In Death 09 - Loyalty in Death

I was doing. Then I called the police."
    "Do you know this woman?"
    "I've never seen her before. Young, isn't she?" Lisbeth's lips trembled before she firmed them. "Very young and very... agile."
    Eve slid the photos and discs back in the pouch. "Why are you keeping these?"
    "To remind me that everything we had together was a lie." Lisbeth took the bag back, placed it in the cabinet again. "And to remind me to enjoy every cent of the money he left me."
    She picked up her water glass again, lifted it as if in a toast. "Every goddamn cent."
    Eve got back in her car, slammed the door. And brooded. "It might have happened just the way she said. Hell." She rapped a fist on the wheel. "I hate that."
    "We can run the photo of the woman, try to get an ID. Something may pop."
    "Yeah, shuffle it in when you have time. And when we have the goddamn photos." Disgusted, Eve pulled away from the curb. "No way to prove she knew about the will or that was her motive. And damn it, after seeing her in action up there, I tend to believe her story."
    "I thought she was going to try to rip your face off."
    "She wanted to." Then Eve sighed. "Anger control therapy," she muttered. "What next?"

CHAPTER EIGHT
    "Snag on system," Eve muttered as she pushed away from her desk-link. "The PA's office said we didn't get the photos and discs on the Branson case because there was an SOS. My ass." She rose to pace. "SOS also stands for sack of shit."
    She heard the snicker, turned to glare at Peabody. "What are you grinning at?"
    "It's your way with words, sir. I do so admire your way with words."
    Eve dropped into her chair again, leaned back. "Peabody, we've been working together long enough for me to know when you're gassing me."
    "Oh. Is that also long enough for you to appreciate our personal rapport?"
    "No."
    To help put the Branson matter out of her mind for the moment, Eve squeezed the heels of her hands on either side of her head. "Okay, back to priorities. Run the vans while I see how much McNab's shaken loose on Fixer's military record. And why don't I have any coffee?"
    "I was just wondering the same thing." To avoid another snarl, Peabody hurried into the kitchen.
    "McNab," Eve said the minute she had him onscreen. "Gimme."
    "Just got the basic front stuff for now. I'm weaving through." He recognized the view out the window behind her and pouted. "Hey, you working at home today? How come I'm not there, too?"
    "Because, thank God, you don't live here. Now, let's have it."
    "I'll shoot it to your home unit, but the quick rundown is as follows. Bassi, Colonel Howard. Retired. Enlisted in 1997, enrolled officer's training. Top scores. As a first lieutenant, he worked with STF -- Special Training Forces. Elite, real hush-hush stuff. I'm working on that, but at this point, I'm just getting commendations -- he had a hat full -- and remarks about his expertise with electronics and explosives. He made captain in 2006, then worked his way right up the ranks until he was given a field promotion to full colonel during the Urban Wars."
    "Where was he stationed? New York?"
    "Yeah, then he was transferred to East Washington in... wait, I've got it. 2021. Had to put in for a special family transfer package because most military weren't allowed to take their families along during that period."
    "Family?" She held up a hand. "What family?"
    "Ah... military records have him down for a wife Nancy, civilian, and two kids, one of each. He got the transfer because his spouse was a civilian liaison between army and media. Like, you know, public relations."
    "Hell." Eve rubbed her eyes. "Run the wife and kids, McNab."
    "Sure, they're on the list to do."
    "No, now. You've got the ID numbers there." She glanced over as Peabody brought in coffee. "Do a quick run on date of death."
    "Shit, they're not old," McNab muttered, but he turned away to check the records. "Man, Dallas, they all bought it. Same DOD."
    "September 25, 2023, Arlington County, Virginia."
    "Yeah." He let out a sigh. "They must have been taken out with the Pentagon. Christ, Dallas, the kids were only six and eight. That bites."
    "Yeah, I'm sure Fixer agreed with you. Now we know why he turned."
    And, she thought, why he ran. How could he expect to be safe, even in his dirty little fortress, if he was up against the kind of people who could wipe out the most secure military establishment in the country?
    "Keep up the search," she ordered. "See if you can find anybody he worked with who's still around