear and misery, with greed and viciousness.
Time to end it.
“Numbers,” Eve said.
“Scanning now.” As he’d been briefed, Jamie started with the tunnels. “I’ve got two, in a vehicle due to speed of movement and position.”
When he gave her direction and location, she relayed to the street patrol. “Pick them up, shut down any communications, search and confiscate vehicle.”