Devoted in Death (In Death #41)(70)

15

When Feeney arrived, Eve gestured to the buffet table, and what was left.

“Still food.”

“I’ll take it.” He looked at her board as he grabbed a plate. “How long have they had this one?”

“About eight hours.”

He nodded, piled on bacon, uncovered the eggs on the warming plate, helped himself. “Could be trying a twofer.”

“I’m hoping, as that keeps Campbell alive. I just sent in a report, and I’m going to talk to Mira about it. It could be the next escalation. One for each of them. Carmichael and Santiago may have a lead in Arkansas. But the best bet we have now is the feed from the loading dock.”

“Dallas.” Peabody held up a hand, held her comm in the other. “We may have a little more. A café in the snatch location just opened. A beat droid’s sending over their feed. Image is spotty, but we may have the male unsub on it.”

“It’s cracking.” Eve turned to Feeney. “A couple of good whacks, and it breaks.”

“Send it onto Roarke’s comp lab. I’ll go join the boys. Deputy,” he added with a nod to Banner. “Looks like you had the scent all along.”

“We sure got it now.” He waited till Feeney stepped out. “I’ve got the souvenir places, Lieutenant. None of them are open yet. And I’ve got a chunk of places that do takeaway. Just getting going on the pawnshops, but none of them are open yet, either.”

“Send me what you’ve got, and we’ll start pushing through it.” She checked the time. “If Mira isn’t up by now, she’s about to be.”

Eve started toward her desk when her ’link signaled. “Santiago,” she said, answered. “Give me something.”

“We cut the son out of the herd, and started working him. He’s in this somewhere, LT, or knows something. But the father swooped in before we pried it out of him. They’re all pretty jumpy now.”

“Get the local law into it. Pull them in, work them in whatever they have for a cop shop down there.”

“That’s the thing.” Santiago’s dark eyes shifted to the side, narrowed in annoyance at something – someone – off screen. “Bubba’s brother-in-law’s a lawyer, and he’s putting up roadblocks on this. He’s also the local law’s fishing buddy, and the connections are playing hell with any cooperation. It’s a stall, Dallas. We can play the game, but it’s going to take some time.”

“Time’s the problem. How sure are you about this Bubba – and it embarrasses me to say that name out loud.”

“Guilt’s oozing out of the son – name’s Jimbo, and I’m sorry about that. And Bubba’s getting sweaty. The mother – she’s Maizie, and bakes one hell of an apple pie – we think she’s clear. But Bubba and Jimbo, they’re lying, Dallas. They know something, and they’re lying. Any of us could get Jimbo in the box for twenty minutes, he’d fold like an accordion.”

“Is that a colorful metaphor?”

He flashed a grin. “I’m working on them.”

“Take one for the team, Santiago.”

The grin faded fast. “Ah hell, Dallas, Bubba’s got hands like sides of beef. That’s not just a colorful metaphor, it’s next to literal.”

“Toughen up. Get him to take a swing at you, in front of witnesses if you can manage it. And have Carmichael stay on this Jumbo.”

“Jimbo.”

“Whatever. Keep the lawyer and the law centered on Bubba, and I’ll get the son into the box. Holographically speaking.”

“I’m going to get punched in the face, and you guys are going to have all the fun.”

“Make it look good,” Eve advised, and ended transmission.

Instead of Mira, she woke up APA Cher Reo.

“I had ten more minutes coming, damn it.”

“I need you to strong-arm whoever you know who can strong-arm somebody in Monroe, Arkansas. I need a search warrant for a place called Bubba’s Body Shop, Towing and Pies.”

“Is this just a bad dream?”

“Fast, Reo. For the facilities, for the books, for the works. It ties in with the spree killings, and they got another last night.”

The rustling signaled Reo was pulling herself out of bed. “Give me the data again, and give me some probable cause.”

“Bubba’s about to assault one of my detectives.”

“  ‘About to’?”

“Anytime now. If you have to wait until that happens, you could get the rest set up. The latest vic turned twenty-one the day after Christmas.”

“Don’t hang that on me. Hell. Give me a few minutes. I used to sleep with a guy who knows a guy.”

Eve smiled when Reo clicked off.

“It doesn’t work so different,” Banner commented. “Where I’m from? Smaller scale, that’s for sure, but it doesn’t work so different from here.”

“Cops are cops. Peabody, hold the fort here. Banner, you’re with me. It might be handy to have you on the interview.”

“You’re going to be good cop,” Peabody warned him.

“With a little good old boy tossed in?”

Eve nodded. “That’ll work.”