“Joel Steinburger.” Eve held up her badge.
“Of course. Mr. Steinburger and Mr. Delacora are enjoying dessert. I’ll show you to their booth.”
Eve had already spotted him—a rear corner, facing out. See and be seen, she thought. He swirled brandy, an important and satisfied look on his face as he spoke with his wiry, wild-maned companion.
“I see him.” Ignoring the maître d’, she crossed the restaurant.
Steinburger’s expression changed when he saw her approach. The furrowed brow, she thought, a mix of annoyance and concern. Then the polite resignation as he set down the brandy, started to rise.
“Lieutenant. Nick, this is the genuine article. Lieutenant Eve Dallas, Nicholas Delacora.”
“A pleasure,” Delacora began.
“It’s probably not going to be. Sorry to interrupt.”
“Has there been an arrest?” Steinburger asked.
“Funny you should ask. Joel Steinburger, you’re under arrest for the murder of K.T. Harris, for the murder of A. A. Asner,” she continued, spinning him around, yanking his hands behind his back as he blustered. “And the attempted murder of Julian Cross. He didn’t die,” she added.
Dishes clattered; the murmur of conversation turned to a buzz.
“You’ve lost your mind.”
“Oh, and we’ve got more.” She cuffed him. “A lot more. Hope you ate hearty, Joel, because you won’t be dining in style for the rest of your life. You have the right to remain silent,” she began, and reeled off the Revised Miranda while diners gaped. “Officers.”
The uniforms she’d called in took Steinburger by both arms. “Book him, Peabody. Additional charges to come.”
“My pleasure, sir.”
“I’ll be along shortly.”
She enjoyed, a great deal, watching the cops perp-walk Steinburger out.
“Sorry about dessert,” she said to Delacora. “It looks good, too.”
“Is this a joke?” he demanded.
“No. It really does look good.” She frowned when she saw Roarke talking to the maître d’, walked to him. “Look, I’m sorry if arresting a murderer puts people off their dinner, but—”
“On the contrary, I think it stirred some appetites. Including mine. I’m hungry and I’m not risking food poisoning from Central’s vending machines.”
“I don’t have time to sit down to a fancy dinner.”
“We’re getting it delivered.”
“Oh.” She angled her head. “Good idea.”
23
Naturally he ordered enough for everybody, but Eve couldn’t complain since she was stuffing rosemary chicken in her mouth while she stood in Observation.
“I can’t believe he didn’t lawyer up yet.” Peabody scooped up a fingerling potato.
“He’s too pissed for a lawyer—yet. And he needs to prove he’s in power. He’s Joel fucking Steinburger. He’s still thinking of spin, too, I bet. Let’s take Valerie first, let him soak in it a little longer.”
“She’s scared,” Peabody told Eve. “The uniforms said she shook all the way here when they picked her up on Accessory. And cried all the way through booking.”
“Then we’ve primed the pump.”
Tears began to trickle down Valerie’s cheeks the minute Eve and Peabody walked into the interview room.
“Please, you’ve made a terrible mistake. This could ruin my career.”
“Gee, I bet K.T. felt the same way when you and Steinburger killed her.”
“What are you talking about! We did no such thing. I’m getting a lawyer.”
“Okay.” Shrugging, Eve rose again. “That’s going to take a few hours, given the time. Peabody, take Valerie back to a holding cell.”
“No! No!” As if to anchor herself in place, Valerie gripped the table. “Don’t put me in there again.”
“That’s where you wait until your lawyer clears. Meanwhile we’ll be talking to Steinburger. I’m sure he’ll have fascinating things to say about you.”
“This is crazy! I haven’t done
“Sorry, we can’t talk to you once you’ve requested a lawyer until your lawyer is present. Peabody.”
“No! I’m not going back in that cell. I’ll talk to you now.”
“You are waiving your right to a lawyer?”
“Yes. Yes. Let’s just get this straightened out.”
“Who left the theater on the night of K.T. Harris’s death?”
“K.T.” Valerie hunched her shoulders, gripped her forearms. “I saw her go out as soon as the houselights dimmed. Julian went out a few minutes later. I’m not sure how long, but a few minutes. And then, well, a few minutes later, Joel went out.”
“Anyone else?”
“Yes. Connie went out the side door. I only noticed because I was going to move over to her, ask her some questions about the buffet, for a story. But she slipped out even before K.T. And—and Nadine Furst, she went out. That was after everyone else.”
“Now try reverse. Who came back?”
“Connie, but close to the end of the show. And Nadine. I don’t think she was gone long. Ten or fifteen minutes, maybe. I wasn’t paying
“Keep going.”
“K.T. and Julian didn’t come back, but Joel did. He was only gone a little while. Fifteen minutes, maybe. Not much longer than that. But I’m not sure. Honestly, I was getting some work done. That’s the truth.”
“Why didn’t you give us this information before?”
“Joel asked me not to. He said Julian and K.T. had argued, and she’d had an accident.”
“When did he tell you this?”
“That night, the night it happened. We were working on a statement for the media, and I said something about seeing people going in and out. I asked if he’d dealt with Julian, and how he wanted to handle it if he leaked he’d passed out drunk. And I was upset—anyone would be—and I wondered if the police were going to push at Julian because he’d left and hadn’t come back. That’s why I wanted to know if Joel had been with him.”
“And, Joel said?”
“He said we all had to do what was best now for each other, for the project. We had to protect each other, and then he told me what had happened. That it had been an accident, one she’d brought on herself but one Julian would pay for if the police knew he’d gone out after her. He said he’d take care of everything, and all I had to do was say I hadn’t seen anyone leave.”
“So you covered up a murder.”
“He said it was an accident. He said you’d twist it into a murder because you’d get more play out of it, with all the stars involved, you’d ride on it for months. Besides, K.T. was a hideous excuse for a human being, all right? I worked my
“For a price.”
Her mouth thinned. “He offered the bonus. Yes, I understood it was a bribe. I would’ve done as he asked without it, but I wasn’t going to turn down the money.”
“So you lied for him again, the very next day.”
“I was at his place. I was working, but … he did go out, at least for a while. He said he had a date, and he wanted my discretion. He and his wife are estranged, but he’s still married. It’s perfectly understandable he didn’t
