Page 61 of Fury In Death

“Your boss didn’t give me time.”

“You just ate a cookie,” Eve pointed out.

“From Vending, so really a substance that wants to be a cookie.”

Eve just turned to her office.

“Next time,” Nadine promised Baxter as she followed Eve. “This doesn’t happen often,” she said to Eve. “You requesting my presence.”

“I’m going to give you some ‘you can do what you want when you want,’ and some ‘you may need to hold until.’ ”

With a nod, Nadine stepped in, looked at the board. “I heard about the second murder before I left the station. But holy Jesus, I wasn’t ready for this.”

When she pressed a hand to her stomach, Eve jabbed a finger. “If you’re going to boot, get out.”

“I’m not going to boot, but I’m going to hit you up for water instead of coffee. I work the crime beat, Dallas, I see bodies and blood. But that’s a lot.”

“Take the desk chair.”

“And I will.” She sat, took the water Eve handed her.

She drank, and Eve noted those sharp green eyes avoided looking directly at the crime scene shots.

“Need a minute?”

Nadine shook her head, passed a hand over her streaky blond hair. “No. That had to be more than one killer.”

“Evidence points to one.”

Nadine took a breath, sipped more water. “Have you ever watched a boxing or mixed martial arts match?”

“Been in a few. Yeah, I’ve seen boxing and MMA.”

“There’s a reason they do rounds, give the fighters a chance to hydrate, catch their breath.”

“This one doesn’t do rounds. He does what he’s there to do, which is beat his target to death, and keep beating him after that’s accomplished. And wreck the space, the office for Chu, the lounge area for Dent. With one exception, which is—for now—off the record.”

“Understood.”

“In Chu’s case, a family photo on the desk, turned facedown. In Dent’s, two family photos on a shelf, turned to the wall. All undamaged.”

Nadine looked at the board again, and closely. “Considering the condition of those areas, that had to be deliberate. Both victims worked for Banner-Wyst. I did some digging on Dent on the way over. Two science types both working for the same company.”

“What do you know about the company?”

“Banner-Wyst.” Nadine set down the water so she could use both hands, like a scale. “Humanitarian efforts?” She moved her right hand up and down. “Profit and power.” Then the left.

She shrugged. “I’m not a science type so I don’t know much.”

“But you’ll find out more.”

“Well, yes.” This time Nadine smiled and fluffed at her hair. “It’s what I do.”

“Here’s more. When Lieutenant Dallas and Detective Peabody of the NYPSD, the investigators on this pair of homicides, interviewed Jacob Wyst in his offices regarding this tragic second murder, they asked about large payments made to both victims, and both thirteen years ago.”

Head angled in thought, Nadine picked up her water, sat back. “That’s not nothing.”

“More yet. Payments to Chu continued to be made annually. I haven’t dug into Dent yet, but I’m all surprised if I don’t find the same.”