Reunion in Death (In Death #14)(72)

"This is an official city vehicle, moron. It's a cop car."

"Clean it up." He nodded slowly as he smeared muck on muck. "Five bucks. Clean it right up."

"Five bucks, my ass. Make tracks, and make them now."

"Clean it right up," he repeated in a sing-song voice as he swiped the glass. "Just like she said."

"What I said was beat it." Eve started toward him, and she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye.

Across the street, flame-bright in a red skin suit, her golden hair gleaming, was Julianna Dunne. She smiled, then waved cheerfully. "Got a mess on your hands there, Lieutenant-oh and belated congratulations on your promotion."

"Son of a bitch."

Her hand went to her weapon as she started to charge. And the mountain backhanded her. One side of her face exploded as she was lifted off her feet, then went numb before she hit the pavement. She felt wild pain in her ribs as the brick of a foot covered in rags kicked her into a rolling skid. Through the ringing of her ears, she heard Peabody's shouts, the mountain's furious chant, "Five bucks! Five bucks!"

She shook her head to clear it, then came up fast, leading with her shoulder directly into his crotch. He didn't even howl, just crumpled.

"Dallas! What the hell?"

"Dunne," she managed, yanked out her restraints as she fought to pull in air and fill her lungs again. "Across the street. Red skin suit, blonde hair." She panted against the pain that was eating through the numbness. The right side of her face was starting to scream. "Heading west on foot. Call it in," she demanded as she snapped the street sleeper's beefy wrist to the car door. "Get me backup."

She came off the ground like a sprinter off the mark- low and fast. She zigzagged through traffic, was nearly creamed by a Rapid Cab. The blasts of horns and shouted obscenities followed her to the opposite side.

She could see the flashing red, with nearly a full block lead, and ran like a demon.

Legs pumping, she dodged pedestrians, plowed through those who didn't have the sense to get out of the way of a woman holding a lethal weapon. A man in a pristine business suit, a pocket-link at his ear, shouted in shock as she barreled toward him. Panicked, he stumbled back into a glide-cart, scattering tubes of Pepsi and soy dogs, inciting the vocal fury of the vender.

Eve leaped over him, pivoted north. She'd gained a quarter block.

"Backup, goddamn it, where's my backup?" She yanked out her communicator on the run. Her side was aching like a rotted tooth. "Officer needs assistance. In foot pursuit of suspect, identified as Julianna Dunne, heading north on Seventh at Bleeker. All units, all units in the vicinity, respond."

She raced across the crosswalk, against the light, springing onto the hood of a sedan, then catapulting herself off. "In pursuit, damn it, of female suspect, blonde, thirty-four, five four, one hundred-fifteen, wearing red skin suit."

She jammed the communicator away. Cursed the crowds of people that made it impossible to risk using her weapon. She holstered it, and dug for more speed.

There was blood in her mouth, blood dribbling into her right eye. But she'd eaten up another five feet of Julianna's lead.

Fast, Eve thought as the adrenaline hummed in her head. Got herself in shape, knows how to run.

She could hear sirens scream in the distance, and bore down. She was only two body-lengths behind when Julianna flicked back a glance. And smirked.

It took her out from behind, a low body slam that sent her flying up like a rock in a catapult. She had enough time to think, What the f**k? before she fell with a bone-rattling crash. The back of her head smacked smartly into the pavement, and turned her world into spinning stars. Voices came and went like the tide of the sea.

She managed to roll over, retching, and gain her hands and knees.

"Did I do it? Did I?" The bright, excited voice drilled into her spinning brain. She blinked up and stared into the freckled faces of two young boys. Another blink and the faces sucked into each other and became one.

"It looked good, it looked real, right? Man, you flew." Clutching a fluorescent green airboard, he danced in place. "I slammed into you, just like I was supposed to."

She made some sound, spat out blood, then pushed up to her knees.

"Lieutenant! Dallas! God almighty." Thoroughly winded, Peabody pushed through the crowd. "She take you out?"

"This little..." She couldn't think of a word. "I'm all right. Go! Go! She's heading north."

With one fearful look at her lieutenant, Peabody took off.

"You." Eve crooked a finger at the boy. "Come down here."

"Boy, that blood looks real. That's iced."

His face wavered and split again, so she snarled at both of him. "You little schmuck, you just assaulted a police officer in pursuit of a suspect."

He hunkered down and lowered his voice. "Are we still on camera?"

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Where do you learn to do stunts like that anyway? How come you don't get hurt when you fall?"

"I am hurt, you stupid little-" She bit off the rest, fought to keep her vision from going from wavey gray to solid black. He couldn't have been more than ten, and his cheerful face was beginning to show some fear and confusion.

"Like for real hurt, or on the vid hurt?"