Chapter Twenty-One #2
She walked to the glass doors, looked at Roarke. “Walk and talk a minute.”
When he stepped out with her, she started toward EDD. “You had a fizzy.”
“They’re oddly energizing.”
She turned into the circus, then immediately into Feeney’s office, and shut the door.
“I understand what you’re feeling.”
“Do you?”
“I understand what I’d be feeling if I heard a conversation involving plans to have you murdered, so yeah.”
“She planted the seed. I expected she’d watered it, but not that she’d planted it.
And not just to protect herself. There are other ways to throw a spanner in the works, and in the end she wanted us—or me—to know she’d done all this.
She simply decided it was easier to have you killed, to have Joy Barrister pay for it.
Gives her another one over on a wealthy woman and removes you all at once. ”
He lifted his hands, let them fall. “She didn’t have this when I was with her. I know there are things about her I didn’t see or want to. But not this, Eve. I wouldn’t have missed or ignored this.”
“People evolve or devolve. Stuff in them can, you know, calcify. She’s focused on the emeralds and turning them in a big, splashy, billion-dollar way.
Taking a slap at you? Big personal bonus.
She planted that seed as much to get Barrister off her back and add a new lever as to take me out.
Right now? She’s not thinking about me. You, you’re still in there, but she’s not thinking about me. ”
“She will be.”
“Oh, she will be. You good?”
“I’ll be better when it’s done.”
“We’ll get it done. I’ve got to get back. Don’t OD on the fizzies.”
“You can trust me there. Eve.” He took both her hands, brought them to his lips. “I’m with you on this, and in your way. But I need something. I need, when it’s done, to speak with her. I need to see her in a cage and speak with her. Only speak with her. Privately.”
“All right. Let’s go make it all happen.” Because she felt he needed it, she leaned in, kissed him. “Go finish your fizzy and play with the geeks.”
She went down, and when she turned into the bullpen, Jenkinson hailed her.
“Anybody gets dead the rest of the day, Whitney’s got it covered.”
“Okay. If and when Abernathy’s team gets here, I want them in the conference room. I’ll brief them. Anyone here needs a refresh, they can join in.”
“We got it, boss.”
Knowing the truth of that, she went into her office. Energizing or not, she went with coffee over a fizzy, then went over every step and stage, every action—expected or unexpected—every reaction, planned or unplanned.
Shut down the shuttle strip. Eyes and ears on the estate, circumvent security—alarms, cams, locks. Box them in. No way out. Deal with the guards, armed security.
Round them up, take them out.
The emeralds? Interpol’s deal.
She studied the blueprints on her wall screen, hunting for any area she hadn’t covered.
Then she contacted Nadine.
“You need to be alone so no one can hear me.”
“One second. Hey, Shelley, give me a few minutes. Shut the door, would you? Thanks. What’s going down?”
“I’m telling you because I know you’ll hold it, hot as it is, until I say otherwise.”
“Yes, you can know that.”
“The NYPSD and Interpol, in a joint operation, will raid Cochran Estates on Long Island tonight, where the underground auction of the Royal Suite is taking place.”
“Well, slap my ass and call me Sally.”
“I’ll get to your ass later, Sally. Our intel indicates twenty-two invitees, with or without plus-ones, will be in attendance.
Heading the auction and responsible for the theft are James Mulligan, Irish national now based in Sorrento, and Magdelana Percell, also currently based, with Mulligan, in Sorrento.
The joint operation expects to arrest all attendees and organizers.
Interpol will take possession of the Royal Suite and expedite its return to the Tate in London. ”
“Give me a time.”
“We expect to move in between twenty-three hundred and twenty-three-thirty. I’m not finished.”
“Don’t let me stop you.”
“At the time of this joint operation on Long Island, other NYPSD officials will arrive at Barrister House and arrest Joy Barrister for the murder of Nathan Barrister, her brother—”
“Holy crap!”
“Not done. For accessory to the theft of the Royal Suite, and for conspiracy in murder for hire of a police officer. She is also under suspicion for embezzlement from Zip Global, the business her father founded and where she currently serves as CFO.”
Nadine waited a beat. “Are you done now?”
“I think that’s enough. You can get the rest as it comes. Needless to say, we can’t have any Channel Seventy-Five drones or copters or vans within sight of the raid.”
“Needless, no problem. She killed her brother for the emeralds?”
