now, Abernathy shook his head. “Not the killing of animals, that is like him. But to do so when it’s not related to another kill. To simply do it to taunt, to take those steps, that time, risk that exposure.
“I need to …” He circled a hand in the air. “To think. If I could … think, walk. I noticed Vending. I’ll get some coffee, think.”
“Don’t get that coffee. Peabody.”
“How do you take it?” Peabody asked.
“With what passes for cream, and a lump of what passes for sugar. Thank you. I’m just going to …”
He wandered into the hallway.
Baxter held up his comm. “Caught one, Dallas.”
“You’re finished here, so you take it. Santiago.”
“I’m with you, Baxter.”
“This is good work, Dallas,” Whitney told her. “I didn’t see your last report.”
“Trueheart gets credit for the fast turnaround on the cat—as do Morris and Harvo and Berenski. The civilian pinned the salon.”
“It’s good work.”
“Thank you, sir. Feeney, if you’d brief the inspector on EDD’s area in this. Jenkinson will take his, Carmichael hers. If Abernathy has questions after, we can address them.”
Abernathy came back in, intercepted Peabody and the coffee. “Thank you, Detective. I apologize, I wanted to clear my head, let this all filter in. I’ve worked on Cobbe for nearly six years. I’ve gotten close once or twice. But I’ve never seen so many solid breaks, so many missteps to exploit.”
“It’s personal for him this time,” Mira repeated. “It’s not a job.”
“You’ve convinced me. He’s so off his game, so off his pattern. It’s as if he’s had a psychic break.”
“He has,” Mira confirmed.
Abernathy nodded, sipped his coffee. Paused. “This isn’t my first time in the States, or in New York. I have to say, the coffee’s improved by leaps and bounds.”
He sat again. “While we’ve gathered considerable intel on Cobbe’s background, going back to his early days in Dublin, we didn’t have this specific data on his relationship with Roarke. Not to this extent, not in this detail.”
He glanced over at Eve. “Details on your husband’s background are hen’s teeth.”
“They’re what?”
“Rare. Rare as hen’s teeth. I wonder if he’d agree to speak with me.”
“That would be up to him. Either way, what applies to Cobbe from him is in the file.” Shifting, she turned to Feeney. “Captain, if you’d brief the inspector on your area.”
Abernathy listened, took more notes, asked more questions. Eve decided he wasn’t an idiot. More, he didn’t seem territorial in a way that would hamper her investigation.
At the end, Abernathy rose again. “I want to thank all of you for bringing me fully up-to-date. Commander Whitney, I’ll reiterate that you’ll have my cooperation and any and all of my resources in this investigation.”
“As you’ll have ours,” Whitney assured him. “I’ve had an office prepared for you on this level. Lieutenant Dallas will assign a uniformed officer to serve as your aide.”
“That’s very considerate, but I wonder—if it’s not intrusive—if I could have a desk in here, in your bullpen. It would help me immerse myself in the rhythm, so to speak.”
“If you prefer.”
“If Lieutenant Dallas agrees, I would.”
“No problem.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Whitney told him. “If you need anything else, you have my contact. Fine work, everyone.” Whitney turned to the room. “Fine, solid work. Keep it up.”
“An imposing man,” Abernathy commented as Whitney left. “Captain Feeney, I wonder, after I settle in a bit, get my bearings, if I could visit your EDD. I’d like to get a sense of it.”
“Door’s always open.”
“Brilliant. Lieutenant, if I could impose on a little more of your time, have a word?”
“Sure. Feeney, as soon as I get more data on potential safe houses, I’ll pass it to you. We’ll start scanning them for heat imagery.”
“We’ll be ready when you are.”
“My office,” she said to Abernathy and led the way.
When he stepped inside, he looked around. “How … cozy.”
“No, it’s not, but it suits me. What can I do for you, Inspector?”
“I hope there’s considerable we can and will do for each other. I’m in your house, Lieutenant, and want to make it clear I understand you’re in charge. This will and must be a joint investigation, but this is your house.”
She gestured to her board. “There isn’t enough room for all his victims up there. I have the four he’s killed in New York, five with the cat he slaughtered because I have a better chance of using the hows and whys there, but the NYPSD, my house, stands for all four hundred and forty-five.”
“I know the