Big Jack

Mira gave Eve’s hand a squeeze. “And that’s why you are.”

“Yeah. That’s why I am.”

Chapter 9

Eve viewed a session in the lab with Dickie Berenski as she did a dental checkup. You had to do it, and if you were lucky it wouldn’t be as bad as you imagined. But it was usually worse.

And like the dental techs in her experience, Dickhead exhibited a smarmy, self-righteous satisfaction when it got worse.

She swung into the lab with Peabody and pretended not to notice several techs slide looks in her direction, then get busy elsewhere.

When she didn’t see a sign of Dickie, she cornered the first tech who couldn’t skitter away fast enough. “Where’s Berenski?”

“Um. Office?”

She didn’t think she deserved the quaking voice or the frozen rictus of a smile. It had been months since she’d threatened a lab tech. Besides, they should know it was physically impossible for her to put a man’s internal organs on display by turning him inside out.

She crossed the main lab, over the white floors, around the white stations ma

All in all, she thought she’d rather work in the morgue.

She walked into Dickie’s office without knocking. He was kicked back at his desk, feet propped up as he sucked on a grape-colored ice pop.

“You got the box seats?” he asked.

“You’ll get them when I get my results.”

“I got something for you.” He pushed away from the desk, started out, then stopped to study Peabody. “That you in there, Peabody? Where’s the uniform?”

Delighted with the opportunity, she pulled out her badge. “I made detective.”

“No shit? Nice going. Liked the way you filled out a uniform though.”

He hopped onto his stool and began to ride it up and down his long white counter as he ordered up files, keyed in codes with his spider-quick fingers. “You got some of this already. No illegals in either vic. Vic one-that’s Jacobs-had a blood-alcohol level of point oh-eight. She was feeling pretty happy. Got her last meal. No recent nooky. Fibers on her shoes match the crime-scene carpet. Couple others here she probably picked up in the cab on the way home.”

His fingers danced; the screens revolved with color and shapes. “Got a couple hair samples, but says here she was clubbing prior to getting dead. Coulda picked those up in the club. If any of them are from the killer, we’ll match ’em when you nab ’im.

“Now we’ve reconstructed the wound-used her ID photo and some others to create an image of her at time of death.”

He brought it up so Eve could look at Andrea Jacobs as she had been, on screen. A pretty woman in a fancy dress, with a gash at her throat.

“Using our techno-magic, we can pretty well determine the size and shape of your murder weapon.”

Eve studied the split-screen image of a long, smooth blade, and the specs beneath it that gave her width and length.

“Good. That’s good, Dickie.”

“You’re working with the best. We concur with the investigator and the ME re the positioning of vic at time of the death blow. Came from behind. Yanked her by the hair. We got some of her hair from the scene that substantiates the scenario. Unless one of those stray hairs came from the perp, and I’m not putting money on that, we got nothing from him. Nada. He was sealed up tight.

“Now vic two-Cobb-different ball game. You sure you’re looking at the same guy?”

“I’m sure.”

“Your call. Smashed her up. Pipe, bat, metal, wood. Can’t tell you ’cause we got nothing to work with there but the shape of the breaks in the bones. Look for something long, smooth and about two inches in diameter. Probably weighted. Leg shot took her down, rib shot kept her down. But then it gets interesting.”

Shifting to another screen, he brought up the picture of Cobb’s charred skull. “You see the busted cheekbone, and… ” He revolved the image. “Your classic busted-in skull. Setting her on fire took care of most of the trace, but we got some that adhered to the bone fragments-face and head.”

“What kind of trace?”

“It’s a sealer.” He split the screen. A series of jagged shapes in cool blues came on. “A fire-retardant. Smart guy missed that step. Professional-grade. Brand name’s Flame Guard. Harry Homemaker can get it, but mostly it’s used by contractors. You seal subflooring or walls with it.”

“Subflooring. Before the finished deal goes down?”

“Yep. She had trace in the facial and head wounds. He lit her up, but this shit didn’t burn. Truth in advertising for once. Didn’t seal the bone, though, so it wasn’t wet when she made contact. Little tacky maybe in spots but not wet.”

Eve bent down closer, caught a whiff of grape from Dickhead. “She picked up the trace, cheekbone hitting the floor or the wall. Then again with the skull. No trace in the leg or rib wounds because of her clothes. There was blood when she hit, when she crawled. Might’ve helped pick up the trace. Splinters maybe, splinters from the boards she hit, adhere to the broken bones.”

“You’re the detective. But a girl that size, hit like that, she’d go down hard. So yeah, it could happen. We got our trace, so it did happen. It left a mess behind, too.”

“Yeah.” And that was a factor. “Shoot all of this to my office. Not half bad, Dickie.”

“Hey, Dallas!” He called after her as she started out. “Take me out to the ball game.”

“They’re on their way. Peabody.” She scooped at her hair as she lined up new data. “Let’s do a run on the sealant. See what else we can find out. He could’ve used his own place for it. Could have. But he doesn’t seem like the type to soil his own nest. Professional-grade,” she mumbled. “He could have a place being rehabbed. Or access to a building under construction or being remodeled. Let’s start on construction sites near the dump site. He didn’t pick that empty lot out of a hat. He doesn’t pick anything out of a hat.”

Following that line, she called Roarke. By the time he came on, she was already in her car and headed back to Central. “Lieutenant. You have a gleam in your eye.”

“Might’ve caught a break. Do you have anything going up or getting a face-lift in Alphabet City?”

“Rehabbing a midsized apartment complex. And… There are a couple of small businesses being changed over. I’d have to check to get you specifics.”

“Do that. Shoot them to my office. Know of anything else? A competitor, associate, whatever?”

“Why don’t I find out?”

“Appreciate it.”

“Wait, wait.” He held up a hand, well aware she’d have cut him off without another word. “There’s a bit of progress on the search. Not enough to dance about, and Feeney and I are both tied up with other matters for the next part of the day. We’ve agreed to put in some time this evening, at our place.”

“Good.” She turned into Central’s underground garage. “See you.”

“I gotta ask.” Peabody braced as Eve shot into her narrow parking slot, then let out a breath when there was no impact. “When you see his face come on screen, all sexy and gorgeous with that, you know, mouth, do you ever just want to pant like a dog?”

“Jesus, Peabody.”

“Just wondering.”

“Stomp out the hormones and keep your mind in the game. I’ve got Whitney.” She looked at the time. “Shit. Now. I wanted to see if we’ve had any luck with the artist rendering.”

“I can do that. If there’s anything, I’ll bring it up.”

“That works.”

“See how handy it is to have a detective for a partner?”

“I should’ve known you’d find a way to work it in.”

They separated, and Eve rode the miserably crowded elevator another three floors before she bailed and switched to the glide for the rest of the trip to Commander Whitney’s office.

Whitney suited his rank. He was a commanding man with a powerful build and a steely mind. The lines dug around his eyes and mouth only added to the image of leadership, and the toll it took on the man.