Treachery in Death (In Death #32)(51)

“Is that how you solve things, Lieutenant? Jumping to the commander?”

“When it’s warranted, you bet your ass.” Deliberately Eve glanced over her shoulder at Commander Oberman’s portrait. “I’d have thought you’d understand and respect that, particularly since Dad used to hold the chair.”

“You don’t want to bring my father into this.”

Sore spot, hot button, Eve thought when Renee’s voice vibrated. “You don’t want to stonewall me. I can, and I will, write both your men up for this, drag both your men into formal interview. I can and will charge them with trespassing, illegal entry, obstruction of justice—for a start—if I don’t get some answers.”

Renee swung around to stand behind her desk. “I’ll speak with my detectives on this matter, and get back to you with my findings.”

Oh, you’re pissed, Eve thought, and trying to convince both of us you’re in charge. “You’re not following me, Oberman. You will speak to your men, in my presence, now, or they will speak to me in my interview room, on record. Make a choice, and stop wasting my time.”

In the moment of heated silence, Eve thought if Renee believed she could get away with using her weapon on a fellow officer, she’d have drawn and fired.

Instead, she flicked on her squad room com. “Detectives Garnet and Bix. My office. Immediately. I won’t have you harassing my men, Lieutenant.”

“Harassing’s the least I have in mind.”

Garnet came in a step ahead of Bix. Both wore dark suits, carefully knotted ties, and a mirror shine on their shoes.

Are these cops or Feds? Eve wondered, and got a hard, cold look from Garnet.

“Close the door, Detective Bix. Lieutenant Dallas, Detectives, please sit down.”

“No. Thanks,” Eve added after a beat.

“Suit yourself.” Renee sat behind her desk in what Eve assumed she considered her position of authority. Shoulders back, hands clasped together, face stern. “Detectives, Lieutenant Dallas is asserting that the two of you entered the residence of Rickie Keener, now deceased, at some point yesterday. The lieutenant is primary in the investigation of Keener’s death.”

“Murder,” Eve corrected. “It’s a homicide investigation.”

“Lieutenant Dallas is approaching it as such, though as yet the ME has not determined homicide, self-termination, or accidental death.”

“You’re behind the times there, Lieutenant Oberman, as the ME has determined homicide as of this morning. But that’s not the point.”

“This matter has been determined a homicide?” Renee demanded. “I want to see the ME’s report.”

“I’m not here to give you information, but to get it. These two men entered Keener’s flop yesterday, between the time I informed you of the death of your CI and the time my partner and I went to Keener’s place. Which means, Lieutenant, you were aware of his death and my investigation when your men so entered—in violation of procedure, in violation of my authority.”

Renee held up a finger. “Are Lieutenant Dallas’s assertions accurate?” she asked the men. “Did you, in fact, go to Keener’s residence and enter same?”

Not going to cover for them, you spineless, calculating bitch, Eve thought. Going to let them swing for it.

Garnet kept his eyes on Renee’s. “Could I talk to you in private a minute, LT?”

“Not going to happen,” Dallas told him before Renee could speak. “I hear it now, from you, or I’m charging you both—as I’ve already informed your lieutenant. And I will be informing command.”

“Detectives, I know you’ve been focused on the Geraldi investigation. I fail to see how that would take you to Keener’s residence, if indeed the lieutenant’s information is correct.”

“We had some intel. We had a tip.” Garnet glanced toward Eve, then back at Renee. “LT, the investigation is at a sensitive point.”

“I understand that, but the investigation will stall, or worse, break down if the lieutenant files a complaint, or worse, charges. For God’s sake, Detective, did you go in to Keener’s?”

“We got wind he had some juice on—” He broke off, glanced at Eve again. “Some information on an individual with a connection to our investigation. So we went over to talk to him. We weren’t aware, at that time, he was dead. We didn’t find him in his usual locations, so we went to his flop. He didn’t answer. Everybody knows Juicy enjoys his own product and has a habit of zoning out.”

She’d thrown them a hook with this Geraldi angle, Eve concluded. Now Garnet was spinning his line from it.

“Let’s say,” he continued, “if we’re going to make it official, we believed we smelled an illegal substance emanating from the residence. Bix was uncertain whether it was an illegal substance or smoke. Bix?”

“Affirmative. Might’ve been smoke.”

“Therefore, we obtained entry in order to determine if the occupant was in need of assistance.”

“That’s your story?” Eve asked.

“That’s how it was,” Garnet insisted.

“And it took you thirty minutes to determine a flop the size of a utility closet was empty, there was no smoke either from an illegal substance or fire?”