New York to Dallas (In Death 33)

“Yes, sir. Sending.”

“Give us the salients on this ID.”

“Lieutenant,” Peabody began, and with her face sober as stone, her hair pulled back, gave the data quickly.

“In addition, sir, we are currently at the location where the UNSUB resided under this ID while in New York. We are in the process of interviewing other residents of the building, and have a name and address for her place of employment while she resided here.”

“Good work, Detective.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Contact me with further data as it comes. Dismissed.”

She cut the transmission. “I want everyone in this room as familiar with every one of these names, faces, salients as they are with their own. If, by chance, the UNSUB goes on the move under one of these IDs, she is to be followed. Not approached.

“Whether she’s on foot or using the vehicle, we’ll tail her until she leads us to McQueen.”

“Why don’t we put a homer on the vehicle?”

She glanced at Detective Price. “We have no way of knowing if said vehicle has sensors or security that would alert either the woman or McQueen if any attempt at tampering is made. As his vehicle we confiscated in New York did. Four-vehicle tail,” she continued. “Five with me. Your lieutenant will assign the teams, and select the best location to wait until she’s on the move. Air backup. EDD coordinating switchoffs and visuals throughout. We give her a clean path to McQueen. To his location, and straight to him. She so much as smells cop, we lose her. Lose her, and we lose McQueen, Melinda Jones, and Darlie Morgansten.

“Nobody, absolutely nobody goes near the vehicle or the house, not when she’s in or out. There may be alarms set on the residence. We wait.”

“Heat sensors identified a single hit inside the residence,” Ricchio told her. “Moving around.”

“Excellent. She’s there, she’s up. Surveillance at that location is to be changed hourly. If she’s spending some time at home, I don’t want her noticing unfamiliar vehicles in place for long. I want a team of four ready in softclothes in case she leaves on foot.”

She waited a beat. “Now, McQueen.”

Tough to refine an op when the location remained unknown, but she laid out basic strategy for recovery and apprehension.

“When she leads us there, we’ll refine and adjust for specific location. We take this a step at a time. We’re careful and we’re smart. And we get it done.”

She answered questions, but kept it short. Time, she thought. The bitch was no housewife, who’d putter around half the day.

Nikos waited until she’d finished to approach. “We can work the air surveillance and tail. Laurence and I will stay on the ground, part of the ground tail.”

“That’ll work.”

“I’ve got some concerns about the recovery and apprehension.”

“Let’s work that out when we have the location. Once she’s with McQueen, we’ll have time to nail it down. But I don’t want to lose her now, so let’s get where we’re going.”

She turned away, went to Roarke. “I need you in EDD on the financials. I know you’d rather stick with me.”

“My first and last priority, Lieutenant.”

“I get it, but I need those accounts. I’m going to be with two dozen cops, federal agents, SWAT. I’d say I’ve got plenty of backup there. Plus, I’ll tag you the minute she’s on the move. And again when she goes to McQueen. I’ll give you the location, and you can come in then. You can come in before we take him.”

“That’s fair enough.”

“I’m good,” she said, because he was studying her just a little too carefully.

He touched his fingertips, just a skim, to hers. “I can see that.”

“I’ve gotta go. I’m taking the car. Nobody tails in a rig like that, so she’ll never smell cop. I’ll arrange for an officer to bring you to McQueen’s location when we’ve got it.”

“No, you won’t,” Roarke corrected, with feeling. “I’ll arrange for another car, and get myself there.”