“You hacked into government files,” he tossed at her.
“Prove it,” she tossed right back.
He started to speak, or, more likely from his expression, spew, but his ’link beeped. “I’m sorry for the interruption, but that’s a priority signal. I have to take it. Privately.”
“Through that door,” Tibble told him with a gesture. “There’s a small office you can use.” When Sparrow closed the door at his back, Tibble tapped his fingers on the edge of his desk. “They may charge you, Dallas.”
“Yes, sir, they may. But I don’t think they will.”
He nodded, seemed to drift off into thought. “I don’t like their use of private citizens in this maneuver. I don’t like them planting devices to spy on my officers, and circumventing the standards of privacy and decency and law to do so. These organizations have their purpose, and require a certain amount of latitude, but there are lines. Those lines were crossed with Reva Ewing, and she’s a citizen of New York, of the goddamn United States, and as such has a right to expect her government to treat her fairly. As such, she deserves the full efforts of this police force. I’m backing you on this, but I’m warning you, get it wrapped quickly. They’re bound to send bigger guns than Sparrow to knock you out.”
“Understood. Thank you, sir, for your support.”
Sparrow stormed back in, and his face was a study in barely suppressed fury. “You went to the media.”
Nadine worked fast, Eve thought, and kept her face blank. She’d just fall back on a little plausible deniability herself. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You leaked Bissel’s association with the agency to the press. And Kade’s. You’ve involved the HSO in a goddamn media circus to protect your damn hide.”
Slowly, very slowly, Eve got to her feet. “I leaked nothing to the media to protect my hide. I can protect my own hide. You make accusations like that, Sparrow, you’d better be able to back them up.”
“They didn’t pluck it out of thin air.” He spun toward Tibble. “With this development, it’s more vital than ever that this officer be removed from the investigation and her case files be turned over to the HSO.”
“Media attention directed at the HSO doesn’t, in any way, alter the circumstances of my lieutenant’s position.”
“Lieutenant Dallas has a personal vendetta against the agency and is using this investigation to revenge herself for what transpired over twenty years ago in—”
“Hold it.” Her stomach shuddered. “Hold it right there. Sir,” she said to Tibble. “Assistant Director Sparrow is about to bring up a personal matter. One that has no bearing whatsoever on this investigation, or on my conduct as an officer. I’d like to discuss that matter with him, to resolve it. I request, respectfully, sir, that I be given that opportunity. In private. Commander . . .”
Don’t lose it, she ordered herself. God, don’t lose it.
“Commander Whitney is aware of the matter. I have no objection to him being present.”
Tibble said nothing for a moment, then rose. “Lieutenant Webster, let’s step out.”
“Thank you, sir.”
She used the time it took to clear the room to gather herself. And still, she couldn’t quite manage it. “You son of a bitch,” she said softly. “You son of a bitch, you’d throw that in my face. You’d use what was done to me—by him, by your precious agency—to get your way in this.”
“I apologize.” He seemed nearly as shaken as she. “I apologize, sincerely, Lieutenant, for allowing my temper to cloud my judgment. The incident has no place here.”
“Oh yes, it does. You bet your ass it does. You read the file?”
“I read it.”
“And you stomached it.”
“Actually, Lieutenant Dallas, I couldn’t quite stomach it. I believe in the work we do, and I know that sometimes sacrifices have to be made, that choices are made that seem—that are—cold. However, I could find no rationale, no purpose, no excuse for the lack of intervention in your case. Knowingly leaving a minor in that situation was . . . inhumane. You should have been removed, and the decision to leave status quo was ill-advised.”
“The HSO was aware of your situation in Texas?” Whitney asked.
“They were surveilling him, due to his connection with Max Ricker. They knew what he did to me, they listened to it. They listened while he raped me, and while I begged. While I begged.”
“Sit down, Dallas.”
She could only shake her head. “Can’t. Sir.”
“Do you know what I’ll do with this information, AD Sparrow?”