“Then how did your prints get inside Lyle Pickering’s apartment?”
“Didn’t leave no prints. We sealed up.”
Idiots, Eve thought, a bunch of idiots, and this one might win top prize for falling for that line so easily.
“You sealed up before going in the apartment to kill Pickering. Who used the syringe on him?”
His fingers snapped faster, faster.
“It matters, Denby,” Peabody said, earnest, almost kind. “If you didn’t actually use the syringe, it could matter in the charges.”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t have to talk to you no more.”
“Lying coward.” Eve shoved up, looked into those bitter eyes, saw the flare of hate and pride. “You used Dinnie Duff to get inside, and inside you attacked Pickering, stuck him with a tranq because you’re a coward and wouldn’t take him on man-to-man. Then you pumped him full of Go, overdosed him because you hated he was better than you.”
He tried a lunge, but the restraints held him. “Motherfucker wasn’t better than me. He got no loyalty, he turn his back on his family. Got no reason to live, got no right. Bolt says take him down ’cause Slice is too weak to do it, we take his ass down.”
“Bolt, aka Kenneth Jorgenson, ordered you to kill Lyle Pickering?”
“Bitch cop trying to mess me up, but I did what had to be. Ain’t no coward. I take on anybody comes at me,” he spat out. “I take you on and we see who gets messed up.”
“And did Bolt tell you how to do it? How to do what had to be? You, Barry Aimes, Burke Chesterfield.”
“Fist and Ticker,” Peabody said helpfully.
“Fist gotta prove himself, don’t he, he wants to be a Banger. Ticker, too. Gotta prove worthy.”
“By killing Pickering.”
“Turned his back on his family. We took him out. I ain’t afraid to say so.”
“Dinnie Duff let you, Aimes, and Chesterfield into the apartment.”
“She Bolt’s bitch, so does what she told.”
“And did she help you kill Pickering?”
“Don’t need no bitch to help. Gonna mess you up.” He snapped and rocked. “Mess you up good. Show you what bitches is for.”
In the zone, Eve thought, she had him in that hate-filled pride zone. “So you sent her out. Only you, Chesterfield, and Aimes murdered Lyle Pickering.”
“Executed, bitch. You feel? What had to be.”
“Where was Pickering when you went inside to execute him?”
“In the kitchen. Fist, he gets a good hold, and Ticker jabs him with the takedown juice. I say that part’s bullshit, and we should mess a fucker up, but Bolt, he says we gonna make it look like he OD’d. Like he was a liar.”
“Who gave you the illegals to plant in the apartment?”
“Bolt can get what he wants. Man ought to be leading the Bangers. We put the junk in the fucker’s room like Bolt say to do.”
“What did you take from Lyle’s bedroom?”
“Just some coin, man. Not like he could spend it.” He snickered.
“Where were the buds?”
“In his pocket. He don’t need ’em no more.”