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She kept her head up and her eyes straight ahead as she walked the rest of the way to the conference room.
Eve was already there, which gave Peabody a quick twinge of guilt. Three boards were set up, and her lieutenant was busy covering the last of them with hard copy data.
"Glad you could make it." Eve said it dryly without turning around.
"I ran into…traffic. Do you want me to finish that for you, sir?"
"I've got it. Get me coffee, and program the screen for hard copy. We won't be using discs on this."
"I'll get the screen," McNab volunteered. "And I could use some coffee, too. No discs, Lieutenant?"
"No, I'll update when the full team's here."
They went to work quietly, so quietly that Eve got an itch between her shoulder blades. The two of them should've been sniping at each other by now, she thought, and glanced over her shoulder.
Peabody had given McNab his coffee, which was weird enough. But while she printed out hard copy of her own discs, she smiled at him. Well, not really a smile, Eve mused, but close.
"You two take happy pills this morning?" she asked, then frowned when they both blushed. "What's the deal?" she began, then shook her head when Anne Malloy and Feeney came in. "Never mind."
"Dallas." Anne stayed in the doorway. "Can I talk to you a minute?"
"Sure."
"Make it quick," Feeney suggested. "Whitney and the chief are heading in."
"I'll keep it short." Anne drew a breath when Eve joined her at the door. "I want to apologize for yesterday. I had no call coming down on you that way."
"It was a tough scene."
"Yeah. I've done tough scenes before." She glanced into the room, lowered her voice another notch. "I didn't handle it well, and that won't happen again."
"Don't beat yourself up over it, Anne. It wasn't a big deal."
"Big enough. You're heading this investigation, and you have to count on all of us. I blew it yesterday, and you nee
d to know why. I'm pregnant again."
"Oh." Eve blinked, shifted her feet. "Is that good?"
"It is for me." With a little laugh, Anne laid a hand on her belly. "Nearly four months into it now, and I'll tell my shift commander in a couple weeks. I've done it twice before and it hasn't interfered with my job. It did yesterday. It was the kids that got me, Dallas, but I've got a handle on it now."
"Fine. You're not feeling…weird or anything?"
"No, I'm good. I just want to keep it quiet for a few more weeks. Once everybody finds out, they start the betting pool and the jokes." She lifted her shoulders. "I'd like to close this case before all that gets going. So, are we square here?"
"Sure. Here come the brass," she murmured. "Give Peabody your report and evidence discs. We'll be using hard copy."
Eve remained in the doorway, at attention. "Commander. Chief Tibble."
"Lieutenant." Tibble, a tall, nearly massive man with sharp eyes, nodded as he walked by her into the room. He glanced at the boards, then as was his habit, linked his hands behind his back. "If everyone would please be seated. Commander Whitney, would you close the door?"
Tibble waited. He was a patient man and a thorough one, with a mind like a street cop and a talent for administration. He scanned the faces of the team Whitney had put together. Neither approval nor disapproval showed on his face.
"Before you begin your reports, I've come to tell you that both the mayor and the governor have requested a federal anti-terrorist team to assist in this investigation."
He watched Eve's eyes flash and narrow and silently approved her control. "This is not a reflection on the work being done here. Rather it's a statement as to the scope of the problem itself. I have a meeting this morning to discuss the progress of the investigation and to make the final decision as to whether a federal team should indeed be called in."
"Sir." Eve kept her voice level and her hands on her knees. "If they're called in, which team heads the investigation?"
