Taken in Death (In Death #37.5)(22)

“We’re going to shifts,” she announced. “Feeney, Jenkinson, Reineke, head to my place, grab a bunk. Report back here at oh-five hundred. Roarke and I will head out shortly, do the same. McNab, Callender, stay on the e-work. Peabody, Trueheart, Baxter, work the data and the streets. We’ll switch off at five hundred hours.”

“Summerset will see to your rooms,” Roarke added. “I’ve spoken to him.”

“Move out now, get some sleep. You relieve the first shift at five hundred sharp. Anything comes in, anything, while we’re down, I know when you know.”

“You got that, boss,” Baxter assured her.

“I can bunk here,” Feeney began.

“You won’t sleep if you’re here. Neither would I. Odds of anything breaking before morning are slim. Let’s take a couple hours while we can. I’m going to stop by, check in with Teasdale,” Eve told him. “Then we’re right behind you.”

The night held a deep cold and stillness that felt like waiting. Was she abandoning those kids by taking the time to grab sleep in her own bed? She could be back in ten minutes, but . . .

“Stop,” Roarke ordered, and took the wheel of the car. “You could take a booster and stay on it, but there’s no point. You divided it well—sending the three oldest cops down first, leaving the youngest under Baxter, who you know can deal with it. And you’re taking second shift because that’s when you believe something might break.”

“That’s about right.” And still.

A light burned on the main level in the trim town house where Teasdale had secured the MacDermits. Eve used her ’link first, alerting Teasdale so the agent opened the door as Eve and Roarke crossed the sidewalk.

“Nothing since the first contact,” Teasdale told them, leading them through to a living area where equipment covered two tables, and a tall coffeepot stood half full. “Slattery’s grabbing a couple hours’ sleep. He’s the expert on child abductions, so we decided he’d go down now while we expect it to stay quiet.”

“We’re taking shifts. How are the parents holding up?”

“By their fingernails. Tosha melted down after she talked to the sister, and Ross wasn’t much better. Hard to blame them. But Slattery’s good. He settled them down, finally convinced Tosha to take a mild soother and try to sleep. I could hear them pacing up there till about an hour ago, so maybe they’re both down.”

Teasdale gestured toward the wall screen. “I’ve been working with your map. The narrowed area seems most plausible.”

“I want to recanvass that area in the morning, knock on every door.”

“I can get you some foot soldiers for that.”

“It would help. Did she give you anything else on the sister? Any more details?”

“Not much. I got her talking a little earlier in the evening, just prodding her memories. What was her sister into, what did she like, what didn’t she, and so on. But they haven’t been together since they were twelve, so that was limited to things like dolls, sneaking on makeup, baking cookies and tarts, listening to music.”

Teasdale lowered to the arm of a chair, rubbed at the back of her neck. “That’s the normal. There was plenty of abnormal. Putting bugs in her sister’s bed, locking her in the basement, killing the neighbor’s pet rabbit and cooking it. She never told her father that one because her sister said she’d kill her and cook her next if she did.”

“Nice.”

“And it slides in with Dr. Mira’s assessment of cannibalistic tendencies. She cut Tosha a few times, so it seems she’s always enjoyed knives. And she’d sneak in vids and discs on witchcraft—the dark variety—began practicing rituals as a child.”

“Fits, too.”

“She claimed the birthmark was a sign of power and legitimacy. It proved she was The One—that’s capped, like a title. Overall, Tosha’s memories are general and unpleasant. I don’t know if she can give us any specifics that will help find the children.”

“We work with what we’ve got.” And, Eve thought, wait for the boy and the bread crumbs. “I’ll be back on at oh-five hundred. Baxter’s in charge at the temp HQ, but I’m on if anything happens.”

“She plans to kill them both, but she won’t move forward until she contacts Tosha again, gets her answer.”

“Does she have one?”

“Of course not.” A hint of pity eked through Teasdale’s voice. “So we’d better find the children before the next contact.”

“We hit the streets again, full force, first light.”

“I’ll have men here, ready to assist.”

And that, Eve thought, was the best they could do.

She didn’t speak on the short drive home, and Roarke let her be. The house he’d built stood silhouetted against the black sky, as still as the night around it.

But he took her hand when they got out of the car. “You’re going to find them.”

“We could use some more bread crumbs.”

“We’ll hunt for them as well. He’s a clever boy, Eve, and his sister seems brave and true. You heard her voice when she shouted not to hurt her brother. There was fear there, but fierceness as well.”