‘Well then.’ He rose. ‘I hope Miss Freestone isn’t in any trouble. She looked unhappy.’
‘I can get a warrant for a copy of that disc, or you can give me one.’
Dennis lifted a bright red eyebrow. ‘I’ll be happy to give you one. Computer, copy disc and label. Is there anything else I can do for you?’
‘No, not at this time.’ Eve accepted the disc and slipped it into her bag. ‘Thanks for your cooperation.’
‘Cooperation is the glue of life,’ he said as the panel slid shut behind them.
‘Weird-o,’ Feeney decided.
‘An efficient one. You know, Mavis could have gotten into a tussle while she was club hopping. She could have gotten her face scratched, her clothes torn.’
‘Yeah.’ Determined to eat, Feeney stopped at an order table and requested a Jagger to go. ‘You ought to put something in your system, Dallas, besides worry and work.’
‘I’m fine. I’m not much on the club scene, but if she had it in the back of her mind to go see Leonardo, she’d have walked south and east from here. Let’s check out what her most likely stop would have been.’
‘Fine. Just hold on.’ He made her wait until his takeout slid through the serving slot. He had the clear wrap off and the first bite in by the time they got to the car. ‘Damn good stuff. Always did like Jagger.’
‘Hell of a way to live forever.’ She started to request a map when her car ’link beeped, signaling incoming transmission. ‘Lab report,’ she murmured and focused on the screen. ‘Oh, goddamn it.’
?
??Hell, Dallas, this is a mess.’ Appetite gone, Feeney stuffed the sandwich in his pocket. Both of them fell into silence.
The report was very clear. It was Mavis’s skin, and only Mavis’s, under the victim’s nails. Mavis’s prints, and only Mavis’s, on the murder weapon. And it was her blood, and only hers, mixed with the victim’s on scene.
The ’link beeped again, and this time a face appeared on screen. ‘Prosecuting Attorney Jonathan Heartly, Lieutenant Dallas.’
‘Acknowledged.’
‘We’re issuing an arrest warrant for Freestone, Mavis, charge of murder, second degree. Please hold for transmission. ’
‘Didn’t waste any time,’ Feeney grumbled.
Chapter Seven
She wanted to do it alone. Had to do it alone. She could count on Feeney to work on ferreting out any details that might weaken the case against Mavis. But the job had to be done, and she had to do it herself.
Still, she was glad when Roarke opened the door.
‘I can see it in your face.’ And he took her face in his hands. ‘I’m sorry, Eve.’
‘I have a warrant. I have to take her in, book her. There’s nothing else I can do.’
‘I know. Come here.’ He gathered her close, held her as she burrowed her face in his shoulder. ‘We’ll find the piece of this that clears her, Eve.’
‘Nothing I’ve found, nothing, Roarke, helps her. Everything makes it worse. The evidence, it’s all there. The motive’s there, the timing.’ She drew back. ‘If I didn’t know her, I wouldn’t have a doubt.’
‘But you do know her.’
‘She’s going to be scared.’ Frightened herself, Eve looked up the stairs, toward where Mavis would be waiting. ‘The PA’s office told me they wouldn’t block bail, but still, she’s going to need . . . Roarke, I hate to ask you—’
‘You don’t have to. I’ve already contacted the best criminal defense team in the country.’
‘I can’t pay you back for that.’
‘Eve—’