Page 57 of Fury In Death

“They’re dirty, Peabody.”

“Oh, boy howdy. But Wyst’s something more than dirty right now.”

“That’s right. He’s scared.” And that was very satisfying. “I need to contact Whitney, read him in on the rest.”

“Wyst may be doing that right now.”

“No, right now, he’s talking to Banner, then he’ll go straight to Tibble. Hit the chief first, maybe the mayor or the governor. They’ll be covering their asses.”

“The mayor and the governor?”

“Ha! That wouldn’t be anything new, but no, Banner and Wyst. Get a hold of Nadine, see if she can come into Central.”

“You’re going to play dirty!” Peabody bounced on the seat. “Goodie.”

“Peabody, it’s just embarrassing for a cop, a murder cop, to say goodie.”

“I’m kinda sorta living with a toddler.”

“And still.” Eve used the in-dash to contact her commander’s office. “Heading into Central now,” she told Whitney’s admin. “I need to give the commander an oral update asap.”

Unlike Mira’s admin, Whitney’s breezed her right through. “I’ll let him know to expect you.”

As she drove, Eve thought Mira’s dragon could take a lesson.

“Nadine can and will come in, about an hour.”

“That works. Banner-Wyst can’t get ahead of the media on this. A lot of reporters are assholes, but they’re not stupid with it. The connection’s right there. We’re just going to give it a boost.

“And we need to dig up the root, Peabody. However, wherever they buried it for thirteen years, we need to dig it up.”

“I’ll dig while you talk to the commander.”

“Do that, and check in with the Chu family. See if they’ve set the memorial. We need to be there.”

“You think the killer will show?”

“Might. Probably not, but might. If he’s not too busy beating someone else to death. He’s way too pissed off to be done.”

At Central, they separated, with Eve going straight up to Whitney’s office.

He’d have read her reports on the Chu homicide, her initial interviews. Now she wanted to report directly on the second murder, the financial connections.

Whitney’s door stood open. The admin, at his desk in the outer office, gave her a quick nod.

“He’s ready for you.”

Whitney stood facing his wide windows and the city he served. A big, broad-shouldered man who’d started his career as a street cop, he rode a desk now. And wore his command as seamlessly as he wore the gray suit.

He turned to her, his hair cropped short, threaded with gray over a dark face. His eyes remained solemn as she stepped in.

“Commander, thanks for seeing me on such short notice.”

“You don’t ask unless it’s needed. You have two bodies in the morgue now.”

“Yes, sir. Ezra Dent, like the previous victim, Lawrence Chu, was brutally and fatally beaten. As with the first victim, the assailant entered the home using Dent’s security code on one specific entry. The assailant also attacked when the victims were alone in the residence. Both victims worked for Banner-Wyst.”

“I’m aware.”