Faithless in Death (In Death, #52)(111)

“Thirty-five,” Eve corrected. “The order billed him another ten for the cleaning fee.”

“Right, right.” Peabody shook her head. “And it didn’t even work. That’s what a bad temper gets you, Larry.” Enjoying herself, Peabody wagged a finger at him. “Out thirty-five grand, forty-five years as a guest of the great state of New York, and that’s before the feds welcome you to one of their fine facilities.”

“But we do thank you for your cooperation.” Eve rose. “We’ll have you escorted back to your cell.”

“You lying bitches. You cheating cunts. All of you, all of you worthless whores.”

“Now you’re getting me excited. Dallas and Peabody exiting Interview. Record off.”

When they stepped out, Eve leaned back against the wall a moment. “A moron. A vicious, woman-hating, nasty-assed moron.”

“He never asked for the deal in writing. You know what?” Peabody added. “He wasn’t listening, not really. Because we’re women. He just heard deal, and jumped.”

“Yeah, well, he’s jumped in a cage for the rest of his nasty-assed life. Have him taken back and have them send Stanton Wilkey up. Then take twenty, get your mind clear.”

She walked back to Observation and found Mira, Teasdale, Reo, a couple other APAs, and Shelby.

They used the wall screens, she noted, splitting them among the interviews in progress.

Reo tapped her earbud off, gestured Eve back out.

“Jenkinson and Reineke finished with Gwen. You’ll want to talk to them before you take Mirium. We’re not going to push for prison time there. Yes, she knew, at least about some of it. Yes, she’s a selfish, greedy, entitled diva who doesn’t give a shit about anyone but herself. But her fear’s just as real. She tossed her parents under the bus, then ran them over a few times. I can’t really blame her.”

“I’m not going to feel sorry for her.”

“Nope, no sympathy here, either. She had choices, and she chose wrong, again and again. But for someone like her? Knowing her days as a rich socialite are finished? That’s genuine punishment, and justice, too.”

“I can live with it.”

“Good. Po crumbled so fast we could barely keep up. We’ve got a lot of names, and that’s going to make processing, identifying, and helping abductees easier. She’s done. She’ll live out the rest of her life in a cell. Same with Vince Poole—no challenge there. There’s a man more terrified of his wife than prison. And more terrified of the order than his wife. They’re bringing Barbara Poole up now. She’ll be more of a challenge, I think.”

“They’ll handle her. Challenge is good.”

“You didn’t get one with Piper. What an idiot. I actually saw Teasdale smile when you wrapped him up.”

“Did you record it?”

“Sorry, wasn’t quick enough. It may happen again. Who’s up next for you?”

“Stanton Wilkey.”

“Good call.” Reo turned back to Observation. “Oh, the coffee’s appreciated.”

Eve rounded up her detectives between interviews, got the highlights, shared her own.

She hit more coffee to wind up for her own next round, then met Peabody outside of Interview.

“No lawyer,” Peabody told her. “Barbara Poole took a public defender, and so did Harstead. The Huffmans—excluding Gwen—reached out to what looks like a friend of a friend’s lawyer. Not in the order, and not a high flyer.”

“I heard. Let’s see what the supreme leader has to say for himself.”

She walked in where Wilkey, now in an orange jumpsuit, sat with his legs folded on the chair, his open hands palms up on his knees, and his eyes closed.

Meditation’s over, fucker, Eve thought.

“Record on.”





23


He opened his eyes and smiled as Eve read off the rest of the data. “I’m sending pure light into the universe to push against the dark you, misguidedly, brought to so many. It must be so difficult to carry so much dark inside you. I could help you.”

“How? By locking me in a room, restraining me to a cot, maybe giving my brain a few good jolts? Or just letting Mother Catherine loose on me with her shock stick?”

His smile never faltered. “Meditation, self-examination, coming to an understanding of your place and purpose in the natural order brings peace and calm to the mind, the body, the spirit.”

“And if that doesn’t work, a dip in the sensory deprivation tank. You’ve declined legal representation, is that correct?”

“I have no need. My faith and my faithful sustain me.”

“Great. You should know, a lot of your faithful are already rolling on you.”

“To be weak is human.”

“Christ.” Eve scrubbed her hands over her face. “I don’t get paid enough to listen to this. You’re facing a multitude of federal charges, including but not limited to human trafficking, illegals trafficking, enforced slavery, abductions, torture, ordering the performance of medical procedures against the will of the patient, the abduction, torture, and forced imprisonment of a federal agent. There will be global charges as well, including the above, and along with forced sterilization, abortions.”