by J. D. Robb
“Stop,” she ordered, and the image on screen froze. “Enhance sector twenty-three through thirty, full screen.” The machine clicked, then clunked, wobbling the image. With an impatient snarl, Eve smacked the screen with the heel of her hand, jarring it back on course. “Goddamn budget cuts,” she muttered, and then her smile began, slow and savoring. “Well, well, Mr. Angelini.”
She took a deep breath as David’s face filled her screen. He looked impatient, she thought. Distracted. Nervous.
“What were you doing there?” she murmured, flicking her glance down to the digital time frozen at the bottom left corner. “At twenty-three oh two and five seconds?”
She leaned back in her chair, rifling through a drawer with one hand as she continued to study the screen. Absently, she bit into a candy bar that was going to pass for breakfast. She’d yet to go home.
“Hard copy,” she ordered. “Then go back to original view and hard copy.” She waited patiently while her machine wheezed its way through the process. “Continue disc run, normal speed.”
Nibbling on her breakfast, she watched the pricey sports car whiz past camera range. The image blinked. Channel 75 could afford the latest in motion-activated security cameras. Eleven minutes had passed on the counter when Morse’s car approached.
“Interesting,” she murmured. “Copy disc, transfer copy to file 47833-K, Kirski, Louise. Homicide. Cross reference to case file 47801-T, Towers, Cicely and 47815-M, Metcalf, Yvonne. Homicides.”
Turning from the screen, she engaged her ’link. “Feeney.”
“Dallas.” He stuffed the last of a danish into his mouth. “I’m working on it. Christ, it’s barely seven A.M.”
“I know what time it is. I’ve got a sensitive matter here, Feeney.”
“Hell.” His already rumpled face grew more wrinkles. “I hate when you say that.”
“I’ve got David Angelini on the gate security disc at Channel 75, coming in about ten minutes before Louise Kirski’s body was discovered.”
“Shit, shit, shit. Who’s going to tell the commander?”
“I am—after I’ve had a talk with Angelini. I need you to cover for me, Feeney. I’m going to transmit what I’ve got, excluding Angelini. You take it in to the commander. Tell him I’m hooking a couple hours of personal time.”
“Yeah, like he’ll buy that one.”
“Feeney, tell me I need some sleep. Tell me you’ll report to the commander, and to go home and catch a couple hours of sleep.”
Feeney heaved a long sigh. “Dallas, you need some sleep. I’ll report to the commander. Go home and catch a couple hours.”
“Now you can tell him you told me,” she said, and flicked off.
•••
Like routine police work, a cop’s gut often paid off. Eve’s told her that David Angelini would close himself in with family. Her first stop was the Angelini pied-` a-terre, cozied in an affluent East Side neighborhood.
Here the brownstones had been constructed barely thirty years before, reproductions of those designed during the nineteenth, and destroyed during the dawn of the twenty-first when most of New York’s infrastructure had failed. A large portion of New York’s posher homes in this area had been condemned and razed. After much debate, this area had been rebuilt in the old tradition—a tradition only the very wealthy had been able to afford.
After a ten-minute search, Eve managed to find a spot among the expensive European and American cars. Overhead, a trio of private minishuttles jockeyed for air space, circling as they looked for a clear landing.
Apparently, public transportation wasn’t high on the list in the neighborhood, and property was too dear to waste on garage facilities.
Still, New York was New York, and she locked the doors on her battered police issue before heading up the sidewalk. She watched a teenager skim by on an airboard. He took the opportunity to impress his small audience with a few complicated maneuvers, ending with a long, looping flip. Rather than disappoint him, Eve flashed him an appreciative grin.
“Nice moves.”
“I got the groove,” he claimed in a voice that was hovering between puberty and manhood with less security than he hovered over the sidewalk. “You board?”
“No. Too risky for me.” When she continued to walk, he circled around her, pivoting on the board with quick footwork.
“I could show you some of the easy scoots in five minutes.”
