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“You didn’t get much sleep.”
“No, no, I didn’t. I have a lot of people I care about who put their lives on the line every day. It’s part of working with the police. I’ve lost some, and seen others injured. You live with it, cope with it. But Dennis... he lives a quiet life, and I wasn’t prepared to have him hurt like this.”
She stopped, drew a breath. “Well. I spoke with the governor.”
“Seriously?”
“Mandy’s not the only one with connections,” Mira said, and now her voice was brisk and cool. “He understands the situation and circumstances, and since he knows her... suffice it to say there’ll be no blowback from that quarter.”
“Okay.”
“I also spoke with Mandy.”
“You keep busy.”
“We detest each other, but I know how to read her, and how to push buttons. She hasn’t heard from him, there’s been no contact from whoever took him. She’s more angry than worried. If it wasn’t for Dennis I’d advise you to toss this case aside, but—”
“Look, I’m going to keep working this, but Hanson’s in a position to get warrants so he’s likely to get deeper than I can. But we’re on it, and I’ll be in touch. I’ve got to say something to Trueheart’s mother, then Peabody and I are going to have a talk with his current sidepiece.”
Mira laid a hand on Eve’s arm. “He won’t thank you for that, even if information you gather helps save his life.”
“Good thing I’m not in it for the thanks.”
She walked up to Trueheart’s mother, had to resign herself to another hug, this one a little on the weepy side.
“Thank you, Lieutenant. Troy’s wanted this since he was a boy, and you helped him reach that dream. Last night I asked him what he wanted now, now that he’d made detective. He told me he wanted to be as good a cop as you are.”
“Mrs. Trueheart—”
“Pauline, please, it’s Pauline. I’m glad you set the bar high. I don’t want him to settle for less. I want you to know he’ll be proud every day when he picks up his shield, and I’ll be proud of him.”
Eve wanted escape, wanted the work, but found herself speaking. “He’s smart, and he’s observant, and has a way of working through a problem thoughtfully. His looks don’t hurt. He looks handsome and homespun,” Eve explained. “And some people mistake that for him being a soft touch, easy to dupe. He’s not. And he’s got a shiny code of honor you should be proud of because I figure you’re the one who put it in him.”
“Thank you for that, thank you very much for that.” Her voice broke, her eyes welling up. “Sorry. Emotional day.” She gave Eve’s hand a squeeze, then hurried away.
“That was really good stuff to say to her.” Peabody stepped up beside her.
“She started crying again.”
“It’s a mom thing.”
“Let’s get the hell out of here and go do the cop thing.”
“There’s cake.”
“Your pants are loose, Peabody.”
“Damn it.” As she rushed after Eve, Peabody glanced back at the refreshment table. “Having loose pants means I could eat a little cake.”
“Having loose pants means you can get out of them quicker so we can get back in the field.”
“Somebody said it was buttercream frosting.” But with a heavy sigh, Peabody got in the elevator.
—
Back in her street clothes, Eve took a few minutes in her office to connect with Hanson. Still no communication from Senator Mira, or his probable abductor. Hanson and his partner would interview Vinnie, the driver, and had already spoken to Silas Greenbaum. They’d work their way through the Mira Institute while Eve and Peabody took on the list of women.
By the time she came out Jenkinson and his tie were back at his desk, Santiago at his, and some of the uniforms had trickled in.
