By the time Eve returned to Interview A, Peabody and Reo stood outside the door. Both of them, she noted, looked worn to the bone. Peabody held two fizzies, Reo a tube of Diet Pepsi.
“She’s in there,” Peabody said. “I got her another fizzy before she can snap her fingers at me for one. Hitting the sugar myself.”
“Cold caffeine for me, as I can’t stomach Vending coffee.”
“Hell.” Eve pulled out the half candy bar, broke that in half, held the pieces out to them.
“Chocolate? Really?” Pleasure put some energy in Peabody’s voice. “Loose pants be damned. Thanks. Thanks, Dallas.”
“Thank Roarke.”
“Thank you, Roarke.” Reo took a minute bite.
“Eat the damn thing, don’t mouse-nibble it to death. We’ve got work.”
“I like to savor the unexpected, but.” Reo popped her share into her mouth.
“I’m going to keep her going, get her to tell us about this Alaska crap, then lead into her own agenda. I want the intent to kill on record. We’re going to start challenging her. The more we do, the more she’ll be compelled to brag.”
Eve pulled open the door. “Record on, Interview resume. All parties present.”
Peabody set the fizzy down in front of Willow.
“I wanted cherry this time.”
“You got orange, take it or leave it.” Peabody’s eyes narrowed on Willow’s face. “And if you throw that at me, I’ll have you up on charges of assaulting a police officer.”
“Assault with a fizzy.”
Peabody didn’t crack a smile as Willow hooted in disdain.
“I’ll make it stick, you ungrateful little shit.”
It seemed the challenging had begun, Eve noted, saying nothing until Peabody took her seat, sipped from her own drink.
“Tell me about Alaska.”
“It’s cold.”
“Your father states that you and he planned to relocate there. That, according to your alternate plan, should something go wrong, happen to him, you were to make your way there.”
“Alaska? About as lame as Susann. Sure I liked seeing it, doing some hunting the couple times we checked it out. No way would we live up there.”
“He was very clear you would.”
“If we needed a place to lay low for a few months, sure, that would do it. Mostly, I went along with him because he needed to hear it. It helped keep him focused on the mission.”
“So you didn’t intend to make your way there, as outlined, after his arrest?”
“I like the city. It’s fine spending some time out west, even up there in Nanook country, but I wasn’t going to drag my ass all the way to Alaska. Plus, I finish what I start.”
“Which you proved by targeting Jonah Rothstein and seventeen other bystanders at Madison Square Garden. But after that, you’d have run into a problem. Were you aware we’d identified your other targets and had them in protective custody?”
“Yeah, yeah. BFD.”
“Is that why you returned to your family home rather than the location you and your father had chosen should you need to remain in New York?”
“They’re not my family, okay?” Those green eyes gleamed with disgust. “Bio-tube, her banging buddy, and the brat they spawned. That’s it. It’s a house, and it’s as much mine as anybody’s. I got my stuff there.”