“I’ll keep it in mind. You know who lives there, in twenty-one?”
“Twenty-one? Sure, Mr. Angelini. You’re not one of his nibbles.”
She stopped. “I’m not?”
“Come on.” The boy cocked a grin, showing perfect teeth. “He goes for the dignified type. Older, too.” He did a quick vertical rock, side to side. “You don’t look like a domestic, either. Anyway, he mostly does the droid thing for that.”
“Does he have a lot of nibbles?”
“Only seen a few around here. Always come up in a private car. Sometimes they’ll stay till morning, but mostly not.”
“And how would you know?”
He grinned, unabashed. “I live right over there.” He pointed to a townhouse across the street. “I like to keep my eye on what’s doing.”
“Okay, why don’t you tell me if anybody came around last night?”
He swiveled his board, spun. “How come?”
“’Cause I’m a cop.”
His eyes widened as he studied her badge. “Wow. Decent. Hey, you think he popped his old lady? Gotta keep up with current events and shit for school.”
“This isn’t a quiz. Were you keeping your eye out last night? What’s your name?”
“It’s Barry. I was kind of hanging loose last night, watching some screen, listening to some tune. Supposed to be studying for this monster final in Comp Tech.”
“Why aren’t you in school today?”
“Hey, you’re not with the Truant Division?” His grin turned a little nervous. “It’s too early for class. Anyway, I got the three-day thing, E-school at home.”
“Okay. Last night?”
“While I was hanging, I saw Mr. Angelini go out. About eight, I guess. Then, late, probably closing on midnight, this other dude, flash car pulls up. He didn’t get out for awhile, just kinda sat there like he couldn’t make up his mind.”
Barry did a quick whirl-a-loop, dancing up the length of the board. “Then he went in. Walking funny. I figured he’d been dousing a few. Went right on in, so he knew the code. Didn’t see Mr. Angelini come back. I was probably zeeing by then. You know, catching winks.”
“Sleeping, yeah. I get it. Did you see anybody leave this morning?”
“Nope, but the flash car’s still there.”
“I see. Thanks.”
“Hey.” He scooted behind her. “Is being a cop a rocking thing?”
“Sometimes it rocks, sometimes it doesn’t.” She climbed the short steps to the Angelini home and identified herself to the cool tones of the greeting scanner.
“I’m sorry, Lieutenant, there is no one at home. If you would like to leave a message, it will be returned at the first opportunity.”
Eve looked directly at the scanner. “Process this. If there’s no one at home, I’m going to walk back to my car, request an entry and search warrant. That should take about ten minutes.”
She stood her ground and waited less than two before David Angelini opened the door.
“Lieutenant.”
“Mr. Angelini. Here or Cop Central? Your choice.”
“Come in.” He stepped back. “I just arrived in New York last night. I’m still a bit disorganized this morning.”
He led her into a dark-toned, high-ceilinged sitting room and offered her coffee politely, which she declined with equal politeness. He wore the slim, narrow cuffed slacks she’d seen on the streets of Rome with a wide-sleeved silk shirt of the same neutral cream color. His shoes matched the tone and looked soft enough to dent with a fingertip.
But his eye
s were restless, and his hands tapped rhythmically on the arms of his chair when he sat.
“You have more information about my mother’s case.”
“You know why I’m here.”
He flicked his tongue over his lips, shifted. Eve thought she understood why he did so poorly at gaming. “Excuse me?”
She set her recorder on the table in full view. “David Angelini, your rights are as follows. You are under no obligation to make a statement. If you do make a statement, it will be logged into record and can and will be used against you in court or any legal proceeding. You have a right to the presence and advice of an attorney or representative.”
She continued the brisk recitation of his rights while his breathing quickened and grew more audible. “The charges?”
“You are not yet charged. Do you understand your rights?”
“Of course I understand them.”
“Do you wish to call your attorney?”
