The In Death Collection Books 16-20 - J. D. Robb [412]
“Sir—”
Tibble merely held up a finger. “My count makes it three victims to two, weighed on this side of the fence. I will not compel my lieutenant to step out of an active investigation.”
“During the course of her investigation, your lieutenant illegally received or accessed data from the HSO. We can pursue charges on that issue.”
Tibble spread his hands. “You are free to do so. It may be necessary for you to pursue charges against Commander Whitney and myself as well, as we have both received that data from the lieutenant.”
Sparrow kept his seat, but Eve watched his hands ball into fists. The way things were going from his side, she couldn’t blame him for wanting to punch something.
“We want her source.”
“I’m not required to divulge my source.”
“You’re not required,” Sparrow snapped out the words, “but you can be charged, you can be held, and you can very possibly lose your badge.”
The more anger and frustration she read from him, the less she felt herself. “I don’t think you’re going to charge me, because if you do, it’s going to look really bad for your team. The media gets their teeth into some of the dirty little games the HSO authorized Bissel to play—and they start speculating that he was taken out, he and his partner brutally murdered by your organization, which then callously staged a frame for Bissel’s innocent and exploited wife—why they’ll just tear you to bloody pieces.”
“Bissel and Kade were not HSO-sanctioned terminations.”
“Then you really better hope I find the answers that prove your agency is not responsible.”
“You hacked into government files,” he tossed at her.
“Prove it,” she tossed right back.
He started to speak, or, more likely from his expression, spew, but his ’link beeped. “I’m sorry for the interruption, but that’s a priority signal. I have to take it. Privately.”
“Through that door,” Tibble told him with a gesture. “There’s a small office you can use.” When Sparrow closed the door at his back, Tibble tapped his fingers on the edge of his desk. “They may charge you, Dallas.”
“Yes, sir, they may. But I don’t think they will.”
He nodded, seemed to drift off into thought. “I don’t like their use of private citizens in this maneuver. I don’t like them planting devices to spy on my officers, and circumventing the standards of privacy and decency and law to do so. These organizations have their purpose, and require a certain amount of latitude, but there are lines. Those lines were crossed with Reva Ewing, and she’s a citizen of New York, of the goddamn United States, and as such has a right to expect her government to treat her fairly. As such, she deserves the full efforts of this police force. I’m backing you on this, but I’m warning you, get it wrapped quickly. They’re bound to send bigger guns than Sparrow to knock you out.”
“Understood. Thank you, sir, for your support.”
Sparrow stormed back in, and his face was a study in barely suppressed fury. “You went to the media.”
Nadine worked fast, Eve thought, and kept her face blank. She’d just fall back on a little plausible deniability herself. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You leaked Bissel’s association with the agency to the press. And Kade’s. You’ve involved the HSO in a goddamn media circus to protect your damn hide.”
Slowly, very slowly, Eve got to her feet. “I leaked nothing to the media to protect my hide. I can protect my own hide. You make accusations like that, Sparrow, you’d better be able to back them up.”
“They didn’t pluck it out of thin air.” He spun toward Tibble. “With this development, it’s more vital than ever that this officer be removed from the investigation and her case files be turned over to the HSO.”
“Media attention directed at the HSO doesn’t, in any way, alter the circumstances