Leverage in Death (In Death 47)

“I’ve what you need in the lab here.”

“Get it, then let’s move.”

As Roarke shot the data to Baxter, Eve dragged out her comm. “Alert Lieutenant Salazar,” she demanded on the move. “Two locations require E and B units.” She snapped information to Dispatch as she bolted down the steps, then contacted Baxter herself while she dragged on her coat.

He didn’t bother to block video, so she got a good shot of his bare ass—not bad—as he scrambled out of bed.

“Got the address. On my way in five.”

“Get Trueheart, get there. Tag Feeney for eyes and ears. I’ve got another one I’m handling. Salazar’s alerted. Wear vests and helmets. I’m sending uniforms, both locations. The van’s a black Essex Sprinter, new model. Echo - Zulu - Baker - Five - Seven - Eight. Watch for it. Do not enter until Salazar’s team clears. That’s an order. Move.”

She turned when Roarke jogged down to her with a field bag.

“I can get your eyes and ears, and I can scan for explosives.”

“Even better.” She ran outside, jumped in the car. “Here’s what we do. Go fast, but quiet. If he’s there, if he has them, sirens might make him cut his losses. If he’s crazy enough to hit another without Iler, knowing how close we are, he’s crazy enough to kill the family. He’ll sure as hell try to use them as shields.”

Roarke punched into vertical rather than waiting for the gates to open fully.

“I think I know the house. It’s back off the street and gated, like ours. I’ll need to bypass the security as, again, if he’s there, he may have reset it as a precaution.”

It took under two minutes to get there. Roarke pulled up out of the range of the gate cameras.

“I’m going to jam them long enough for me to bypass. We’ll go over the gate, then I’ll reset.”

When he got out, she contacted Dispatch, ordering backup to wait outside the gate until she cleared them through.

“Done.” Roarke slid behind the wheel again, took vertical over the iron gates. Reengaged the gate system.

He stopped in the shadows.

The house, about twenty feet back from the gates, stood three stories, with pillars framing a wide front porch. A large section of the roof jutted out, flattened. She could see in the security lights the rise of dwarf trees.

She’d seen that roof garden, she realized, from the roof dome of their own house. A spilling water feature down the west wall, a kind of fancy shed she imagined held tools for the raised wooden beds full of growing things and color in the spring and summer. Chairs and umbrella tables in season, too, so to enjoy the views in the garden and beyond. Big colorful pots to hold the trees and viney things winding up decorative supports.

No lights on the roof now, or on the main floor. But she noted them filtering through some of the windows on the second floor.

“There’s a vehicle around the side—I can see the lights bouncing off the chrome bumper, but I can’t get a good look. Work on the alarms, the eyes and ears. I’m going to move closer, check it out.”

She got out of the car, eased the door shut. Keeping low, weapon drawn, she jogged toward the house.

The black panel van sat close to the side of the house, out of sight from the street. She shined her penlight over the tags for confirmation.

She jogged back to Roarke.

“He’s in there. Get those eyes in, tell me where.” Once again, she pulled out her comm.

“Salazar.”

“My location. His van’s outside this location. Lights second-floor windows. I’ve got an e-man getting me eyes.”

“I’m heading to you. Don’t enter until we clear.”

“We can scan for boomers. He’s got three people inside. What’s your ETA?”

“Ten minutes.”

“Don’t take the gate until we give the gr