“It’s not for you to say.”
“Why not? Why do you get to decide?”
“I don’t.” Pulling her weapon, Eve clicked it on full, blasted it at the door. “The law does.”
“Who makes the law? Men.” The single word snarled. “And you do their bidding.”
“Try that bullshit on somebody else.” Disgusted, Eve searched along the wall, stark white against the black door, for another opening.
Those screams, never ceasing, ripped at her.
“You defend them, even knowing what they are, you stand for them. I stand for the women they abused. I stand for their victims.”
She couldn’t find a way in, couldn’t find a way to stop the screaming.
“You stupid, self-righteous bitch! You’ve made them victims.” She pounded a fist on the wall, took a running leap to kick at the door. Black against white. White against black.
“I bring them justice. They suffer, then their suffering ends. Their victims suffer endlessly. You know! How can you defend them? How, when you know what they’ve done? When it was done to you?”
“Oh, shut the fuck up.”
She whirled around, furious to find herself in a small room, an empty room, only the white walls, the single black door. “I’m going to fin
d you. I’m going to stop you. I’m going to put you in a cage.”
“Why do you care about them?”
The voice, so reasonable, came from everywhere.
“You were betrayed, abused, beaten, raped, trapped, terrified, helpless. You know what we’ve endured as women. You know men use us. You know they thrive on it. But you would turn on me like this? You would seek to stop my justice? Why?”
No way in, Eve thought. No way out.
“Why? Because you’re sick, sadistic. Because you pervert the justice I took an oath to uphold. Because, you twisted excuse for a female, I’m a cop. I’m goddamn fucking Eve Dallas.” She yanked out her badge. “Lieutenant, murder cop, NYPSD. And I will find you. I will open this bullshit door, and I’ll find you.”
This time when she spun around, badge in hand, kicked the door, it burst open.
The screams snapped off. An insistent beeping replaced them.
Shot awake, she slapped out in the dark for her communicator.
“Shit, shit, shit. Block video. Dallas.”
Dispatch, Dallas, Lieutenant Eve. Report to 53 West 179th. Dead male possibly connected to current case. Officers on scene.
“Acknowledged. Contact Peabody, Detective Delia, request McNab, Detective Ian, accompany her. I’m on my way. Dallas out.”
Roarke brought her a mug of coffee. “I’ll be going along and you’ll have two EDD men.”
“For what it’s worth. Sorry.” She held up a hand as she got up. “Didn’t mean it like that. You’re already dressed. What time is it?”
“Not quite half-five. If you’ll trust me to get your clothes, you can grab your shower.”
“Fine. Good. Thanks.” She shoved at her hair as she strode toward the bath. “That’s Ruzaki’s ex. That’s Arlo Kagen’s address. I checked it last night.”
So, Eve thought, she’d be waking up a pair of her detectives to go check on Ruzaki and Fassley, to question them.
For what that was worth, too.