Calculated in Death (In Death #36)(20)

She’d believe them because the alternative was too terrifying.

Peabody came in and brought the scent of something wonderful with her.

“Chicken noodle soup and twisty herb bread. They make it on site, right there. I got us both a large go-cup. Did Carmichael find you?”

“Yeah. Possible wit on a van parked out front, but no description of said van other than dark. Push the search on that, on the Cargo.” Eve took the go-cup Peabody offered, sniffed, sampled. “Jesus. That’s freaking good.”

“It’s freaking uptown squared. I started mine on the way back. The smell nearly killed me. It tastes a lot like my granny’s.”

“There’s probably something illegal in here. I don’t care.” She hadn’t realized how far she’d been flagging herself until she felt her energy rise up again.

“They got what they wanted from her,” Eve stated. “If she’d said she didn’t know, didn’t have, whatever, they’d have messed her up more, broken some fingers, blackened her eye, hurt her until she gave it up, or they were sure she didn’t have it. They got what they wanted, pretty quick, pretty easy.”

“And they killed her anyway.”

“They were always going to kill her. Whatever she knew, had, did—they couldn’t have her pass it to anyone else, talk about it. Her work, and this place, either the owners or somebody on the construction crew. My money’s on the owners, but we’ll see about the construction people. A job like this, they went high-end. High-end construction firms make plenty. And I bet audits aren’t out of the ordinary.”

Eve bit off a hunk of bread. “Got to be illegal. Let’s go talk to the wit and his partners.”

“You still want to talk to Candida, right?”

“After, if you can stay awake long enough to track her down.”

“I’m totally charged up again. Maybe I should go buy a gallon of that soup. No! I’ll e-mail my granny, and I’ll sweet-talk her into sending me some.”

“You have no shame, or guile.” Eve led the way out, still sipping soup. “You e-mail her and tell her you just had some soup that’s as good as hers—subtext, maybe better—and it made you think about her, blah blah. How good it was, on a cold, crappy day in New York, yadda, yadda. She’ll cook up a batch and ship it out to prove hers is better.”

Peabody slid into the car, stared at Eve. “Have you met my granny, because that’s exactly what she’d do. That’s brilliant.”

“That’s why I’m the LT, and you’re not.”

“Too true. Are you going to eat all your bread?”

“Yes.”

“I was afraid of that.” Peabody pulled out her PPC again, and went to work trying to locate Candida Mobsley.

“She’s in town,” Peabody reported, “according to her personal assistant. Her appointment calendar is full, I didn’t say cop. I didn’t say I wasn’t a cop, but saying cop would’ve maybe had her blowing before we get to her.”

“At last, some guile.”

“It must’ve been the soup.”

• • •

Eve parked in Midtown. The sleet had eased off, but the cold held tight. She blessed the soup for keeping her bones warm as they moved into a towering office building.

She badged security, gave her destination, and squeezed her way onto an elevator.

“Dallas, there are over two thousand Maxima Cargos—’59 and ’60 with New York registrations. More than double that if we include New Jersey.”

“Dark color. Black, dark blue, dark gray.”

“That is just dark colors.”

“Try using the Blue Steel interior to eliminate.” She considered Harpo’s report on the factory sealant. “And stick with 2060 models for now.”

Eighteen crowded floors later, she pushed off, strode to the menu of choices. “WIN Group.” She pointed, took a left jog, found the nameplate on a set of double doors.

“Over eight hundred registered,” Peabody reported. “New York alone.”

“We’ll do a standard search and match with the names we have. If nothing pops, we widen it out.”

She pushed through the doors. Inside the small reception area they’d gone for energy—lots of reds, bright whites, chrome. The smoldering brunette behind the counter offered a slow, liquid smile.

“May I help you?”

“Lieutenant Dallas, Detective Peabody.” She set her badge on the counter.

“Oh, this is about that poor woman Brad found last night. Did you find out who mugged her?”

“We need to see Mr. Whitestone,” Eve said.

“Of course. Sorry. He’s really shaken up about it.” She tapped her earpiece. “Brad? The police are here. Yes, Lieutenant Dallas. I will.” She tapped again. “I’ll take you back to his office. Would you like anything?”

She might never want anything again after the soup. “We’re fine. Are Mr. Whitestone’s partners available?”

“Jake’s at a business lunch and should be back by two. He has a two-thirty. Rob’s in with a client. I can let his assistant know you’re here if you need to speak with him.”

“Do that.”

Before she could open the door, Whitestone stepped out. Like Lorraine’s his shirt was crisp and white. His suit perfectly tailored. But shadows dogged his eyes.