“No one’s blaming you.” Training had Eve picking up on both fear and grief. “Just tell me what happened.”
“He raped me. I couldn’t stop him. He raped me. He raped her, too. Then he killed her. He could kill me.”
“Tell me where you are.” She studied her screen, waiting for the trace to come through. “I want to help, but I have to know where you are.”
Breath hitching, a whimper. “He said it was supposed to be a secret. I couldn’t tell. He killed her so she couldn’t tell. Now there’s me. No one will believe me.”
“I believe you. I’ll help you. Tell me—” She swore as the transmission broke. “Where?” she demanded after switching to dispatch.
“Front Royal, Virginia. Number seven oh three, five five five, thirty-nine oh eight. Address—”
“I don’t need it. Get me Captain Ryan Feeney in EDD. Fast.”
Two minutes wasn’t fast enough. Eve nearly drilled a hole in her temple rubbing it while she waited. “Feeney, I’ve got something, and it’s big.”
“What?”
“I can’t go into it yet, but I need you to go pick up Charles Monroe.”
“Christ, Eve, have we got him?”
“Not yet. Monroe’s going to take you to Sharon’s other safe box. You take good care of him, Feeney. We’re going to need him. And you take damn good care of whatever you find in the box.”
“What are you going to be doing?”
“I’ve got to catch a plane.” She broke transmission, then called Roarke. It took another three minutes of very precious time before he came on-line.
“I was about to call you, Eve. It looks like I have to fly to Dublin. Care to join me?”
“Roarke, I need your plane. Now. I have to get to Virginia fast. If I go through channels or take public transport—”
“The plane will be ready for you. Terminal C, Gate 22.”
She closed her eyes. “Thanks. I owe you.”
Her gratitude lasted until she arrived at the gate and found Roarke waiting for her.
“I don’t have time to talk.” Her voice was a snap, her long legs eating up the distance from gate to lift.
“We’ll talk on the plane.”
“You’re not going with me. This is official—”
“This is my plane, lieutenant,” he interrupted smoothly as the lift closed them in together, gliding silently up.
“Can’t you do anything without strings?”
“Yes. This isn’t one of them.” The hatch opened. The flight attendant waited efficiently.
“Welcome aboard, sir, lieutenant. Can I offer you refreshments?”
“No, thank you. Have the pilot take off as soon as we’re cleared.” Roarke took his seat while Eve stood fuming. “We can’t take off until you’re seated and secured.”
“I thought you were going to Ireland.” She could argue with him just as easily sitting down.
“It’s not a priority. This is. Eve, before you state your case, I’ll outline mine. You’re going to Virginia in quite a rush. That points to the DeBlass case and some new information. Beth and Richard are friends, close friends. I don’t have many close friends, nor do you. Reverse situations. What would you do?”
She drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair as the plane began to taxi. “This can’t be personal.”