Memory in Death (In Death #22)(70)

"I'll back you on this since I agree the physical jeopardy is low. It could be argued that their emotional state is exacerbated by being kept in the hotel, under guard. Some return of normalcy could benefit them, while aiding your investigation."

"That's good enough. I'll get on it." She rose. "Peabody and McNab are heading for Scotland tomorrow."

"Scotland? Oh, his family, of course. They must be excited."

"Peabody's running on nerves over it. His family and all that. If nothing breaks today, this is going to cool on me over the holiday. Right now, this is my best chance to keep it hot."

"Then I wish you luck. And if I don't see you, have a lovely Christmas. Both you and Roarke."

"Yeah, thanks. I've got to take care of a couple things regarding that yet."

"Ah, another last-minute shopper."

"Not exactly."

She started toward the door, then turned back and took another study. Mira wore a suit in a kind of rusty red today, and the shoes matched. Her necklace was short, thick gold with a lot of little stones sparkling in it. Multicolored, triangular shape. Her earrings were thick gold triangles.

"Something else?"

"Just a passing thought," Eve began. "How much time and thought did it take for you to deck yourself out this morning?"

"Deck myself?" Mira looked down at herself.

"You know, to pick the outfit and the stuff, to fiddle with your hair and face. All that. So you're all put together just so."

"I'm not entirely sure that's a compliment. Probably the best part of an hour. Why?"

"Just wondering."

"Wait." Mira held up a hand before Eve opened the door. "How long did it take you?"

"Me? I don't know. Ten minutes?"

"Get out of my office," Mira said with a laugh.

* * *

Eve gave the warrant a good, solid push. It took over an hour, a lot of tap dancing, but at the end she got what she wanted.

She was told to consider it a Christmas present.

Satisfied, she headed out to the bull pen. "Suit up," she told Baxter. "Get your boy. I want you in position, at the hotel, in thirty."

"It's going to snow. Did you know it's supposed to start snowing?"

"Wear boots, then."

Ignoring his whine, she walked to Peabody's desk, got a little brush-back. "I hear you, Carly."

Peabody used an earpiece on privacy mode. "You've only got one thing to worry about now, and that's your family. Having another beautiful, healthy baby boy. It's a big help to us that you cooperated. Now I want you to put it out of your mind, and go enjoy the holidays."

She listened for a moment, smiled. "Thanks. I'll be in touch when we have more information. Merry Christmas to you and your family."

Peabody pulled off the earpiece, then made a show of buffing her nails on her shirt. "I'm good."

"Did you stop short of sending her a gift? Jesus. What'd you get?"

"Husband's out of it. He was with her Saturday, in the hospital. She had false labor, and they were there several hours. I ran a secondary check on that while I had her on 'link. Pans out. No brother, no father. Only child. Jeez, Dallas, she had it rough."

"Walk and talk. We've got a warrant coming through, and I want to head up, see what toys Feeney's picked out for me."

"Mother was a junkie. Used while she was pregnant, so Carly was born an addict. She got passed around, various relatives. Too much for them to handle, too much expense, too much trouble."

They hopped on a glide, blissfully uncrowded as the holidays had everyone who could manage it copping time off.

"She's dumped in the system. Her physical problems are dealt with, but she's a hard placement. Scrawny, possible physical complications. Mother cleans up, supposedly—at least enough to get the courts to put the kid back in her care. Then she starts using again, turning tricks. Kid's ten, and it's a bad life. Mother gets popped again, but not before she uses the kid to sell a little kiddie  p**n  on the 'net. Back in the system, and she ends up with Trudy."

"Who made things worse."

"I'll say. Made her scrub in cold water every night. And other various torments. Kid squeals, but nobody's buying. Not a mark on her. No outward signs of abuse, and it's all put down to her prior difficulties. Until she tried to off herself. Slashed her own wrists with a kitchen knife."

Eve paused long enough to breathe out. "Oh, hell."

"Said it was Bobby who found her, called an ambulance. When she woke up in the hospital, they told her she'd attacked her foster mother. She swore that was a lie, but Trudy had superficial stab wounds on her forearms."

"Bitch did it to herself."

"I'm with that. But she's back in the system again, and this time she stays in state schools until she's of age.

"She turned her life around, Dallas, you gotta admire it. Scraped it together to go to college for a degree in Elementary Ed, snagged a couple scholarships. She settled out in Iowa, said she just wanted to put it away. Close that door. Met her husband five years ago, got married."

"Then Trudy comes back."

"Parents might not like the idea of someone with her background teaching their tots, that's how Trudy put it. If she wanted to keep all that boxed up, it would cost. These aren't wealthy people, but Carly was scared. They paid. When I told her we were going to try to get the money back, she cried."