Delusion in Death edahr-44

by J. D. Robb

  “If you don’t trust me after all this—”

  “It’s not a matter of trust. It’s about time and priorities. I can give you five minutes, and that’s all.” She turned into the bullpen, held out her hand for the bakery box. Jaw tight, Nadine shoved it at her. “Go on into my office. I’ll be right there.”

  Leaving Nadine to go or stay, she crossed to Jenkinson’s desk.

  “Sorry, LT. I couldn’t order her out of the building, but—”

  “No problem.” She dropped her bag on his desk. “The minute Peabody gets in, give that to her, tell her to start setting up in the conference room. She’ll figure it out.”

  “You got it.”

  Eve plopped the big pink box beside the bag. “Fuel up. It’s going to be a long one.”

  His tired face brightened. “Yes, sir!”

  She heard, as she started toward her office, the stampede as detectives and uniforms surged Jenkinson.

  Rather than taking the undeniably uncomfortable visitor’s chair, Nadine stood at Eve’s skinny window, arms folded.

  “What group is responsible for the attack on the bar? Has Homeland or any government anti-terrorist organization joined this investigation? How many individuals infiltrated the bar, and do you have any in custody? Will you confirm a biological agent was used in this attack? There are sources that claim some of the victims were induced to injure or even kill others. Can you confirm?”

  While Nadine rolled out questions, Eve rested her hip on the corner of her desk, waited.

  “You just wasted a chunk of your five. You can be quiet, listen to what I can and will tell you, or you can keep wasting your time.”

  “This is bullshit, Dallas.”

  “No, it’s not bullshit, not when over eighty people are dead. Not when families, friends, neighbors are reeling from the shock of that loss. Not when the handful of survivors is struggling with intense physical and emotional trauma.”

  “I spent time with some of those families and friends yesterday. I know what they’re dealing with. You’re not giving them any answers.”

  “I can’t. Not yet. The reason you’re in this office, and I’m talking to you isn’t because we’re friends. We’ve both got jobs to do, and we’re both damn good at our jobs. You’re in here because you’re the best I know, and because I know whatever I tell you to hold, you’ll hold. I don’t doubt that, and I don’t have to ask for your word. That’s not friendship either, it’s knowing what you do isn’t just a job to you, any more than mine is to me. So be quiet, and listen, or let me get back to what I have to do.”

  Nadine took a long breath, rolled her shoulders, shook back her streaky blond hair. Then she moved to the visitor’s chair, sat.

  “Okay. I’m listening.”

  “I don’t know what Whitney plans to say in the media conference. I haven’t had time to connect with the liaison. Whatever I tell you that isn’t part of that statement, part of what the NYPSD released to the public, has to hold.”

  “All right. I want to record—”

  “You can’t. Take notes if you need to in that weird code of yours. Your eyes only.”

  “You’re starting to spook me,” Nadine said as she dug out a notebook.

  “I haven’t even started. We’ve identified a chemical substance that was released in the bar. Hallucinogenic base that causes paranoid delusions and violent behavior. It acts quickly, only lasts a short amount of time, but long enough. It’s airborne, and as far as we know, these effects are also limited in area.”

  “Like the bar, with the doors and windows closed, the air circulation helping disperse it.”

  At least she didn’t have to cross every “T” with Nadine. She gave her what she could, what seemed enough to set Nadine’s reporter’s instincts humming.

  “Nobody’s taken credit or issued a political statement, so you believe an individual or individuals are responsible.”

  “It’s most probable,” Eve confirmed. “However, I have some information from a source.” And this, Eve thought, was where Nadine and her research chops would serve.

  She outlined, briefly, Red Horse, The Purging. “I’ve only begun to dig into that angle,” she continued. “I’m going to assign men to follow that up. You could look into that, dig into that, but whoever you use can’t know it may be connected to this investigation.”

  “Got it. I don’t know much about that group, and history class was a long time ago, but didn’t they take kids—for brainwashing? I haven’t heard anything about child abductions.”

  “No. It’s a lead, an angle, with enough similarities to warrant a good, careful look.

