Vengeance in Death

"How did you get in?"

"The side door was unlocked."

"What happened then?"

"I called out. No one answered, but the music was very loud. All the lights were on. I went into the lounge area. I saw him right away, in the tank. He – I think he was moving. I thought I saw his lips move. His eye – his eye was gone and his face was battered."

He began to lose color as he spoke, as the image played back in his head. "Water was still going into the tank. I didn't know how to shut it off. I started up the ladder, thinking I could pull him out. Then you came in."

"How were you going to pull him out when he was cuffed to the tank floor?"

"I didn't see that. I didn't see. I only saw his face."

"You knew Patrick Murray in Dublin?"

"I knew a number of people. I don't remember a Patrick Murray."

"Okay, let's try this again."

She worked him for two hours, and worked him hard. His story never shifted by an inch. When she stepped out of Interview, she signaled to Peabody. "Check and see if my new vehicle's come through and what slot I'll find it in. Let me know, then meet me there in five minutes."

"Yes, sir. He held up," she commented. "If I got hammered that hard in Interview, I'd probably confess just to get some peace."

He'd held up, she thought, but he'd looked ten years older when she'd finished with him. Old and ill and fragile. Her stomach rolled with guilt. "The only thing he did this morning was win a stupidity prize," Eve muttered as she marched down the corridor.

She found Roarke, as she'd expected, waiting in her office. "I'm getting you ten minutes with him. Talk him into letting you lawyer him. I don't care how you do it."

"What happened? What was he doing there?"

"I don't have time. He'll tell you. I've got some legwork, shouldn't take more than an hour. Then I'm going home, with Peabody. We have to do a search. Technically, I don't need a warrant to sweep his quarters as it's on your property. But you could make it sticky."

"I've no intention of making this sticky. I want this put away as much as you do."

"Then do us all a favor – stay away from the house, and see that he stays away once your lawyers spring bail, until after three this afternoon."

"All right. Do you have an ID on the victim?"

"He's alive, barely, and his name is Patrick Murray. He was the floor scraper at the club. I've got to contact his wife."

"Pat Murray. Jesus, I didn't recognize him."

"But you knew him."

"More professionally than personally. He liked to gamble, I provided games." His recollection was vague and misty. "He sold me a tip on where I could find Rory McNee. He must have told someone about it. I certainly didn't, and we weren't friends. The fact is he often ran numbers and minor errands for O'Malley and the others. I never thought of him." He lifted his hand, let it fall. "The tip was a dead end, so I never thought of him."

"Someone did. Doesn't matter if the tip was bogus or not. He sold it to you and that makes him a traitor. Which makes him a target." Her communicator beeped. "Dallas."

"Got your vehicle, Lieutenant, garage section D, level three, slot 101."

"On my way. I've got to go," she said to Roarke. "Call the lawyers."

He managed to smile a little. "I did that an hour ago. They should be convincing a judge to grant bail about now."

Because she was in a hurry, Eve took the motor glide to section D – or as far as section C, where it broke down. She jumped off without bothering to swear and covered the next level at a fast clip. She located slot 101 and found Peabody gawking at a slick new Sunspot with an angled-down hood, converto-roof, and deflector fins, front and rear.

"I thought you said 101."

"I did."

"Where's my replacement vehicle?"

"This is it." Peabody turned with wide eyes. "Right here. This one."

Eve only snorted. "Nobody in Homicide gets one of these muscle jobs – not even the captains."

"Serial plates match. I checked the key code." She held out a thin metal plate that could be used by the operator if the code was forgotten. "It works. I started to call in to Vehicular Requisitions, then figured why be stupid."

"Well." Eve pursed her lips, whistled lightly. The color might have been an unfortunate pea green, but everything else about it was prime. "Wow. Somebody screwed up, but we might as well enjoy it while we can. Get in."

"You don't have to twist my arm." Peabody scooted under the upward-opening door and wiggled down until her butt settled comfortably. "Nice seats. You can program initial for your voiceprint."

"We'll play with it later." Eve engaged the ignition manually and lifted a brow in approval at the big cat purr of the engine. "Not one hiss or hiccup. This could be the begi

"Any particular reason?"

"Yeah." Eve backed up, swung around, and headed down the levels. "We're going back to the Mermaid Club to search out a couple of street ghosts I spotted this morning. Car like this – cop plates or not – someone's going to try to boost it."

"It comes with full shields, deflectors, and a thievery deterrent – graduating electrical shocks."

"That ought to work," Eve mused. When she reached for her car 'link, Peabody shook her head.

"That's a hands-free. You just tap the second button down on your wheel stem to engage.

"I love technology." Eve did so and watched the 'link screen go to holding blue. "Audrey Morrell, Luxury Towers, New York City. Search number and contact."

Searching… Number is on public list. Contacting…

An efficient two beeps later, Audrey's face came on screen. There was a smear of bright yellow paint on her right cheek and a distracted look in her eyes. "Lieutenant Dallas, Ms. Morrell."

"Oh, yes, Lieutenant." Audrey lifted a hand dotted with cerulean blue to her hair. "What can I do for you?''

"Could you tell me where you were between five and seven a.m. this morning?"

"Here, here in my apartment. I didn't get up until just after seven o'clock. I've been in all morning working. Why?"

"Just routine. I'd like to set up a follow-up interview with you. Tomorrow morning, at your residence if that's convenient."

"Well, I, yes, I suppose so. At nine if it won't take more than an hour. I have a private lesson here at ten-thirty."

"Nine's fine. Thank you. Transmission concluded." Eve pulled up at the rear of a line of traffic waiting for the light. "Whoever called Summerset this morning had to know that he's got a thing for Artsy Audrey – as tough as it is to imagine that dried-up stick having a thing for anyone."

"I've been giving it some thought."

"And?"

"It can't be one person acting alone – not if we proceed with the belief that Summerset is i

"That's good, Peabody."

Peabody said nothing for a moment, then sighed. "But you already knew all that."

"It doesn't matter. It's good. Half of detective work is following logic, and you followed it."

"What's the other half?"

"Following illogic." She pulled up in front of the Mermaid Club, noted the police seal on the door was blinking red and the security grilles on the windows were still down and locked.

"Street ghosts don't walk much in daylight," Peabody commented.

"The car will lure them out." Eve stepped onto the street, waited until Peabody stood on the sidewalk. "Engage all tampering deflectors and security measures."