Holiday in Death (In Death #7)(65)

“Maybe you recognize the name John B. Boyd.” Because her eyes were trained on Piper’s face, she saw it. The flicker of knowledge, the shadow of guilt. “Your system is top of the line. So you told me. It would be your responsibility to do a search for this kind of information on an applicant. Is your company irresponsible or inept, Ms. Hoffman?”

“I don’t like the tone of that question,” the lawyer protested.

“So noted for the record. Your answer, Piper?”

“I don’t know what happened.” Her breath came quickly now, and both hands were crossed over her beautiful br**sts. “I don’t know.”

Oh yes, Eve thought. Yes, you do, and he scared the hell out of you.

“Four clients of your service are dead. Four. Each one of them came to you, and each one of them was terrorized, raped, and strangled.”

“It’s a terrible, terrible coincidence. Just a coincidence.” Piper began to shake, with her breath hitching out in little forced gasps. “Rudy said so.”

“You don’t believe that.” Eve said it softly as she leaned closer. “You don’t believe that for a minute. They’re dead.” Brutally, she laid four photos on the table. The crime scene shots were vivid and cruel. “These don’t look coincidental, do they?”

“Oh God. Oh God.” She covered her face with her hands. “Don’t, don’t, don’t. I’m going to be ill.”

“That was uncalled for.” Red-cheeked with fury, the lawyer sprang up.

“Murder’s uncalled for,” Eve tossed back and got to her feet. “I’ll give your client a few minutes to compose herself. Record, off.” She turned her back and walked out.

As she watched through the glass, she buzzed Feeney’s communicator.

“I’ve got her on the edge,” she said when he joined her. “You can push her over. I’d go in light, sympathetic, be her uncle.”

“You always get to be the bad cop,” Feeney complained.

“I’m better at it. Pat her hand, then ask her why they were paying Holloway off. I didn’t get there yet.”

“Okay. Rudy’s holding tight. He’s got a snippy attitude you ask me. Arrogant little putz.”

“Good. I’m in the mood to kick some putz.” Since it was there, she reached into Feeney’s bag of nuts and popped a handful. “She claims they didn’t know about Holloway’s record. She’s lying, but that might get us into their system. I’ll try for the warrant before I hit Rudy.”

She took time for that and one quick jolt of coffee before going into Interview B. “Record on,” she ordered. “Interview continuing with Dallas, Lieutenant Eve. Initialize time and date.”

She sat, smiled at Rudy and the lawyer at his side. “Well, boys, let’s get started.”

She ran him through a pattern similar to what she’d used on Piper. Rather than paling and shaking, Rudy seemed to go stiffer, harder.

“I’d like to see my sister,” he said abruptly, interrupting her rhythm.

“Your sister is being interviewed.”

“She’s delicate. Her emotions are very close to the surface. This entire ugly business will damage her.”

“I’ve got four people a lot more damaged, ace. Are you worried what Piper has to say in there? I talked to her just a bit ago.” Instinct had her leaning back, shrugging a shoulder. “She’s not holding up real well. She’ll do better once you clear things up.”

Eve watched his hands fist and wondered what Mira would conclude about his violence potential.

“She should be allowed to rest.” He bit off the words, his exotic green eyes flat as a cat’s. “To have a soother and a meditation break.”

“We’re not big on meditation breaks around here. And she’s got her lawyer in there, just like you’ve got yours. I guess you’re pretty close, being twins.”

“Naturally.”

“Holloway ever make a move on her?”

Rudy’s mouth thinned. “Of course not.”

“On you maybe?”

“No.” He reached for his glass of water with a steady hand.

“Why were you paying him off?”

The water slopped toward the rim before he hastily set it down. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Regular payments, ten thousand each, over a two-year period. What did he have on you, Rudy?”

His eyes stormy, he whirled to his lawyer. “They have no right to access financial records, do they?”

“Certainly not.” The lawyer leveled his shoulders, hooking a hand pompously in his lapel, where trendy medallions dangled. “Lieutenant, if you’ve searched my client’s financials without probable cause and proper warrant — “

“Did I say that?” Eve only smiled. “I don’t have to explain how I came by certain information that pertains to this homicide. You won’t find a departmental search of financials. But you paid him, didn’t you, Rudy?” She swung back, hitting low and fast. “You paid him time after time, let him blackmail you into putting him on match lists when you knew he was a sexual deviant. How many clients did you have to placate, or pay, or intimidate to keep the wraps on it?”