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Her head was buzzing with the fear that wanted to sneak back, with the anger, with a sense of being just one step too late. Taking the license number, she drew it all in.
“All units. All units. Subject vehicle is identified as a black Chevrolet Mini-Mule, 2051, panel style. License is NY 5504 Baker Zulo. Repeat. New York, 5504 Baker Zulo. Citywide APB on vehicle and on suspect Stevenson, Gerald, aka Steven Audrey. This is Code Red.”
She slapped the communicator back in her pocket. “Peabody?”
“Nothing for the last couple minutes, sir. They’re still in motion. I heard a tourist blimp. Pretty sure. Couldn’t catch much, but there was something about Chinatown.”
“Downtown. He’s headed south. All units, sweep area south of Canal. Let’s move out. Baxter, you’re with me.”
“I’ve got my ride—”
“Leave it.” She didn’t trust him to drive, or to be on his own. “You’re with me. I’ll take the wheel,” she told Roarke. “You, Feeney, McNab, start working on finding residents below Canal. Look for something near West Broadway. Anything that pops. Javert, Stevenson, Audrey, Gerald. Single residents. It’ll be someplace that has parking close. Upper floors. He’ll want space, light, and a view.”
She climbed into the car. She’d wasted time with Fryburn. Ten minutes sooner, five, and they’d have moved on him before he’d laid a hand on Trueheart.
Minutes. It was coming down to minutes now.
“Peabody?”
“He’s still conscious, sir. He mumbles every once in a while. I can’t make much of it out.” But she’d made notes of every word. “Communicator. Bartender. Pizza and vid. Officer down. Report.”
While she headed downtown Eve called in, requesting that Traffic give her the location of the tourist blimp.
“You get any sense of the street, Peabody?”
“It’s quieted down. I don’t hear many horns. I’m catching sirens, but nothing too close. Not yet. There’s some bumps. I think I’m getting them because the communicator’s on the floor of the van. I can hear the tires go over potholes. I think—”
“Hold it. Wait.” Eyes straight ahead, Eve strained her ears. “Street crew. That’s an airjack.”
“Ears like a cat,” Roarke murmured. “I’ll relay it to Feeney.”
It took minutes, precious minutes, before Feeney’s voice punched through. “Street crews scheduled on West Broadway and Worth, Beekman and Fulton at Williams.”
“We’ve got the blimp passing over Bayard.” She drew the map in her head even as Roarke brought it up on her ’link screen. “We split to all locations.” But she had to go with her gut. “Head west,” she told Roarke.
“Lieutenant,” Peabody said from the back. “They’ve stopped.”
As the van stopped, Trueheart closed his numb fingers over his communicator. Something he needed to do. Switch to homing. Thank God, thank God, he remembered. Finally remembered. But his fingers felt so fat, so gone. He couldn’t quite make them work. Struggling to stay awake, he tucked the unit into his palm as the doors opened.
Gerry was very gentle. He didn’t want to cause bruises. He didn’t want to give pain. He explained that in comforting tones as he pulled Trueheart out of the back.
“This is the most important thing either of us will ever do,” Gerry told him, supporting Trueheart’s weight, moving steadily forward as Trueheart’s civilian shoes bumped over the sidewalk.
“Murder,” Trueheart mumbled. “You have the right to. . .”
“No, no.” Patiently, Gerry drew out his key card, used it, then the palm screen to gain access to the building. “You’ve been listening to the news reports. I’m pretty disappointed with the angle they’re taking, but I expected it. It’ll all change once they understand.”
Trueheart struggled to pay attention to the scene. The lights were dim, or maybe it was his eyes. “White walls, mail chutes, secured entrance, two elevators.”
“Observant, aren’t you?” Gerry laughed lightly as he called the elevator. “Me, too. My mother always said I noticed everything, and saw things other people didn’t. That’s why I became an image artist. I wanted to show people what they didn’t see.”
Inside the car, he requested the fifth floor.
“I noticed you right away,” he went on.
“Fifth floor.”
“Yeah, that’s right. As soon as you walked into the club, I knew. You’ve got such strong light. Not everyone does. Not strong and pure, anyway, like yours. It’s what makes you special.”
