To draw Undall’s attention to her, Eve leaned forward. “He’s a liar, and he’s good at it. You saw what he wanted you to see. You aren’t to blame for what he did. What was he wearing?”
“Wearing? Ah, jeans, I think.”
“Close your eyes,” Eve advised. “Picture him. You spent time with him, you wanted to evaluate.”
Undall closed her eyes. “Jeans, good ones. I accepted the donation—we can use it—because I could see he could afford it. Carbelli jeans, good boots, both black. A silk T-shirt, an amber color, and a black leather jacket. Real leather. He had a wrist unit—sport style.”
“Was he driving or walking?”
“I … I’m not sure. He bought a cat carrier—I’d forgotten that. He didn’t have one, and we have them at the offices. He didn’t want a collar, because he said he wanted his girl to pick one out. He took the congratulations basket we give you. So he had that and the carrier.”
“Okay.” Absently, Eve stroked the cat purring in her lap. “You made small talk. He said he was from Ireland. Did you talk about that?”
“Yes. I said I’d always wanted to go, and he said he hoped I would. It was beautiful, and he missed it. I asked what he did for a living—even though I’d run the background—and he said he and his wife had owned and run a small hotel, which jibed, but he’d sold it because after she died his heart wasn’t in it. Now he helped manage his parents’ rentals—businessman rentals.”
“Businessman rentals?”
“Yes, where people traveling who don’t want a hotel can stay in an apartment or townhouse and that sort of thing. His check said hotels and hospitality for employment, and that seemed to match. I went through my litany of how to introduce a new pet to a household, to the people in it, about diet, and how she still needed the topical, just to be sure, for another few days. He listened so attentively. He took her meds—she’s off the antibiotics now, but still needs the special vitamins.
“She took to him, you could see it. She liked him, curled up in his lap like Regal is with you when he sat to fill out the rest of the paperwork. He took all his copies, and the adoption certificate we make. He put it in his little girl’s name, Colleen. Sweetie was to have a follow-up exam in two weeks, and he took all my husband’s information.”
“You have the paperwork he signed?”
“Yes.”
“I’m going to need that.”
“I’ll get it off my computer here.” She rose, then looked at Eve with grieving eyes. “Did she suffer?”
“No,” Eve lied. “It was very quick. And she’s in good hands with the doctor who’s in charge. He’s kind.”
“Thank you.”
When she walked out, Peabody looked at Eve. “He worked it perfectly. The dead wife, the little girl’s birthday wish. Played the heart-strings.”
“Yeah, he did.” Eve looked down at the cat in her lap, wondered if she took a spin in the fume tube Galahad wouldn’t smell the invader.
Screw that.
“He’s not stupid,” she continued. “And he knows how to read people. He read me,” she added. “Read the way I panicked for a second, tore open that damn bag at the gates.”
“Galahad’s family.”
True enough, Eve thought. And her family was going to be pretty pissed off when he smelled another cat on her.
After she turned over the paperwork, Undall walked out with them. “I have to tell Dory. And Michael and the rest. I—”
She broke off, breathed through. “I hope you catch him. I hope you lock him away forever. Because he’s a monster.”
“Got that right,” Eve mumbled as she got back in the car. “And he left with a cat in a carrier, the goodie basket, meds, paperwork. Not on foot unless it was a couple of blocks.”
She considered knocking on some doors herself, but she needed that prep time for Abernathy. “Get some uniforms to canvass with Cobbe’s photo,” she told Peabody. “Have them check parking lots and garages. We could get lucky.”
Back at Central she told Peabody to update the squad. She had to get the new data, the new angles organized and on paper before meeting with Interpol.
She assumed Whitney would hold the meeting in his office, then wound that back, and sent her commander a memo.
Sir, with your approval I’d like to meet with Inspector Abernathy in the bullpen to demonstrate our manpower and commitment to this investigation. I believe my officers should be involved and included.
She sent it, then began to organize her notes and data into a report. She’d barely started before Whitney’s response came through.
Agreed. Ten o’clock.
Great. Excellent. Fuck.
“Peabody!” she shouted it, kept working.
The clump of pink boots came on the run. “Sir!”
“Change of venue. Whitney’s bringing Abernathy into the bullpen. Let everyone know. Get the board on-screen—I’ll make updates there.”
“I got it.”
Eve finished the report, shot it off. She got up to get coffee, noting that Roarke’s time wasn’t quite up on nailing down the Dublin salon. Still, she needed to move on that.
She took the coffee back to her desk. Before she could start the search her ’link signaled. And her comp signaled an incoming.
She saw Roarke’s name on the display. “Gimme,” she said.
“Style and Substance Salon and Spa. His hair tech is Milo Cummings. Skin, Genita O’Brian. Nails, Breen Casey. I have the rest, in the memo I just sent you. His last visit, for a full round, was five weeks ago.”
She did an internal happy dance. “I didn’t think you could pull it off this fast.”
“I’m wounded.”
“Seriously, Roarke, more gold. How much did it cost you?”
He simply smiled. “Some things are beyond price. Will you call in the locals to interview?”
“Me first. I might not have time before Abernathy to hit them all, but I’ll grill the hair guy first. Real quick, we found the cat—I mean where he got the cat.”
“Someone else works fast.”
“I just sent an updated report. It’s all in there. I’ve gotta go, but we’re building the box. And we’re going to nail the lid on him.”
“I trust we will. I’ll send you the list of potential safe houses shortly. Good hunting, Lieutenant.”
“Back at you.”
She clicked off, brought up his incoming. All there. The man was thorough. She made the first contact.
With five minutes to spare, she strode out to the bullpen, handed Peabody a disc. “More updates. I’ll write it up later, but get this up. And listen up!” she said to the room at large. “Whatever you’re eating, put it away. If you need coffee, get it now. Be prepared to speak on your specific part of the investigation, the progress or lack of same. If somebody gets killed during this meeting, Reineke teams up with Santiago to take it. I want one member of each team in the room at all times.”
“Holy shit, Dallas.” Peabody stopped her updates. “This is fricking mag data.”