His mouth opened, a breath shuddered out. “Not yet. I assume you’re going to make the purpose of this interrogation clear, Lieutenant.”
“I think it’s going to be crystal. Mr. Angelini, where were you between the hours of eleven P.M., May 31 and twelve A.M., June 1?”
“I told you I’d just gotten into the city. I drove in from the airport and came here.”
“You came here, directly from the airport?”
“That’s right. I had a late meeting, but I—I canceled it.” He flicked open the top hook of his shirt, as if he needed air. “Rescheduled it.”
“What time did you arrive at the airport?”
“My flight got in around ten-thirty, I believe.”
“You came here.”
“I’ve said so.”
“Yes, you did.” Eve angled her head. “And you’re a liar. A bad liar. You sweat when you bluff.”
Aware of the damp line running down his back, he rose. His voice tried for outrage but ended on fear. “I believe I’ll contact my attorney after all, Lieutenant. And your superior. Is it standard police procedure to harass innocent people in their own homes?”
“Whatever works,” she murmured. “Then again, you’re not innocent. Go ahead and call your attorney, and we’ll all go down to Cop Central.”
But he didn’t move toward his ’link. “I haven’t done anything.”
“For starters, you’ve lied on record to an investigating officer. Call your attorney.”
“Wait, wait.” Rubbing a hand over his mouth, David paced the room. “It isn’t necessary. It isn’t necessary to take this that far.”
“That’s your choice. Would you care to revise your previous statement?”
“This is a delicate matter, Lieutenant.”
“Funny, I’ve always thought of murder as a crude matter, myself.”
He continued to pace, working his hands together. “You have to understand the business is in a tenuous position at the moment. The wrong kind of publicity will influence certain transactions. In a week, two at the most, it will all be resolved.”
“And you think I should hold off on all this until you get your financial ducks in a row?”
“I’d be willing to compensate you for your time and your discretion.”
“Would you?” Eve widened her eyes. “What sort of compensation are you suggesting, Mr. Angelini?”
“I can swing ten thousand.” He struggled for a smile. “Double that if you simply bury all of this for good.”
Eve crossed her arms. “Let the record show that David Angelini offered a monetary bribe to investigating primary Lieutenant Eve Dallas, and the aforesaid bribe was refused.”
“Bitch,” he said softly.
“You bet. Why were you at Channel 75 last night?”
“I’ve never said I was.”
“Let’s cut the dreck. You were recorded by gate security entering the property.” To emphasize, she opened her bag, took out the hard copy of his face, tossed it on the table.
“Gate security.” His legs seemed to fold from under him and he groped into a chair. “I never thought—never considered. I panicked.”
“Slicing someone’s jugular can do that to you.”
“I never touched her. I never went near her. Good God, do I look like a murderer?”
“They come in all styles. You were there. I have documentation. Hands!” she said sharply as her own jumped to her shoulder harness. “Keep your hands out of your pockets.”
“Name of God, do you think I’m carrying a knife?” Slowly he drew out a handkerchief, wiped his brow. “I didn’t even know Louise Kirski.”
“But you know her name.”
“I saw it on the news.” He closed his eyes. “I saw it on the news. And I saw him kill her.”
The muscles in Eve’s shoulders bunched, but unlike David she was good at the game. Both her face and voice were bland. “Well then, why don’t you tell me all about it?”
He worked his hands together again, linking fingers, twisting. He wore two rings, one diamond, one ruby, both set in heavy gold. They clinked together musically.
“You have to keep my name out of this.”
“No,” she said evenly, “I don’t. I don’t make deals. Your mother was a PA, Mr. Angelini. You should know if there are going to be any deals, they’re going to come through that office, not me. You’ve already lied on the record.” She kept her tone flat, easy. It was best when working with a nervous suspect to ease them in. “I’m giving you a chance to revise your previous statement, and again reminding you that you have the right to contact your attorney at any time during this interview. But if you want to talk to me, talk now. And I’ll start, to make it easy for you. What were you doing at Channel 75 last night?”
