Page 145 of Fury In Death

“Eve, whether by that or his own hand, he’ll be dead by the end of this. Death is his answer.”

“We can get him into a secure medical facility.”

“You won’t. You’ll try because you must, but you won’t.”

She wanted to argue that, needed to, but her ’link signaled. “It’s Feeney.” She answered quickly. “You got more of the more.”

“You look some better.”

“Some better than what?”

“Than you did on Peabody’s record. You look goddamn trashed on that, even though he was holding back. Guy’s on some sort of super ’roid.”

“That’s the best I can figure. Peabody sent you her record?”

“No, she brought in the e’s, since we’re doing some OT in the lab. I just sent all the kids home, but I thought you’d want this before I do that myself, and have a big, cold brew.”

“I appreciate the assist.”

“Didn’t do that fucker Wyst much good. But he did us a favor before he went to hell. He had a conversation over ’link with Banner that ended, as I figure it, about three minutes before Redman started on him.

“And he recorded it. Since it’s going to give you a nice leg up when you start on Banner, I’m sending it to you now for your listening pleasure.”

Eve heard incoming signal. “He recorded it.”

“You ask me, he wanted the insurance, so he had his comp record the whole thing. Probably he was going to copy it onto disc, then pull the guts out of the comp, destroy that. Didn’t get the chance.”

“Did they— Never mind, go home. I’ll listen to it.”

“I’m going.” He angled his head. “You icing all that down?”

“Yeah.”

“Keep doing that.”

When he clicked off, she immediately called for the recording.

Banner’s face came on-screen. He looked very comfortable, Eve thought, sitting in a big leather chair, a view of sweeping lawns, trees with their green summer leaves just touched with the reds and golds of fall.

And from the timeline on the recorder, he’d had about a half hour or so to stay comfortable before Whitney arrested him.

“Jacob. What is it now?”

“Cruz is dead.”

The man in the leather chair, shining silver hair like a lion’s mane around a sharp-featured face, just shrugged.

“He could have become a problem, so we won’t mourn his passing.”

“For God’s sake, Calvin, it has to be Redman. Delgato, Chu, Dent, now Cruz. He’s come back, and for payback. He’s figured it out, Christ knows how, but he’s figured out we hired Cruz to rig that explosion.”

“Are you on a secure ’link, you idiot?”

“Of course I am! You’re in this as much as I am, Calvin. More. You gave the order. I’m not waiting around for him to come for me, and he will. He’s coming for both of us.”

“And if he tries to breach my walls, my men will cut him down before he hits the ground. Get your guts up, Jacob. You have security.”

“Security didn’t help Chu, Dent, and I’m not risking it. We should’ve paid him off. None of this would be happening if we had. We’d have Rainmaker if we had.”