She drove back to Cop Central, remembering her energy bar as she swung into the garage. She ate it on the way up to her office, chewing nutrients and chewing over her impressions of Cagney.
He had a face a patient would trust, even fear a bit, she imagined. You would tend to believe his word—medically—was law. She intended to do a run on him, but calculated him in his mid to late sixties. That meant he'd been a doctor for more than half of his life so far.
He could kill. She learned that anyone could under the right circumstances. But could he kill so cold-bloodedly? Would he protect, under the guise of professional loyalty, someone else who had?
She wasn't sure of the answers.
The light on her computer was blinking green, indicating a new input of data. Peabody, she thought, had been hard at work. After stripping off her jacket, she called it up. It only took five frustrating minutes of grinding noises before the data popped.
Victim identified as Samuel Michael Petrinky, born 5-6-1961, Madison, Wisconsin. ID number 12176-VSE-12. Parents deceased. No known siblings. Marital status: divorced June 2023. Former spouse Cheryl Petrinsky Sylva, age 92. Three children from marriage: Samuel, James, Lucy. Data available on request in cross file.
No known employment in last thirty years.
What happened to you, Sam? she wondered. Why'd you leave the wife and kids and come to New York to fry your mind and wreck your body on brew and smoke?
"Hell of a way to end up," she muttered, then asked for the cross-reference on his children. She would have to notify next of kin.
You have performed an illegal function. Please delete request and enter your ID number immediately or all unsaved data will be destroyed.
"You son of a bitch." Furious, Eve leaped to her feet and punched the side of her computer with a bunched fist. Even as the pain sang in her knuckles, she prepared to punch it again. "A problem with your equipment, Lieutenant?"
She hissed, set her teeth, and straightened. It was rare for Commander Whitney to visit her office. And not too happy a moment to have him do so when she was beating up departmental property.
"Respectfully, sir, this unit sucks."
It might have been a smile that flitted into his dark eyes, but she couldn't be sure.
"I suggest you contact maintenance, Dallas."
"Maintenance, Commander, is full of morons."
"And the budget is full of holes." He stepped in, shut the door at his back, which made Eve's stomach jitter uneasily. He glanced around, then shook his head. "Your rank entitles you to an office, Dallas. Not a dungeon."
"This suits me, sir."
"So you always say. Is that AutoChef stocked with your coffee or the department's?"
"Mine, sir. Would you like some?"
"I certainly would."
She turned to order him a cup. The closed door meant he wanted privacy. The request for coffee indicated he wanted to put her at ease.
The combination made Eve nervous. But her hand was steady as she offered him the cup, and her eyes stayed level on his.
His face was wide, tended to be hard. He was a big man with wide shoulders, wide hands, and very often, fatigue darkening his eyes. "You caught a homicide early this morning," he began, pausing long enough to sip and appreciate the genuine coffee from genuine beans Roarke's money could buy.
"Yes, sir. The victim has just been identified. I'll be notifying next of kin." She shot her computer a vicious look. "When I can drag the data out of that heap. I'll have an updated report for you by end of day."
"I have a report from the first officer on-scene on my desk now. Along with a complaint. You and Bowers appear to have bumped heads."
; "I came down on her. She deserved it."
"She's filed a complaint that you used abusive and inappropriate language." When Eve rolled her eyes, he did smile. "You and I both know that kind of a complaint is no more than a nuisance and generally makes the complainant look like a soggy-spined fool. However…" His smile faded. "She also claims that she observed your work on-scene as sloppy and careless. That you misused her trainee and threatened her with physical harm."
Eve felt the blood begin to sizzle hot under her skin. "Peabody recorded the on-scene investigation. I'll have a copy of it on your desk immediately."