“He knew,” Eve commented, picturing it.
“Of course. He always knows. But at the time I was proud of my composure, and assumed it was about all I had left. He asked me what I thought of…” Her forehead creased. “I’ve forgotten his name. The exec who’d snapped at me in the meeting. I answered back, very crisply as I thought I was already heading out the door, did he mean personally or professionally, and he grinned at me.”
She paused a moment, angled her head. “I hope you won’t take offense if I add something here.”
“Go ahead. I don’t offend all that easy.”
“I was old enough to be his mother, and when he looked down at me and grinned, I felt it in the pit of my belly. The power of his sexuality, in a situation that wasn’t, in any way, sexual. I’m surprised I could form a coherent thought or word after the exposure.”
“I get that, too.”
“Undoubtedly you do. When he grinned at me and said he was interested in both my personal and professional opinion of this exec, I was just mortified and stunned enough by my own completely inappropriate reaction to tell him I thought the man was competent enough in his job, but on a personal level he was an ass.”
“The next thing I know I’m in his office, and he’s offering me coffee, and asking me to wait just a moment. He went to his desk and went to work while I sat there in complete confusion. I didn’t know then that he’d pulled up my file, was checking my work evals, my security ratings.”
“And very likely what you’d had for breakfast that morning.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me,” Caro agreed. “Then he said, pleasantly, that he was looking for an administrative assistant who could think on her feet, who had good judgment of situations and people, and who wouldn’t serve him a plate of bullshit when he wanted the truth. She’d have to be efficient, tireless, and loyal, as she’d answer only to him and there would be times he’d ask the… unusual. He continued on, outlining the job description, but I’m not sure I was hearing it all clearly. And he named a salary that made me very grateful I was sitting down. Then he asked me if I was interested in the position.”
“Guess you were.”
“I said, with heroic calm, that, yes, sir, I would be very interested in applying for the position. That I’d be happy to sit for an interview and any tests required. He said we’d just had the interview and I’d already passed the tests, so I might as well start now.”
“He’d had his eye on you before.”
“Apparently so. And because of it, I was able to finish raising my daughter in comfort, in security. And to discover myself. So I owe him a great deal. You’ve settled me down,” Caro said with a sigh. “Just by taking me through all that. You’ve reminded me that you get through a crisis by doing what needs to be done next. So I’ll leave you to do what you have to do next.” She rose. “Thank you for taking the time.”
“I figure Reva’s got some of your spine. So she’ll get through this and out the other side.”
“I’m counting on that.” Caro walked to the door, then turned. “This is a small thing, but I think it might please you, that it might be just a little something I can give back. A lot of busy people have their assistants or admins select gifts for their spouses. Birthdays, anniversaries, tokens to make up for an argument. He never does. Whatever he gives you comes from him. Perhaps that’s not such a small thing after all.”
Chapter 15
Peabody hustled in on lime-green high-tops. She no longer clopped, Eve noted, but sort of… boinged. It was just something else to get used to. She also had a big, toothy grin and a line of colorful little beads worked into her hair from crown to chin.
“Hey, Dallas. I gotta say, Jamaica rocks.”
“You have beads in your hair.”
“Yeah, I got this little braid.” She tugged on it. “I can do that now. I’m not in uniform.”
“But why would you? Never mind. Where are the units?”
“Detective McNab and I transported the units, personally, through customs and security and accompanied them directly here to the off-site lab for analysis and study. They were never out of our control. McNab is with the EDD team at this location now. I left him there to come report to you. Sir.”
“No point in getting sulky because I ragged on your beads.”
“Maybe I just won’t give you your present.”
“Why would you get me a present?”
“To commemorate my first out-of-town as detective.” She dragged it out of her bag. “But you don’t deserve it.”
Eve stared at the little plastic palm tree with the little plastic naked man lounging under it. He held a tiny bowl-shaped glass filled with shimmering green liquid. Alcoholic in nature, no doubt, Eve concluded, from the goofy grin on his face.
“You’re right. I don’t deserve this.”
“It’s kitschy.” Miffed, Peabody set it on Eve’s desk. “And amusing. So there.”
“Uh-huh. I’m going to bring you and the rest of the team up to speed momentarily. We’ll have a short briefing that includes the civilians, then… Hold on,” she said when her ‘link beeped. “Dallas.”
“We’ve got trouble.”
From the tone of Morris’s voice, and the grim look on his face, Eve knew the trouble was serious. “You at the morgue?”
“I’m at the morgue,” he confirmed. “Bissel isn’t.”
“You lost the body?”
“Bodies aren’t lost,” he snapped, though he’d spent the last thirty-five minutes doing both a computerized and a personal search and scan. “And our guests rarely get up and take a walk to the corner deli for a bagel and schmear. Which means someone came in here and helped themselves to him.”
“Okay.” He sounded more insulted than angry. She was about to change that. “Lock the place down.”
“Excuse me?”
“Lock it down, Morris. Nobody in, nobody out-living or dead-until I get there. And it’s going to take me close to an hour.”
“An hour to-”
“Seal off the room where the body was stored. Retrieve all security discs for the last twenty-four, and have any and all records of your work on Bissel copied for me. And I want to know everyone who had work or business in the dead zone since the last time you, personally, saw the body. Kade still there?”
“Yes, Kade’s still here, damn it, Dallas.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” She cut him off. “Get the rest of the team,” she told Peabody, then let out a curse of her own when her ‘link beeped again. “Move.” She snapped out the order and had Peabody hot-footing it to the door. “Dallas.”
“Lieutenant.” Whitney’s face filled the screen and looked no cheerier than Morris’s. “Report to the Tower for a meeting with the chief and Assistant Director Sparrow of the HSO. Nine hundred.”
“It’ll have to wait.”
He blinked once, and his voice went to ice. “Lieutenant?”
“Sir, I’m about to brief my team. I’ll keep it to the bones, but it has to be done. My presence is then required at the morgue. I’ve just spoken to Chief Medical Examiner Morris. Bissel’s body is missing.”
“Misplaced or gone?”
“I assume gone, sir. I’ve ordered a lockdown, seal, and retrieval. Detective Peabody and I will meet with Morris and evaluate within the hour. I believe this takes precedence over the Tower meeting. Homeland and Sparrow will just have to wait their turn to dance with me.”
“I want the details, every last one of them, ASAP. The meeting will be rescheduled for eleven hundred. Be there, Lieutenant.”
She didn’t bother to respond as he’d cut her off as neatly as she’d cut off Morris. So she just scowled at the ‘link and said, “Fuck.”
Then she rose, turned the murder board face to the wall.