  “That’s all I can give you, and I’ve got a briefing.”

  Nadine got to her feet. “I’m going to want more.”

  “What I can, when I can. I can’t promise.”

  “You didn’t need my word, I don’t need your promise. It’s professional respect, yes, but you’re wrong, Dallas. It’s also friendship.”

  She started out, paused, smiled a little. “I hate to admit this, but Jenkinson hurt my feelings when he turned down my pastries.”

  “It was harder on him, believe me, than you.”

  “I’m soft on him, on all of them. Good hunting, Dallas,” she added, and walked out on her power shoes.

  Since she was there, Eve programmed a cup of coffee, and carried it with her to the conference room.

  The reliable Peabody was updating the board.

  “I’m putting up the current crop of persons of interest on a separate board,” she told Eve. “Otherwise, the visual gets complicated to the eye.”

  As she’d done exactly the same in her home office, Eve nodded. “We’ll need a third board. I have another angle I pulled out before I handed it off to Jenkinson. What do you know about the Urban Wars–era cult Red Horse?”

  “Hard-line religious cult. Doctrine based on specific interpretations of Revelation. They were fanatics, dedicated to preparing for the end-time, which they believed had begun with the upheaval leading up to the Urban Wars. In their skewed vision, they saw themselves as servants or followers of the second horse—the red horse, of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, which represents war, or general violence. Small, scattered groups attacked, bombed, set fires as part of their mission, and abducted children—no older than eight—as they believed their minds and souls were still pure enough to be indoctrinated. When the general population was destroyed, they would inherit the earth and repopulate it with true believers. They called this The Purging.”

  Eve stared at her with narrowed eyes. “How the hell do you know all that?”

  Just a bit smug, Peabody buffed her nails on her cranberry-colored jacket. “We studied it in school.”

  “I thought Free-Agers studied herbs and flowers and fluffy woodland creatures, and how to weave blankets.”

  “That—and a bunch of stuff. They also teach about wars, history, religious intolerance. You know, the ills of society and stuff. So you get the knowledge, the big pictures, and are free to choose your own path.”

  “Huh. Have you read Revelation?”

  “Some of it. It’s really scary.” Smug died off in a shudder. “It gave me nightmares.”

  “Killer angels, pestilence, fiery pits, and death. I can’t imagine why. When we get to that part of the briefing, you summarize, just like you did for me.”

  “This was Red Horse?”

  “You were doing so well, now you’re jumping to conclusions. Detectives detect, they don’t jump. Plus it’s a stupid name for a murderous cult. It sounds like they should be frolicking in a meadow.”

  “Maybe that was the point.”

  “Maybe so.”

  “They killed families, Dallas, sick people, old people, doctors. They took the kids, unless they were nine or ten or teenagers. Then they killed them, too. There weren’t any kids in the bar.”

  “I’ll explain the possible connection. Just set up the third board.” She handed over a folder with attached disc.
“I need a few minutes. Nadine waylaid me.”

  She sat at the conference table, pulled out her PPC to review her notes. Moments later, Mira came in.

  “I’m early, I know, but I wanted to look over the …” She trailed off as she saw the boards. “That’s considerable progress.”

  “It’s a hell of a lot more names, faces, possibles, and angles. I haven’t decided if that’s progress.”

  “Motives. Money, power, jealousy, revenge.”

  “Line up the usual suspects.”

  “And religious fanaticism,” Mira added with fresh interest. “The Red Horse cult? They were broken before the end of the Urbans. Do you believe they’ve reformed?”

  “I doubt it, but fanatics find like minds.”

  “I don’t see the connection.”

  “I’ll explain.”

  “They were greatly feared for the few years they purged. I had friends in Europe, where they were most prevalent.”

  “I’d like your opinion on this angle once I brief the team.” Her promise to Roarke gnawed at her. “I’d like some time today, if you have it.”

  “I’ve cleared my day to focus on this. Any time you need.”

  “Ah, this is mostly personal, so—”

  “Of course.” Mira’s eyes met hers. “I’ll be available when you need me.”

