Studying her, Roarke sat back with his wine. “You’re meaning a sort of assembly-line operation. A car—a girl. Same basic make. Young, female, human. But your victim was white, the second girl mixed race. Choices for the … consumer.”
“I’m thinking maybe it doesn’t cost twice as much to feed and clothe and house two girls instead of one. Or ten times as much for ten. You’ve already got the housing, so that doesn’t change. Food spreads out. I guess clothes multiply per cost per kid, but—”
“Not necessarily,” Dennis put in. “We sponsor some sports teams, right, Charlie? Grandchildren,” he added with that sweet smile. “If you order two dozen jerseys, they cost less per item than if you order one, or six, for instance.”
“A quart of paint costs more per volume than a gallon,” Roarke said.
“More product, more profit?”
“In theory. But these are children, not cars or widgets.”
“I’m aware,” Eve responded in the same flat tone. “I’m trying to get a handle on a possible business plan.”
“And the human element must be factored in,” Roarke countered. “They’re abducted, so not willing participants. They may not eat what they’re told when they’re told.”
“Take food away for a day or two and most children will eat what you provide.”
Roarke nodded at Mira. “True enough,” he said, as he’d known hunger as a child.
“With the victim,” Mira continued, “they had months to control her, to indoctrinate her. Evidence indicates she was killed during an attempted escape, so indoctrination failed. But as there were no indications of restraints or physical punishments, I conclude she was controlled—or careful enough to allow her captors to believe her controlled.”
She held up a hand as Roarke poured more wine into her glass. “Just half, thanks. Now, as to the second girl. Dorian. She may have betrayed Mina, helped stop the escape.”
“Narc on another kid,” Eve added, as she’d thought of it. “Get a reward.”
“Yes. However, Dorian’s personal experience leads toward a distrust of authority, and one very unlikely to report on another child. My opinion is they worked together. While Dorian may have enjoyed the attention, the food, the nicer materials, and so on, freedom is a driving force with her personality. Distrust of authority, and freedom.”
“No freedom when authority’s in control.”
“Not in her experience. I believe she was certainly cagey enough to fully understand her fate if she remained held.”
“She’d be sold,” Eve concluded.
“With no choice in the matter. No ability to refuse the whims and wishes of whoever bought her. And that brings me to the blood, hers on Mina’s clothing. She may have been hurt during the escape, but—”
“Mina wasn’t wearing those pants when she got out.”
“Exactly.” Mira nodded at Eve. “Tending these—in their view—products would also require medical attention. Tests to be certain of the girls’ health, regular tox screenings, I’d think.”
“Blood tests.”
“Most certainly, which would make it a simple matter to plant the blood.”
“After they transferred the body from the kill zone to where she’d be easily found. The kid got away,” Eve murmured. “She got out. Why else try to set her up for the murder? Wouldn’t it diminish her worth as a product to have the cops ID her, search for her? It damages her. I should’ve thought of that. You can’t sell a damaged product for full price. She got out, and that makes her the perfect fall guy.”
Eve closed her eyes a moment. “She doesn’t trust cops, why would she? They’d know that. They might even have a shrink on tap—bet they do. She’s not coming to us. We’re as much the enemy as the people who grabbed her up. She’d already been tossed in juvie once, why risk it again?”
She looked at Mira. “Freedom’s the driver, I get that. She’ll find a hole and hide, or she’ll run. Anything else is a cage, one kind or another.”
“You understand these girls in a way few can, not just from training or a natural insight, but from your own experiences. That makes you uniquely qualified for this case. And makes it very, very difficult for you. Both of you,” Mira qualified. “You can see and feel through them. You may struggle to maintain your objectivity as well as your emotional balance.”