Page 23 of Thankless in Death

She thought of Jenkinson’s ridiculous tie, of the rubber chicken above Sanchez’s desk when he’d been the new guy. More, she thought how she could trust, without question, anyone in her bullpen to go through the door with her.

“And sir? I don’t want to put a buffer between me and my men. I don’t want them to feel they have to climb the chain to talk to me, to run a case by me, to ask for my help. I’m not willing to step away from them. They, and the job, are more important than captain’s bars. I’m glad to be able to say that, and mean it.”

“You’ve given this considerable thought.”

“Actually, Commander, I’d put it away. I haven’t given it much of any thought in a long time now.” At peace with it, she realized—a not altogether familiar place to be. “I’m grateful to be considered. I believe I best serve the department and the people of New York where I am.”

He sat back again, a big man with a big city behind him. “I could have pushed for this harder at several points along the way, and had several debates with myself on doing just that.”

“Politics, sir.” She shrugged them away.

“Some, yes, but not all. The primary reason I didn’t push is I agree with you. Your strengths are your investigative abilities, and your skill handling your department, your insight into the perpetrator and victim. I didn’t want to lose that. But now that certain obstacles are cleared, or have been cleared, I felt it was time to ask you directly.”

“Frankly, sir?” At his nod, she continued. “It’s a weight off knowing the obstacles are cleared, and understanding my own goals and priorities.”

“Then I’ll relay your answer to those it’s relevant to.”

“Thank you, sir. Sincerely.”

“You’re welcome, Lieutenant. Sincerely.”

He rose from his desk, came around it, and did something he rarely did. He took Eve’s hand, shook it.

“Dismissed.”

She walked out a little dazed, but yeah, she realized, okay with it. Like she’d tossed aside a weight she’d forgotten she carried, but knew just where it landed if she ever wanted to pick it up again.

But now? Right now, she felt good staying light on her feet.

The tie was back in the bullpen, busy at his desk. Baxter and Trueheart held a confab at Baxter’s desk. Peabody worked morosely at hers, which meant she’d dealt with the notifications.

And every cop in the room, including Jenkinson, wore sunshades.

“It looks like Hollywood PSD in here.”

“Dug up a pair for you, boss.” Baxter tossed her a pair with black flames and square amber lenses. “Can’t have our LT’s eyes bleeding all over the floor.”

Willing to play, she slipped them on as she walked to Peabody’s desk. “Status?”

“I made the notifications. They took it hard. My mother always says no matter how old your kid gets, he’s still your kid. I guess she’s right. I also contacted local department grief counselors in their areas.”

“Good.”

“Sweeper’s prelim is in, and Cardininni sent the list of missing items the neighbor identified. Copies should be on your unit.”

“I’ll check it out.”

“You were gone awhile.” When Eve remained silent, Peabody moved on. “So I sent Dr. Mira an overview, in case you still wanted the consult.”

“I do.”

“No luck on Nuccio’s ’link yet. Either she hasn’t activated it, or there’s a backlog in the registration and data, which is more likely. When you get a new ’link,” Peabody continued, “it’s like a toy. You just gotta play with it.”

“How long does it usually take to pop on data?”

“Usually? Anywhere from a couple hours to whenever the hell.”

“Great. If it doesn’t pop, and she doesn’t make contact by end of shift, I’ll swing by her place again on the way home. If she’s making a long day out of it, we’ll catch her in the morning. Get the description of missing items out.”