  Get it over with, Eve told herself, like a dose of nasty medicine. “Maybe we could take a few minutes after the briefing. That way it’ll be off both our plates.”

  “All right.”

  They began to filter in, the detectives, the uniforms, the e-team. The room buzzed with voices, scraping chair legs, shuffling feet.

  She took her place, waited a beat. “Before you each give your own reports, I’m going to give you a fresh overview. As you can see we’ve added a selection of persons of interest.”

  She ran them through it, focusing on the twelve people who’d come up in the cross-match search.

  “We’re going to add another factor to the scans. Connections to the Urban-era cult Red Horse, or any connection to cults or fringe religious or political groups. Peabody, give the team summary of Red Horse.”

  “We didn’t have much out of them in New York,” Feeney commented when Peabody finished. “Had a couple hits, I remember they took credit for. They didn’t last long here. People fight back, and fight dirty when you go after their kids.”

  “My source has verified that there were two incidents in Europe, credited to Red Horse. Cafés where the substance we’re dealing with—one with the same elements we’ve identified, and with the same results—was employed. The same substance,” she repeated, “that the investigators identified. Before the government shut down the investigation, then closed and covered it. The cover-up included the apprehension of a suspect whose identity is unknown. Where he was taken is unknown. Whether he was executed, imprisoned or used to develop the substance or other chemical and biological weapons is unknown.”

  She let the conversation on politics, cover-ups, the feds run its course.

  “There’s a connection,” Eve continued. “And we need to find it. I trust Mira’s profile. This isn’t about politics or grand agendas. But the UNSUB has some connection to Red Horse or the cover-up or the original creator of the chemical.

  “Feeney, I’d like to use Detective Callendar, and whoever you feel is your best in this area to dig for that connection. We need solid e-skills on this. Records were spottily kept during the Urbans.”

  “You’ll work with Nickson,” Feeney told Callendar.

  “I’m all over it.”

  “Anything to add from EDD, Feeney?”

  “We don’t have much, and nothing that adds at this point.”

  “Baxter?”

  “Stewart, Adam. You’ve got him up there. Sister, Amie Stewart’s one of the vics.”

  “Trust fund babies.” Eve flipped through her list of victims. “She was in-house legal for Dynamo. And he’s currently unemployed, and borrowing heavily from the trust.”

  “We got some of that,” Baxter continued. “Plus he buzzed. He’s got something going. He’s off, Dallas. And he was jittery, trying to pull off the grieving sib, comfort the parents. It didn’t play. We earmarked him, too.”

  “Bring him in. Toast him some.”

  He gave her two more, another of which crossed with hers.

  She called on Jenkinson and Reineke, got four with three crosses.

  “Prioritize the board, Peabody. Stewart, Adam—connect to Stewart, Amie. Berkowitz, Ivan—connect to Quinz, Cherie. Callaway, Lewis—connect to Cattery, Joseph. Burke, Analisa—connect to Burke, John. McBride, Sean, connect to Garrison, Paul. Add Lester, Devon, manager of the bar, and Lester, Christopher, his brother, a chemist.

  “These are the next wave of interviews. Work them. Dig in for a connection to the Red Horse cult, the cover-up. I want their financials and electronics gone over in detail. Peabody and I will take the Lesters.”

  She handed out other assignments, legwork, drone work, to uniforms, scheduled a briefing at four.

  Whitney stood. “We’ll issue a statement to the media this morning, and hold a media conference at thirteen hundred. I’ll need you to meet with the liaison, Lieutenant, in an hour.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Handpick two more uniforms or detectives to assist in the search for sources of the chemicals and illegals. You’re cleared for it.”

  “I’d like Detective Strong from Illegals, Commander, if she’s up for it.”

  “Make it happen. You’ll need more to run the tip line after the media breaks this. One hour, Lieutenant.”

  “Yes, sir. Get moving,” she told the team. “Peabody, contact Lester, Devon. Ask him to come in. Just a follow-up.”

  “And the brother?”

