“I didn’t get far on my checklist, but I’ve already found one handbag missing. I’ll get a full description of it, and anything else that doesn’t check, tomorrow. We’re going to find them in Zana’s possession. I’m bringing her into Interview. That’s where I’ll get her on this. Interview. I’ve got no proof, scattered piles of circumstantial. So it’s going to be me against her in the box, and that’s where I’ll turn it.”
He was studying her face as she spoke. “You have, on occasion, commented that I can be scary. So, Lieutenant, can you.”
She smiled, hard and thin. “You’re damn right.”
* * *
Chapter 20
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SHE STARTED
THE MORNING POKING, PRODDING, bitching, and bellowing at the lab. She thought about bribing, and had courtside Knicks tickets as backup. But fear brought her quicker results.
The minute it started to signal, Eve leapt toward her comp. “Computer, display incoming data on-screen, and produce hard copy.”
Acknowledged. Working…
She skimmed, then punched a fist into her palm. “Got you, bitch.”
“I’ll take that as good news.” Roarke leaned on the jamb of the door between their offices. “Let me say first that the unfortunate lab tech is going to need therapy. Possibly years of therapy.”
“It lit up.” She had to hold herself back from doing a victory dance.
“Blood on the bedroom carpet, bathroom floor, shower of the empty room at the time in question. They haven’t typed it yet, but it’s going to be Trudy’s.”
“Congratulations.”
“Haven’t bagged her yet, but I will. Even better than the blood, so much better—neither Zana nor Housekeeping did what you could call a thorough cleaning job. I’ve got a print on the inside windowsill. And it’s hers. Another on the door leading to the hall.”
“Pays to be thorough, or in her case, it doesn’t pay not to be.”
“Yeah, you got that. Didn’t think that far ahead. Didn’t think we’d look there. Why bother when she’d left that nice blood trail leading down the emergency escape?”
“And now?”
“Now I dodge the laser stream of hassling with store clerks the day after Christmas.” Now she did do a quick dance. “The prints are going to be enough to get me a search warrant. Enough for me to bring her into Interview. I just want to check on a couple other things first, settle on my initial approach.”
“Busy day for you.”
“I’m ready for one. I’m going to start out here, where it’s quiet. Peabody’s not due in for a few hours anyway.”
“I’ll leave you to it. I need to go.” But he crossed to her first, cupped her chin to kiss her. “It was nice having you to myself for a couple of days.”
“Nice being had.”
“Remember that, because I’m going to wheedle you into a few days away. Sun, sand, sea.”
“That doesn’t sound like a hardship.”
“Why don’t you mark down January second, then. We’ll make it work.”
“Okay.”
He started out, stopped at the door. “Eve? Will you ask her why? Does it matter?”
“I’ll ask. It always matters.”