“I had a late meeting. I told you that I had one and canceled. That’s the truth. We’ve been—I’ve been working on an expansion deal. Angelini has some interest in the entertainment industry. We’ve been developing projects, programs, features for in-home viewing. Carlson Young, the head of the entertainment division of the channel, had done quite a bit to bring these projects to fruition. I was to meet him in his office there.”
“A little after business hours, wasn’t it?”
“The entertainment field doesn’t have what you might call normal business hours. Both of our schedules were tight, and this was a time that suited us both.”
“Why not handle it over the ’link?”
“A great deal of our business was done that way. But we both felt it was time for a personal meeting. We’d hoped—still hope—to have the first project on air by fall. We have the script,” he continued, almost talking to himself now. “The production team’s in place. We’ve already signed some of the cast.”
“So, you had a late night meeting with Carlson Young of Channel 75.”
“Yes. The weather held me up a bit. I was running late.” His head came up. “I called him from my car. You can check that, too. You can check. I called him a few minutes before eleven when I realized I would be late.”
“We’ll check everything, Mr. Angelini. Count on it.”
“I arrived at the main gate. I was distracted, thinking of . . . of some casting problems. I turned. I should have gone straight to the main entrance, but I was thinking of something else. I stopped the car, realized I’d have to backtrack. Then I saw—” He used his handkerchief, rubbed at his mouth. “I saw someone come out of a door. Then there was someone else, he must have been standing there watching, waiting. He moved so fast. It all moved so fast. She turned, and I saw her face. Just for a second, I saw her face in the light. His hand jerked up. Fast, very fast. And . . . dear God. The blood. It gushed, like a fountain. I didn’t understand. I couldn’t believe—it just spurted out of her. She fell, and he was running, running away.”
“What did you do?”
“I—I just sat there. I don’t know how long. I was driving away. I don’t even remember. I was driving and everything was like a dream. The rain, and the lights from other cars. Then I was h
ere. I can’t even remember how I got here. But I was outside in the car. I called Young, and told him I’d been delayed again, that we needed to reschedule. I came inside, there was no one here. I took a sedative and went to bed.”
Eve let the silence hum a moment. “Let’s see if I’ve got this. You were on your way to a meeting, took a wrong turn, and saw a woman brutally murdered. Then you drove away, canceled your meeting, and went to bed. Is that accurate?”
“Yes. Yes, I suppose it is.”
“It didn’t occur to you to get out of your car, to see if she could be helped? Or perhaps to use your ’link to notify the authorities, the MTs?”
“I wasn’t thinking. I was shaken.”
“You were shaken. So you came here, took a pill, and went to bed.”
“That’s what I said,” he snapped out. “I need a drink.” With sweaty fingers, he fumbled for a control. “Vodka,” he ordered. “Bring the bottle.”
Eve let him stew until the server droid arrived with a bottle of Stoli and a short thick glass on its tray. She let him drink.
“There was nothing I could do,” he mumbled, goaded, as she’d intended, by her silence. “I wasn’t involved.”
“Your mother was murdered a few weeks ago by the method you’ve just described to me. And this didn’t involve you?”
“That was part of the problem.” He poured again, drank again. Shuddered. “I was shocked, and—and afraid. Violence isn’t part of my life, Lieutenant. It was part of my mother’s, a part I could never understand. She understood violence,” he said quietly. “She understood it.”
“And did you resent that, Mr. Angelini? That she understood violence, was strong enough to face it? Fight against it?”
His breathing was shallow. “I loved my mother. When I saw this other woman murdered, as my mother had been murdered, all I could think of to do was run.”
He paused, took a last quick swallow of vodka. “Do you think I don’t know you’ve been checking on me, asking questions, digging into my personal and professional lives? I’m a suspect already. How much worse would it have been for me to be there, right there, at the scene of another murder?”
Eve rose. “You’re about to find out.”