Part 8 (1/2)
”Thanks.” She was going to burn them, first chance.
”Shouldn't you be in front of a camera somewhere?” Eve asked.
”There's more to the job than looking pretty on screen. I've just about wrapped an interview with Samantha. A few comments from the primary on the investigation would put a nice cap on the segment.”
”Turn off the recorder, Nadine.”
For form, Nadine sighed before she deactivated her lapel recorder. ”She's so strict,” she said to Samantha. ”I really appreciate the time, and I'm very sorry about your friend.”
”Thank you.”
”Dallas, if I could just have one word?”
”Peabody, why don't you show Ms. Gannon into the lounge. I'll be right with you.”
Eve waited until they'd moved off, then turned a cool stare toward Nadine.
”Just doing my job.” Nadine lifted her hands, palms out for peace.
”Me too.”
”Gannon's a hot ticket, Dallas. Her book is this month's c.o.c.ktail party game. Everybody's playing Where Are the Diamonds? You toss murder in and it's top story, every market. I had vacation plans. Three fun-filled days at the Vineyard, starting tomorrow. I canceled them.”
”You were going to make wine?”
”No. Though I'd planned to drink quite a bit. Martha's Vineyard, Dallas. I want out of the city, out of this heat. I want a beach and a long cold adult beverage and a parade of tanned and buff male bodies. So I'm hoping you're going to tell me you're wrapping this one up in a hurry.”
”I can't tell you any more than the media liaison would've told you. Pursuing all leads, et cetera and so on. That's it, Nadine. That's really it.”
”Yeah, I was afraid of that. Well, there's always a hologram program. I can set it for the Vineyard and spend an hour in fantasyland. I'll be around,” she added as she walked away.
Gave up too easy, Eve decided.
She thought about that as she headed off to what the cops called the lounge. It was a room set up for breaks and informal meetings. A scatter of tables, even a skinny, sagging sofa, and several vending machines.
She plugged in a couple of credits and ordered a large bottle of water.
You have selected Aquafree, the natural refreshment, in a twelve-ounce bottle. Aquafree is distilled and bottled in the peaceful and pristine mountains of- ”Jesus, cut the commercial and give me the d.a.m.n water.” She thumped a fist against the machine.
You are in violation of City Code 20613-A. Any tampering with, any vandalism of this vending unit can result in fine and/or imprisonment.
Even as Eve reared back to kick, Peabody was popping up. ”Dallas! Don't! I'll get it. I'll get the water. Go sit down.”
”A person ought to be able to get a d.a.m.n drink of water without the lecture.” She flopped down at the table beside Samantha. ”Sorry.”
”No, that's okay. It's really irritating, isn't it, to get the whole list of ingredients, by-products, caloric intake, whatever. Especially when you're ordering a candy bar or a cupcake.”
”Yes!” Finally, Eve thought, someone who got it. Finally, Eve thought, someone who got it.
”She has issues with machines all over the city,” Peabody commented. ”Your water, Lieutenant.”
”You pander to them.” Eve opened the bottle, drank long and deep. ”I appreciate your coming in, Ms. Gannon. We were going to contact you and arrange to speak with you. You've saved us some time.”
”Call me Samantha, or Sam, if that's okay. I hoped you'd have something to tell me. Shouldn't I have been talking to the reporter?”
”Free country. Free press.” Eve shrugged. ”She's okay. Are you planning on staying at the hotel for the time being?”
”I-yes. I thought, as soon as you tell me I can-I'd have my house cleaned. There are specialists, I'm told, who deal with . . . with crime scenes. Cleaning up crime scenes. I don't want to go back until it's dealt with. That's cowardly.”
”It's not. It's sensible.” That's what she looked like today, Eve thought. A very tired, sensible woman. ”I can offer you continued police protection for the short term. You may want to consider hiring private security.”
”You don't think it was just a burglary. You think whoever killed Andrea will come after me.”
”I don't think there's any point in taking risks. Beyond that, reporters who aren't as polite as Nadine are going to scent you out and ha.s.sle you.”
”I guess you're right about that. All right, I'll look into it. My grandparents are very upset about all this. I played it down as much as I could, but . . . h.e.l.l, you don't pull anything over on them. If I can tell them I've hired a bodyguard and have the police looking out for me, too, it'll go a long way to keeping everyone settled. I'm letting them think it was about Andrea.”
Her eyes, very bright, very blue, settled levelly on Eve's. ”But I've had time to play this all out in my head. A long night's worth of time, and I don't think that. You don't think that.”
”I don't. Ms. Gannon-Samantha-the woman who was a.s.signed to clean your house has been murdered.”
”I don't understand. I haven't hired anyone to clean my house yet.”
”Your regular cleaning service. Maid In New York a.s.signed Tina Cobb over the last several months to your house.”
”She's dead? Murdered? Like Andrea?”
”Did you know her? Personally?”
Without thinking, Samantha picked up Eve's bottle of water, drank. ”I don't know what to think. I was just talking about her ten minutes ago, just talking about her with Nadine.”
”You told Nadine about Tina Cobb?”
”I mentioned her. Not by name. Just the cleaning service and how I remembered-just when we were talking, I remembered-that I hadn't canceled the service for this week.”
No wonder Nadine had given up so easily. She'd already had another line to tug. ”Did you know her?”
”Not really. Oh G.o.d, I'm sorry,” she said, staring at the bottle of water in her hand. She pa.s.sed it back to Eve.
”No problem. You didn't know Tina Cobb?”
”I met her. I mean, she was in my house, cleaning cleaning my house,” she added as she rubbed her forehead. ”Can I have a minute?” my house,” she added as she rubbed her forehead. ”Can I have a minute?”
”Sure.”
Samantha got up, walked around the room once, started around it again.