Connections in Death (In Death 48)

Hell, Eve thought, she could already see the cracks forming.

“It’s taking time because, Jesus, he’s delusional. He believes his own bullshit. Just business, not involved, consulting fees. I figure we string that out some, then wrap him up in his own bullshit. Who consulted with him about taking out Pickering and Duff?”

She looked back at Reo. “When it gets through the delusional bullshit that he’s wrapped, he’s going to want a deal.”

“He needs to go down for whatever part he played with Lyle,” Strong insisted. “With Duff, too.”

“Didn’t say otherwise. How much will the feds deal?” she asked Reo. “If he rats out the gang—if they can get key players on racketeering.”

“Dallas—”

“I’ve got an idea how to play this,” she interrupted Strong. “I need some room for it. The asshole’s tried two bribes already—one on the fucking record. It’s how he thinks. Compensation. I want to offer him some compensation. Damn it.”

She yanked out her comm when it signaled.

Dispatch, Dallas, Lieutenant Eve. See the officers at 21 Forsythe re: the body identified as Aimes, Barry.

“Responding now. Damn it, goddamn it,” she muttered as she shoved her comm back in her pocket. “Reo, you work those feds. It’s up to three bodies now. Strong, do you want in on this?”

“Damn right.”

“Then let’s move.”

* * *

“Forsythe’s Chinatown,” Peabody said when they reached the garage and climbed in Eve’s vehicle.

“I know.”

“So we’ve got a wannabe Banger dead inside what’s probably Dragon territory.”

“Somebody wants a gang war.” The base of it, Eve thought, was just that simple. “It’s a twofer. Snip off a loose end, like Duff, and push farther into the competitor’s territory. Somebody’s beating the war drums, and that’s stupid. Because we’ll follow the beat right to him.”

“Lieutenant,” Strong began from the backseat, “I’m not going to second-guess you. I’d be one of the last who’d ever do that.”

“But?” Eve prompted.

“Lyle was mine. He deserves justice. From what I saw in the box, from what we have on him, I don’t see opening up a deal to Cohen needs to happen.”

“Three dead, Detective. Two more who might be, and Christ knows how many will be if this does escalate into a war. A deal on the federal side gives me a lever with Cohen. He understands deals.”

She flicked a glance in the rearview mirror at Strong’s hard, unhappy face.

“Peabody, in the time we’ve worked together have you ever known me to advocate, much less push, for a deal that would deny the victims justice?”

“No.” Peabody shifted, looked back at Strong. “No,” she repeated.

“I’ll run how I see the play through for you,” Eve told Strong. “I’m going to want you on board.”

She outlined her strategy as she pushed into Chinatown, wound through the traffic clogging the streets, the tourists taking advantage of a decent day to shop and take vids.

Rather than waste time l

ooking for parking, she pulled into a no-parking zone, flipped up her On Duty light.

She saw the police barricade up ahead and the people crowded up to it, craning necks to see something exciting.

And the very bold street thief winding through the crowd like a quiet river while nimbly picking pockets.