“No, she used that as cover to kill her brother because her father apparently liked or respected him more. We’ll never actually know which. Try to keep it off the widow and his kids, Nadine. They’ve been through enough. I’ve gotta go.”
“You know this is going to cost you another media conference.”
“Yeah. Don’t get me started.”
When Abernathy arrived with his team, she took them all in the conference room to go over the details, assignments, steps, and stages once again.
She was back in her office, pacing, when Roarke came in.
“I finished briefing Abernathy’s team. They looked solid to me.”
“No doubt. We’ve time yet. Haven’t eaten since morning, have you now?”
“I haven’t had—”
“Time, you’ll say, which you do now.” He went to her AutoChef. “You can have what we e-geeks had earlier.”
She caught the scent of the burger before he took it out. Since she found it hard to argue with a burger and fries, she didn’t.
She picked up the tube of Pepsi he’d cracked for her, drank.
“We’re set. Things go wrong, but we’re set for that, too.”
She bit into the burger, followed it up with a couple of fries.
“We’ll be there early enough to get some of the auction play on record. That’s almost as tasty as these fries.”
“In her element. That I would have expected. The rest? The callousness of murder?” As she often did, he walked to her skinny window, looked out. “That I wouldn’t have.”
He turned back to Eve. “They’re much alike, aren’t they? Joy and Magdelana. Wanting and taking what they want, whatever the cost to others.”
“I expect Mira will label them both sociopaths.”
“There’s an emptiness in that, isn’t there? That lack of genuine feeling. Ah well, they can both cling to that emptiness in a cage soon enough.”
“She’ll try to run, won’t she?”
“Oh, without question.”
She smiled as she ate. “Good. I’m looking forward to that.”
When the time came, she stood in the garage, counted heads, counted transpo. Weapons, protective gear.
“You know where to be and what to do. We’re moving out.”
She got in the EDD van with Roarke, Feeney, McNab, Callendar, Peabody, Willowby, Baxter, Trueheart, and two uniforms.
She contacted Whitney.
“Sir, we’re leaving Central now.”
“Chief Tibble and I are ready to roll on Joy Barrister at your go. Good hunting.”
E-geeks spoke their e-speak along the way. Feeney cursed traffic, Willowby flirted with Trueheart. Eve just let her mind go blank, gave it a rest.
Then she checked the time.
“ETA, Feeney?”
“Give it fifteen.”
“Officer Carmichael,” she said into her mic.
“Lieutenant.”
“Take your team to the shuttle strip. Detain anyone there, secure any shuttles. Shut it down. No incomings, no outgoings.”
“Twenty to target, Lieutenant. Will relay when it’s done.”
McNab shifted to the controls and monitors. “Get you heat sources as soon as we’re in position.”
“Willowby, Callendar,” Feeney said from the driver’s seat. “You’re eyes and ears with McNab. Roarke, you and me take security.”
“I’m working on that.”
“From here?”
“Just getting it laid out. We’ll want a rolling surf, not a straight charge or winding snake.”
“I need it locked when we’re in,” Eve reminded him.
“Yes, my associates and I discussed that. We can do it by remote.”
“Everyone wants in,” McNab said.
“We’re in, we shut down the gates,” Roarke said as he worked. “When all teams are inside the building, we lock the building. If the teams assigned outside require entrance, they signal, and we open for them.
“You’re nearly close enough now, Feeney. Give us another quarter mile. There we are. Can you lock on from here, Ian?”
“Locking on, and … three, two, locked. Wow, lots of people. Main-level area. Another six, lower level—that’s the kitchen area. No one above main level at this time.”
“Give me a little room, Dreamcake. We gotta get Lieutenant Kick-Ass those eyes and ears. You wanding out, Callendar?”
“Wanding now, and wrapping, little push, and whoa! Adjusting volume,” she said as voices boomed out. “Ha. Got your ears.”
“Eyes coming, doing the triple, Roarke.”
Still working, Roarke nodded at McNab. “You’ve got it.”
“Tricky, sticky,” Willowby muttered. “There’s lower, and your six. Servers, looks like.”
“Let’s get a count if we can,” Eve said.
“Another two coming down,” McNab told her. “Eight, lower level.”
“Got your main. And there’s the crowd. Fancy. Count ’em, McCutie. I’m tripling to upstairs.”
“Looks like, jeez, lotta movement. I’m saying eighty-couple in the main—the ballroom place.”
Eve scanned the main, figured eighty-five, and didn’t have any trouble finding Magdelana.
