Promises in Death (In Death #28)(96)

“Did you break the encryption?”

“Damn f**king-A tooting. Gee, I’m really tired now. Booster’s wearing down. Text, Omega to New York.” She yawned, blinked. “Sorry. Text: ‘Hit target within forty-eight. Complete disposal. Complete arrangements with hunter. Usual fees cleared when disposal verified.’

“Second text, Omega to New York,” Callendar continued. “Oh, this is the one we matched with a toss-away down there. Text: ‘Go. Coordinate with mole. Don’t disappoint me, dear.’ ”

“Are there any more?”

“Isn’t that enough?”

“Nothing within the last twenty-four from Omega?”

“Not on this. But to jump ahead, there’s one from New York to Omega, same ’links as the second trans. Text: ‘Disposal complete. I never disappoint.’ That was sent an hour after Coltraine’s TOD, to the unregistered ’link we dug up in Rouche’s quarters. We also dug up a nice bit of accounting. He kept records, Dallas, of income. Payments listed by date—going back for ten months—and the accounts, by number, where he stashed the funds. It was a romp through the daisies. Then there’s the e-mail. We pulled them off his in-room comp. All e’s are required to go through security, but it looks like he got his buddy Art to bypass. The receiver’s account is under Luanne DeBois.”

“Yeah, I bet it is.”

“Lots of lovey-dovey. And lots of instructions and communication about where and how to access funds, what to do with them. He is so screwed.”

“Wrap him up and bring him in. But keep it under the radar. I don’t want Ricker knowing his boy’s pinned. Security breaches, fraternizing with prisoners, suspicion of collusion. That’s enough to get them down here. Keep them separated on the trip back. Full security from here to there. If you need it, have the warden send a couple of people he can trust with you. I’ll contact him directly, clear it. Get it going, Callendar.”

“Sisto, we’re getting the hell off this rock!”

“Good work,” Eve added and signed off.

“That gives us goods on Rouche, but unless we can put that ’link into Ricker’s hand—”

“Don’t screw with my mood, Reo. I’ve got work, and I’m really happy.”

She contacted the warden, then Whitney. Then, because under the circumstances being an informant for IAB didn’t make her sick, she contacted Webster.

She stared at the blue screen of blocked video.

“Jesus, Dallas, it’s Sunday morning. I’m off.”

“I have information for IAB, but if you’re too busy to—”

“What, what, what?”

“Are you alone?”

“What’s it to you?” He cursed into the silence. “Yeah, yeah, I’m alone. I’m also in bed, mostly naked. I can unblock the video to confirm, if you want to dream about me.”

“I’ve already seen you mostly naked, and it never caused me to dream.”

“Cold.”

“Listen up. I’m informing IAB that I strongly suspect Detective Cleo Grady of colluding with Max Ricker, of being on his payroll, and of the murders of Detective Amaryllis Coltraine and Rod Sandy.”

“Hold it. Hold it. You’re making an arrest?”

“Did I say I was making an arrest? I’m informing you, as a member of IAB, that I suspect a fellow officer is involved in illegal activities, for gain, with a known and incarcerated criminal. I suspect that fellow officer killed Detective Coltraine on the orders of Max Ricker, and that she killed Rod Sandy.”

“Who the hell is Rod Sandy?”

“Alex Ricker’s personal assistant. He’s in the morgue. I suspect, again on Max Ricker’s orders, that Grady and Sandy worked together to murder Coltraine, and to splash some suspicion on Alex Ricker.”

“What’s your evidence?”

“I don’t have to give you evidence,” Eve said as Webster, dragging on a T-shirt, came on-screen. “I’m relaying my suspicions, and that’s enough for IAB to start the ball rolling. If you consider that mostly naked, Webster, it’s no wonder you’re in bed alone on Sunday morning.”

“I put clothes on. Stop yanking my chain. We don’t release the hounds on a cop just on another cop’s say-so.”

“You know that’s not what this is. Take a good look at her, Webster, and for Christ’s sake, don’t tip her off. I’m building a case, and it’s taking shape. If I’m off, I’m off, and no harm done. But I’m not. I’ve got some expert corroboration on that.”

“What corroboration?”

“The tinglies,” she said and cut him off.

Ball’s rolling, ball’s in the air, she thought. Nothing more to do just then but wait. She started to go out, remembered all the women who were probably swarming around the house. She detoured to the elevator. When it opened in her bedroom, she snuck over and closed the door. Then she walked to the bed, let out one sigh, and dropped face-down onto it.

Coltraine sat at her desk in the squad room while Eve stood by Grady’s.

“She was never a friend, never a partner.” Sorrow weighed down Coltraine’s voice. “Not to me, not to any of us. She’d have killed any one of us if Ricker ordered it.”