  “Not until Devon’s in the house. We’ll send a couple of stern-faced uniforms to bring him in. I need to reconnect with Morris, with Dickhead. And I want to go back to the scene. Get Devon in here asap, and we’ll take him after I meet the liaison, shift to the brother, then go out in the field.”

  “On it.”

  Eve turned back to the board, started toward it.

  “Eve.” Mira moved to her. “You have an hour now. Why don’t we go to my office?”

  “I really should—” Get it over with, she reminded herself. “Sure. I’ll be there in five.”

  7

  Eve approached the dragon who guarded Mira’s office expecting her to sniff in disapproval and tell her to wait. Instead the woman spared Eve a brief nod.

  “The doctor’s expecting you. Go right in.”

  With no choice, no reasonable excuse, Eve stepped into Mira’s sunny, comfortable office.

  “You’re very prompt.” Mira stood by her little AutoChef. “I’m just getting tea. Sit down, relax a minute.”

  “I’m kind of pressed.”

  “I know. I’m going to look over the data you sent me, and your notes, and see if I can be of any more help. But meanwhile …”

  In her quiet, easy way, Mira handed Eve floral-scented tea in a delicate china cup, then took her own. She settled in one of her set of blue scoop-chairs, sipped in silence until Eve felt obligated to sit.

  Shrinks, she thought, knew the value of silence, just like a cop in Interview.

  “You look well,” Mira said conversationally. “How’s your arm?”

  “It’s fine.” She rolled her shoulder, got a flash of pain memory. “I heal fast.”

  “You’re a physical woman in excellent shape.”

  “Meaning the body heals fast.”

  Mira merely watched her with those quiet blue eyes. “How do you feel otherwise?”

  “I’m good. I’m mostly good. That should be enough. Nobody gets through perfect. There’s always something, some ding, some cloud, some shit. And cops have more of all of that than most. So.”

  “But you said this was personal, not work-related.”

  “There’s not much distance between the two for me. Sometim
es none at all. I’m okay with that, too. I’m good with that.”

  Stalling, Mira thought. So reluctant to be here. “You’ve found a way to blend them very well. Will you tell me what’s troubling you?”

  “It’s not me. It’s Roarke.”

  “I see.”

  “Look, I’ve always had vivid dreams.” Eve set the tea aside. She wasn’t in the mood to pretend to drink it. “Ever since I can remember. They’re not always pretty. Why would they be? Where I came from, what I do and see every day now. Maybe they were an escape when I was a kid. I could go somewhere else if I tried hard enough, and even if that place wasn’t all warm and cozy, it was better than the reality. And the nightmares, the flashbacks, with my father, I’d beaten them back. I’d worked through it. I’d finished it.”

  Mira just waited her out, waited for the pause. “And now?”

  “They’re not as bad as before, but okay, I’m having some issues since Dallas.”

  Small wonder, Mira thought, but nodded. “That manifest in nightmares?”

  “Not as bad,” Eve insisted. “And I know I’m dreaming. I’m in it, but I know it’s not real. They’re nothing as bad as the one I had when I couldn’t get out, and I hurt Roarke. I won’t ever let that happen again.”

  She couldn’t sit. How did people talk about internal horrors sitting down? Pushing up, she let herself move. “Maybe last night was a little more intense, but I’d had a damn vicious day. It’s not surprising I mixed it all together.”

  “Mixed what together?”

  “The bar, the victims, the whole mess of it.”

  She told herself to stay calm, just report. Ordered herself to stay fucking calm.

  “I can put myself in a scene. It’s part of being a cop. Seeing what happened, how, and maybe that takes you to why and who. I can see it, smell it, almost touch it. And Jesus, it was on my mind, wasn’t it?”

  She heard it, that pissy bite in her tone, worked to smooth it out again. “So I went back to the bar, in my head, in the dream. But they were there, too. Stella, sitting at the bar. Her throat’s open, the way it was when McQueen finished her. When I found her on the floor of his place. She comes back first when I dream now, sometimes without him. She blames me, always blames me, just like she always did.”