She could trust and believe that, too.
She sized up the two officers in plain clothes when they arrived, and decided Peabody had chosen well. Though Peabody had briefed them, Eve briefed them again.
Then got her first look at Mouser.
Sebastian led him in. A scrawny, sharp-eyed kid a full head shorter than Dorian. Obviously hastily cleaned up and carrying a small duffel.
“I need to look in there.”
Mouser stared holes in her. “Got a warrant?”
Sebastian merely tapped his shoulder.
“Cops,” the boy muttered, but opened the duffel.
She found some rough clothes, a tablet with a cracked screen, a tattered graphic novel, a magnifying glass, a toothbrush, a little tin box holding some shiny rocks, a half-empty bag of gummy candy, and a hidden pocket with thirty-two dollars in cash along with an obviously homemade beggar’s license.
She pulled out the license, said, “Really?” and pocketed it before she handed him back the duffel.
“Bogus” was his opinion.
“Name’s Crack.” Crack shot out a hand, took the boy’s, shook it. “I’m going to show you around. Dorian’s up checking out her room.”
The kid drew himself up to his full height, poked out his chest. “Anybody messes with her messes with me.”
“Get in line,” Crack advised. “I’ve got him,” he told Eve.
“Don’t disappoint me.” Sebastian laid a hand on Mouser’s head. “And, more important, don’t disappoint yourself.”
Sebastian watched them walk off, then took a disc out of his pocket. “His legal name is Thomas Grantly. You’ll certainly run his file, but this has most of it. He survived and escaped a nightmare. I’m trusting you not to send him back to one.”
“I’ll make the determination when I read his background, but until we shut down this Academy, he’s here. If Dorian takes off, manages to get out and find her way back to you, I’ll find her, and you and I will be on opposite sides of this.”
“And rightfully so. You can’t save them all, and neither can I, but we each try in our own way.”
He handed Eve a small bag. “This is what she was wearing when Mouser found her. We didn’t wash any of it as I normally would have because it all seemed off. And the shirt and pants were torn in any case.
“I’ll leave it at that, and leave those children in good hands.”
Eve watched him go. “How many street thieves, B and E men, grifters, and frauds has he trained over the years?”
“How many lost children has he saved from abuse and misery?”
“That’s not his job.”
“Perhaps not, but it’s certainly his vocation. And he’s given two into your care because he knows he isn’t enough to keep them safe. Let that part go for now, Eve. You’ve enough to deal with.”
“You’re right.” She opened the bag Sebastian had given her. “Uniform—with the sex gear under it. It’s all already been handled, damn it, but Harvo might find something. I need to take these to the lab, call her back in, and…”
She paused as she riffled through. “Something stuck in the pants pocket.”
Using the fabric, she pushed it out. “Jesus, it’s a swipe. A broken swipe. Just a piece of one. Broke when she fell, maybe in the tunnels, maybe outside. And we’ve got a piece of it.”
“Let’s have a look.”
“Don’t touch it!”
“I know the ropes, Lieutenant. It might be enough to give us some data.”
She zipped it all back up when she heard footsteps and voices.
Like a little damn parade, she thought. Rochelle, Crack, the two kids, the two cops, all chatting away.
“We’re heading to the kitchen for some dinner,” Rochelle began. “Can you join us?”
“No, but thanks. I need to get back to it.” Eve looked at Dorian. “Detective Yancy will be here in the morning. If you remember or think of anything more in the meantime, either of these officers can contact me.”
“I like my room.”
“Yay.”
“It doesn’t lock from the outside.”
She felt that, deep in her guts, but spoke casually.
“It’s a school, not a prison. Tell me about the swipe card in your pocket.”
“The swipe?” The puzzled frown went to wide-eyed shock. “Matron’s card! I forgot! I—I was going to drop it on the ground, like maybe she just dropped it, but then I thought we might need it again, so I kept it. Maybe if I’d dropped it, they wouldn’t have known we got out. Maybe if—”