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“Yes, sir.”
“The potential for crisis here is layered. Public safety, public trust, financial and political ramifications. Those must all be addressed. The damage to city revenue, to individual businesses, to personal incomes could be serious if the tourist trade decreases because people are afraid to come into the city and use a public data center, if employees refuse to come into work, or use their home offices. If parents refuse to send their children to school or utilize their home-school options out of fear the educational units are infected. The media can swing this sort of thing on a dime. And if you believe this is an area beyond your concern, I’d suggest you ask your husband’s opinion.”
“My husband’s opinion doesn’t affect how I carry out my duty, Chief Tibble, nor does it affect the thrust of my investigations.”
“Any married individual on or off planet knows that statement is bullshit, Lieutenant. At this point, you don’t have the luxury of ignoring the politics or the media. Welcome to my world.” He sat back studying her carefully blank face. “Sometimes, Dallas, you make me tired.”
That cracked the mask enough to have her blink at him, once. Slowly. “I apologize, sir.”
“No, you don’t.” He waved a hand at her, then rubbed it over his face. “Now, give me the details of your investigation you didn’t want to divulge in front of Franco and Chang.”
She started to fill him in. He interrupted once. “A social worker and a cop? How many other ways do you intend to complicate my life?”
“I’ve yet to speak with Detective Dwier, sir, and have no direct evidence linking him to the organization. But, as I suspect civilian parents of abused minors may also be involved, I’d say the complication level will rise fairly high.”
“It’ll leak. One of your interviews will go to the media. We’ll need damage control.”
“Chief Tibble—” When her communicator beeped, she had just enough control of her own to realize she’d just been saved by the bell. “With your permission, sir?”
“Answer it.”
“Dallas.”
“Dispatch, Dallas, Lieutenant Eve, possible priority homicide, 5151 Riverside Drive. Victim identified as Mary Ellen George. See uniformed officer on-scene.”
“Acknowledged.” Her face was blank again when she looked back at Tibble. “Things just got more complicated, or more simple, depending on your point of view.”
He sighed. “Go.”
Tibble pushed to his feet as she strode out. “Fifty that she uses this to ditch the press conference.”
“I look like a sucker?” Whitney shook his head. “I’ll see she’s there. One way or another.”
Chapter 10
It had been a long time since Roarke had worked a con as basic as the coin toss. Still all it took was quick fingers and a bit of misdirection.
That boyhood skill had come back to him, smoothly, when Feeney had called heads.
A snatch, a light rub of the thumb over the engraving of the coin to determine which end you needed up, and tails slapped onto the back of his hand.
It was all done fast, and if he did say so himself, very well indeed. Feeney might have been annoyed and suspicious at the results, but a deal was a deal.
Even when the game was fixed.
“We could give it another pass or two,” Feeney said when they all stood in the temporary lab with Roarke holding the filter disc. “Could be we’d—”
“Don’t be such a mother,” Roarke said mildly.
“My life won’t be worth piss something happens to you on my watch.”
“Well now, cheer up. Had the toss gone the other way, I could say just the same. She’d have my bones for breakfast.”
“About that toss. . .” Feeney hadn’t seen anything hinky about it, but you could never be sure with Roarke. “I say we do it again, but let Baxter here do the flip.”
“I could take that to mean you’re calling me a cheat—though you examined the coin yourself, made the choice of heads without prompting. But, seeing as we’ve a long and friendly history between us, I’ll just take it as concern. The deed’s done, Feeney, and no Irishman welshes on a bet.”
“Don’t put me in the middle of this.” Baxter kept his hands safely in his pockets. “Whatever the hell happens, Dallas is going to be pissed. So let’s do it before she starts busting our balls.”
