The In Death Collection Books 16-20 - J. D. Robb [694]
“Thank you, Major.” Whitney gave the holo a nod of acknowledgment. “My department and the city of New York appreciate your help in this matter.”
“Commander. Lieutenant.” The holo faded away.
Whitney settled at his desk again. “I’d like an update while we wait for the data.”
Eve ran through it for him, for the team.
“Patient isn’t the word.” Baxter huffed out a breath. “Patient’s a cat at a mouse hole. This guy’s like a spider who’ll work for years to spin a web from the Bronx to the Bowery. Our retired USMC seemed clean. He was out of town the night of the Swisher murders. Golf tourney in Palm Springs. Transpo checked out, hotel, and he’s got plenty of witnesses.”
“Ours was running night maneuver drills the night of.” McNab spread his hands. “He’s got a whole platoon to back him up. Maybe they had solids because they needed to cover, but they seemed straight.”
“This is our man.” Again, Eve called on Whitney’s computer, and brought Kirkendall’s image on-screen. “Swisher helped cost him his wife and kids. And that wife, those kids, went missing directly after the trial.”
“He got them.”
“Maybe. Maybe. But then why spend years planning and executing the assassinations of those he blamed for the loss? Payback maybe, for the time and trouble, but if you got them back, or punished them, why plant a cohort with Swisher’s paralegal? For six years.”
“Because they got away from him,” Peabody put in. “Whiffed. Vanished.”
“I’m thinking they did just that. She probably planned to go, no matter how the trial came out. So that’s a pisser. She not only gets custody, she gets away, with his kids. He loses his control over them. So, plant somebody with Tully, and maybe she talks about where they went. Except she didn’t know, she figures they’re dead. Only thing left to do is take out the enemy. The people who went up against him, and won.”
“Data incoming.” Whitney checked his unit. He removed the images currently on-screen, replaced them with the new data.
“Eighteen years in,” Eve read. “Went in a fresh young kid. Why didn’t he do his twenty? Yeah, yeah, there it is. Special Forces, covert ops. Grade-five rating.”
“That would be termination grade.” Baxter lifted a shoulder. “My grandfather does a lot of yapping about this stuff. Non-wartime termination level. Means you can off somebody outside of a declared situation. You can be ordered to assassinate targets.”
“Continue, Lieutenant. Split screen, Isenberry data.”
“They served together. Based in the same unit in Baghdad. He’s listed as her sergeant during her covert training. Bet they were good pals. War buddies. Jilly and the good old Sarge. They both stepped out of uniform about the same time, too.”
“They both have a couple of conducts not becoming,” Feeney pointed out.
“Dallas,” Peabody interrupted. “There are no siblings listed under Kirkendall’s data. No male cousins.”
“We’ll need to study this further. I have to see what Yancy’s got for us, and I’ve got a meet.” Eve checked her wrist unit. “Feeney, I’ve got the go-ahead from Tully for EDD to check all her communication equipment at home. Off chance Isenberry might have used it to contact someone involved in this. Also, I’ve requested an expert consultant, civilian, to work on other electronic traces.”
“If it’s your usual ECC, no objections.”
“Baxter, Trueheart, Linnie Dyson’s funeral is starting shortly. Attend as reps from the department and keep your eyes peeled.”
“Kid’s burial.” Baxter shook his head. “We get the choice assignments.”
Nothing,” Yancy told her. “Nothing above a seventy-two percent match, so far. I’ve got another hour or two to run, but I’ve gone through IRCCA—so no criminal matchups.”
“We’ve got cooperation from the military. Request Whitney contact them re doing a search for a match with members of any of Kirkendall’s units during his stint. Guys with the same training as his. Ah, start with the inactive and retired. These two don’t have time to answer reveille.”
“Okay. But I’ve been thinking. Doing this sort of search gives you plenty