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The question brought an annoying itch to the base of Eve’s spine. “She’s doing her job. I’m doing mine.”
“When are you going to release the names?”
“When we have all twelve, and when any and all next of kin have been notified. I’m not dribbling them out, Nadine, to keep the media happy.”
“It’s a long time to grieve.” Her gaze tracked to the board again. “I wonder, is it better to know, absolutely, there’s no hope, or to cling to that thin, pale ray of it? You’re looking at Jones, Nashville and Philadelphia? And weren’t they lucky they weren’t born in Helsinki or Toledo?”
“Consider Timbuktu, which I rarely do. I’m looking at everyone, Nadine. You know how it works.”
“Siberia.”
“What?”
Nadine grinned. “I thought we were playing. And yes, I do know how it works. And I know when you’re not giving me anything, you don’t think you can use me.” In a careless move, Nadine shrugged. “Fair enough. My team’s done some research on them, for the stories as they stand now, and to lay the foundation for later. Interesting about the mother’s suicide.”
“Interesting?”
“How the husband took the hard line. Suicide, ultimate sin, no consecrated ground for you. Her children had her cremated, scattered the ashes at sea.”
That was interesting, Eve thought. And proved Nadine was useful even when Eve didn’t have a particular use for her. But she said, “Sounds more fucked-up than interesting.”
“Depends on your angle. And it’s weird and wicked about the younger brother and the lion.”
She nodded toward his photo. “But if I’m judging the time line, he was still alive, still in New York, when the twelve were killed.”
No point in bullshitting, Eve decided. “Being dead doesn’t mean he’s not a suspect.”
“With the king of beasts as executioner. Could be a nice twist. Anyway, we did our own due diligence on brother and sister. The sister in Australia, too. Even the New York sister’s ex, though that was over before the murders, and didn’t net anything interesting as he moved to New Mexico, remarried, and has a tidy little family. But you knew that.”
“We call it doing the job.”
“Me, too,” Nadine said cheerfully. “Big brother’s never hooked up legally, though he does date now and then. They were raised to save sex for marriage, which is why I figure the sister married young. But I have this nagging doubt they’ve stuck to that tenet.” She smiled when she said it. “And one of the brother’s former companions was willing to confirm that.”
She hadn’t bothered to go there, Eve thought, but had to admit it was good data to add to the mix.
“I don’t much care about their sex lives, unless it pertains.”
“Oh, I care about everyone’s. And poking around in that area, I couldn’t find anybody little brother dated.”
Okay, that could be interesting, Eve thought. “He was only twenty-three when he died, and since you poked around, you know he led a sheltered life, had some emotional issues, add in my-mom-killed-herself issues. Could’ve been a late bloomer if he hadn’t gotten snipped off the vine.”
“You’re looking at him.”
“I’m looking at all of them.”
“Dallas.” All friendly amusement, Nadine pointed at her. “I know how it works, remember? And I know how you work. You’re looking at the dead brother particularly.”
The hell with it. “If he was alive, I’d have him in the box sweating him. And I don’t want you running with that angle on-air, Nadine. I’m not ready.”
“We’re just chatting.” She tapped the pink box with a pink-tipped nail. “Aren’t you going to eat your doughnut?”
“I had breakfast, then I had the world’s most amazing hot chocolate. Doughnuts pale.” Which reminded her she still wore her coat.
Nadine nodded at the cap. “I like your hat,” she said as Eve shrugged out of her coat. “The snowflake’s adorable.”
“The what?” Eve snatched the hat off, stared at the sparkling white snowflake on the front. “Shit. There’s a snowflake on this thing. A glittery one.”
“It’s, as stated, adorable. But I digress. DeWinter’s keeping a tight ship over in her world, but you should be aware she enjoys a good, frisky media conference. Once she gets to the point she’s ready, she’ll call one.”