She stood, her hair a cascade, sparkling with tiny diamonds. She wore red, no surprise, that shimmered down her body like scarlet rain. It dipped low in front, left her back bare to the waist.
Diamonds swung like mini chandeliers at her ears, more nestled in her cleavage, sparkled at her wrists, on her fingers.
The dress slit up the left side to expose her leg to the thigh, and a pair of high, high, needle-thin red heels.
Try running in all that, Eve thought. Please try.
See how far you get.
She found the partner, too—slim, glossy brown hair, handsome and tanned in his tux. With a diamond-shaped emerald stickpin.
Eve contacted Whitney. “We’re at the target, preparing to move, circumventing security. You’re a go, sir.”
“Copy that. Take them down, Dallas.”
“First wave complete,” Roarke announced. “Gate clear. Cams will hold steady as they are, no record, for twenty. Feeney?”
“Yeah, yeah, I see where we’re going.”
Officer Carmichael spoke in Eve’s ear. “Shuttle strip in our control, sir.”
“Hold there. Lowenbaum, take the gate. Team one, move in behind SWAT.”
“Second wave complete. Alarms deactivated.”
“Team two, move into position.”
It took minutes more, and muttering from Roarke and Feeney, before Roarke told her the third wave was complete. “All exterior cameras on hold.”
Lowenbaum reported three guards taken down, and the exterior clear.
“Teams three and four, into position.”
Feeney punched a fist into his palm. “Got that bitch!”
“So you did.” Roarke kept his eyes on his monitor. “One more…”
“Ladies and gentlemen.” Magdelana’s voice came through the speakers. “I hope you’ve enjoyed the evening so far. If you’d take your seats for the main event, I’d like to give you a brief history of tonight’s star. The Royal Suite!”
“Locks down, surf complete. You’re a go, Lieutenant.”
“Then let’s go. Moving now,” she said to the rest of the teams.
Out of the van, she went through the opening of the gates, stayed low, moved fast. In the mansion, lights gleamed through the windows.
Abernathy caught up with her. “Two guards inside the front entrance.”
“We’ve got it. Stunners on full.” She crouched at the door, gave Peabody the nod. “Go now! Take the doors! Now!”
She went in low, took the guard on the right down. Peabody and McNab shot streams together to take the second.
And all hell broke loose as cops poured in every door. She heard shots fired, wasn’t surprised, and kept going.
She saw Lowenbaum take out an armed guard, an Interpol agent and Jenkinson yet one more amid the screams and rushing feet.
“This is the police! Hands up, stay where you are.”
She knocked down the woman who swung a studded evening bag as she ran, shrieking, then dodged the fist of a man who came behind her. And came up with her left in an uppercut that took him out.
She saw a woman faint, a man dive for cover as streams flew. She felt one ping off her helmet, and kept going.
Because she saw Magdelana run toward one of the side rooms.
It took her time to follow. She cuffed a man on the floor, and kept going. Disarmed another, sucked up his rabbit punch to her ribs before she restrained him.
She used the grapple to disengage her recorder.
When she broke in, Magdelana stood, bashing a chair against the glass exterior door. She’d managed a couple of cracks.
“You’re going to want to put that down, put your hands up, turn around, and get down on your knees.”
Magdelana turned, her face full of fury and fear. “Let me go. Let me go now, or I’ll ruin him.”
Her breath heaved, but her eyes stayed hard as the diamonds she wore.
“I’ll destroy him, you, and everything he’s built. You know I can. You know I will.”
“No, you won’t, because whatever you think you can do? It won’t touch him. And I’ll stuff it down your throat until you choke. Hands up, and on your goddamn knees.”
“I know things about him you don’t.”
“No, you don’t. He’s a hell of a lot smarter than you. I bet that burns. Now, one more time, hands up, on your knees, or I’ll put you on them. Just give me a reason.”
She heaved the chair and charged.
Eve sidestepped the chair. She could’ve stunned her, had just enough time, just enough room. But …
“How about an encore?”
Putting all she had into it, Eve punched her, a sharp left jab to the face. And watched Magdelana’s eyes roll back as she went down.
“Okay, McNab had a point. That was fun.” She let out a breath. “You’re done now. You’re mine now.”
After reengaging her recorder, Eve restrained her, adding another zip tie to secure her to the leg of the sofa.
She stood a moment, just one indulgent moment. Then Eve went back to help clean up the rest.