Roarke handed her a glass. “What’s this?”
“It’s a protein drink—and it’s chocolate. Don’t bitch about it.”
“Fine. Rochelle gave me names of CPS reps she knows and vouches for. They’re with Lowenbaum. I’ve got more supporting the hit on HQ.”
“Dochas is prepared to take any women and children who need sheltering.”
She glanced back at Roarke. “Do they have room? There could be a lot.”
“They’ll make room. And when and if necessary, arrangements with other safe houses. Leave that one to them. Moira knows the system, and they’ll work it.”
“Okay, fine.” She drank without thinking about it, then had to admit: Not half-bad. “Abernathy swears their teams are solid. They’ll have air and sea support, and they’ve agreed to hold until I give them the green. Same with the FBI on the farm team.”
Now she paced and drank. “That’s more problematic. It involves multiple states and locations, and it’s so spread out. Lots of open land. Air support there, too, but … We won’t get all of them. Odds are low we’ll get them all.”
“And they’ll be running with, basically, the shirts on their backs,” Roarke reminded her. “ ‘Things fall apart; the center cannot hold.’ That’s Yeats, and applies to this. There’ll be no center, Eve. And the order falls apart.”
But he went to her. “It’s hard to have other people take control of what you can’t do.”
“Solid cops.”
“Remember that. And here come some of your own.”
Those solid cops filed in, and Jenkinson and his tie came directly to her. He held out a hand.
Baffled, she shook it. “Okay, what for?”
“Whitney stopped by the bullpen to tell us you’d put in commendations—for every one of us who worked on Cobbe. It matters, Lieutenant.”
“You earned it, Detective.”
“It matters,” he repeated, and went to take a seat.
“It really does,” Peabody added. “Thanks.”
“Just take that happy energy into this briefing and beyond. Can you work the holo thing?”
“Well …”
“I’ve got it.” Roarke gave Peabody a pat on the shoulder. “It won’t, obviously, be full-size,” he told Eve. “But it will be to scale. And since he’s here, we’ll have McNab run the screen.”
“That’ll work. I’m going to—”
She snapped to attention. “Chief.”
Chief of Police Tibble came in with Whitney. Tall and lean in his dark suit, he crossed to her. “I’m here to observe, Lieutenant, and offer any and all assistance as needed. I’ll be joining this operation.”
His lips curved, just a little, as her face went instantly blank. “Outside the compound, with the commander, APA Reo, and other support.”
“Your support and assistance is very much appreciated, sir.”
“As long as I don’t get in the way,” he finished. “I’ve studied your operational plans, Lieutenant. Very bold, very thorough. Let’s make them work.”
Like Jenkinson, he walked away to take a seat.
Eve spotted Mira. “Jesus Christ, don’t tell me you’re planning to go on this?”
“Of course. Some of the prisoners may require immediate evaluation, medically and emotionally.” She patted Eve’s arm. “I’ll be well out of the way until needed.”
Let it go, she told herself. Let it all go but this.
She waited for Teasdale, Conroy, Reo, Reo’s boss, and all the others.
And realized too late she still had the room’s AC on her menu. Coffee flowed like a rich, dark river.
“Sit or stand, but be quiet. Inspectors Abernathy and Jonas, Interpol, are on speaker, as are Special Agents Clyburn, Reese, Monica, Rosen-croft, and Paulson, FBI. We’ll coordinate with them on every step.
“Lieutenant Lowenbaum and his unit are even now converging on the block in Tribeca, while Special Agent Teasdale has agents outside the compound in Connecticut to pick up anyone who leaves. This will cut off any opportunity for communication back to the HQ, the island, the farm system, or the subjects who will be picked up in New York and elsewhere.
“This is a major and multipronged operation. We’re going to take it step-by-step.”
She started with Strong and the other detectives on the busts, and the search teams who would follow up at those locations. She had Interpol and the FBI brief on their areas.
And stepped away to answer her comm.
She stepped back in as they wound it up.
“Thank you. The first stage, Tribeca, is complete. The block and its residents are contained.” She’d expected the cheer—she felt one inside herself—and let it ride.
Teasdale lifted a hand. “Two male individuals have been detained after leaving the compound. They are being transported for questioning to FBI headquarters.”
“So far, so good. Here’s what we’ve got coming up. Roarke?”
The holo of the compound spread at Eve’s feet, and got a