“You know, you can have these removed,” Eve interrupted, giving Penny’s forearm a light squeeze. “So you can hardly tell anything was ever there. Except when you’re meat on the slab, under microgoggles and all that nasty autopsy equipment, pop.”
“So—”
“—what,” Eve finished. “The thing is we know Lino Martinez was masquerading as a priest, right next door. We know he came in to see you nearly every day. For over five years. We know how far back you go with him, with Chávez, with the Soldados. And gee, Penny, you’re the only one here. Tag, you’re it.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“I hear things, too,” Eve said cheerfully. “Like you and Lino used to tango. How he came into the bodega where you work every day.”
“That doesn’t mean shit. I didn’t do a damn thing. You can’t prove I knew Lino was back. You’ve got nothing.”
“Give me time. I’m taking you into custody.”
“For what?”
“Material witness.”
“Screw that!”
Eve made a deliberate move to take Penny’s arm again, and smiled as Penny slapped her hand away. “Uh-oh, did you see that, Detective Peabody?”
“I did, Lieutenant. I believe this woman just assaulted a police officer.”
“Screw that shit.” Temper burning her face, Penny shoved Eve aside, swung toward the door.
“Oops, another assault. And now resisting arrest.” Eve made the grab, twisting Penny’s wrist as the woman dug for her pocket. “Goodness, what do we have here?” she said as she pushed Penny’s face against the wall.
“Why, Lieutenant, it looks like a knife.”
“It really does.” Eve tossed it, hilt first, to Peabody. “This is just turning into a mess, isn’t it?”
“Puta!” Penny whipped her head around, spat in Eve’s face.
“Okay, now I’m no longer entertained.” Eve cuffed Penny’s hands behind her back. “Call for a wagon, Peabody, to take our prisoner downtown. Book her on assaulting an officer, armed, and resisting.”
“Bullshit charges. I’ll be out in twenty minutes.”
Eve took the napkin Peabody passed her, wiped the spit off her face. Then leaned close to Penny’s ear, and whispered, “Wanna bet?”
We won’t be able to hold her very long,” Peabody commented after they’d turned Penny over to a pair of uniforms.
“Sure we will.” Eve took out her ’link, called Homicide. “Jenkinson,” she said when one of her dete
ctives came on-screen. “I’m having a female prisoner transported down. Soto, Penelope. Charged with assaulting an officer and resisting. I’m going to be a couple hours. Jam it up.”
“Got that.”
Eve clicked off, checked her wrist unit. “No time to talk to López or Freeman. Let’s head down and take care of making Lino official.”
“You really just pissed her off.”
“Yeah.” Smiling a little, Eve got behind the wheel. “That was the good part.”
“Maybe pissed her off too much to talk to you, especially if she lawyers up.”
“Oh, she’ll lawyer. I’m counting on it. And that’s why she’ll talk to me about Lino. The lawyer will so advise.”
Baffled, Peabody scratched her head, and at last, long last, bit into her now stone-cold burrito. “Hmcum?”