Glory in Death - J. D. Robb [102]
“Cut it out.”
“See what I mean?” He rubbed his gut where her elbow had jabbed. “Hit me again. I could learn to love it.”
She managed, barely, to turn a chuckle into a snort. “Civilians,” was all she said.
The newsroom was busy, noisy. At least half of the on-desk reporters were plugged into ’links, headsets, or computers. Screens flashed current broadcasts. A number of conversations stopped dead when Eve and Roarke stepped from the ascent. Then, like a horde of dogs with the same scent in their nostrils, reporters scrambled forward.
“Back off,” Eve ordered with enough force to have one eager beaver stumbling backward and stomping on the foot of a cohort. “Nobody gets a comment. Nobody gets squat until I’m ready.”
“If I do buy this place,” Roarke said to Eve in a voice just loud enough to carry, “I’ll have to make several staff cuts.”
That created a swath wide enough to stride through. Eve zeroed in on a face she recognized. “Rigley, where’s Furst?”
“Hey, Lieutenant.” He was all teeth and hair and ambition. “If you’d like to step into my office,” he invited, gesturing toward his console.
“Furst,” she repeated, in a voice like a bullet. “Where?”
“I haven’t seen her all day. I covered her morning report myself.”
“She called in.” Beaming smiles, Morse sauntered over. “Taking some time off,” he explained, and his mobile face shifted to sober lines. “She’s pretty ripped up about Louise. We all are.”
“Is she at home?”
“Said she needed some time, is all I know. Management cut her a break. She’s got a couple of weeks coming. I’m taking over her beat.” His smile flashed again. “So, if you’d like a little airtime, Dallas. I’m your man.”
“I’ve had plenty of your airtime, Morse.”
“Well then.” He dismissed her and shifted toward Roarke. His smile bumped up in wattage. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. You’re a difficult man to contact.”
Deliberately insulting, Roarke ignored Morse’s offered hand. “I only give time to people I consider interesting.”
Morse lowered his hand, but kept his smile in place. “I’m sure if you spared me a few minutes, I’d find several areas of interest for you.”
Roarke’s smile flashed, quick and lethal. “You really are an idiot, aren’t you.”
“Down, boy,” Eve murmured, patting Roarke’s arm. “Who leaked confidential data?”
Morse was obviously struggling to recover his dignity. He veered his gaze to hers and nearly managed an arrogant sneer. “Now, now, sources are protected. Let’s not forget the Constitution.” Patriotically, he laid his palm over his heart. “Now, if you wish to comment on, contradict, or add to any of my information, I’d be more than happy to listen.”
“Why don’t we try this?” she said, shifting gears. “You found Louise Kirski’s body—while it was still warm.”
“That’s right.” He folded his mouth into grim lines. “I’ve given my statement.”
“You were pretty upset, weren’t you? Jittery. Shot your dinner in the bushes. Feeling better now?”
“It’s something I’ll never forget, but yes, I’m feeling better. Thanks for asking.”
She stepped forward, backing him up. “You felt good enough to go on air within minutes, to make sure there was a camera out there getting a nice close-up of your dead associate.”
“Immediacy is part of the business. I did what I was trained to do. That doesn’t mean I didn’t feel.” His voice trembled and was manfully controlled. “That doesn’t mean I don’t see her face, her eyes, every time I try to sleep at night.”
“Did you ever wonder what would have happened if you’d gotten there five minutes sooner?”
That jarred him, and though she knew it was nasty, and personal, it pleased her.
“Yes, I have,” he said with dignity. “I might have seen him or stopped him. Louise might be alive if I hadn’t been caught in traffic. But that doesn’t change the facts. She’s dead, and so are two others. And you don’t have anyone in custody.”
“Maybe it hasn’t occurred to you that you’re feeding him. That you’ve given him just what he wants.” She took her gaze from Morse long enough to scan the room and all