“After her brother moved to Brooklyn. It’s hers. Always been hers. Open it.”
“Happy to.”
McNab came in. “It’s solid security and overkill for a building with—Hey, that’s an old Crown.”
“Not very old, really.”
It took him less time to open the safe than it had for her to pick a lock.
Deflating.
When he had, when he pulled the heavy door open, she let out a breath.
Chapter Twenty-One
Peabody said, “Gosh!”
“Is that real?” McNab asked. “Is that real money?”
“I don’t think she’d lock up play money.” Eve took out a stack. Hundreds, banded. “Two thousand.”
“It’s just full of stacks of money. And are those actually gold bars?” Peabody walked over to peer in. “Gold bars stacked up on the floor of the safe.”
Jenkinson and Reineke came in. “Sorry, LT,” Reineke began. “There’s nothing— Holy shit! Talk about payday.”
“That’s a fucking lot of fucking money. This broad never heard of banks?”
“Banks keep records. Maybe she earned some of this,” Eve considered. “But I’m betting she’s been skimming for a few decades. Dipping her hands in the company till. CFO. It’s an open field. Maybe her father kept some cash around. He’s losing it, so why not take some, sock it away?”
“They’re much the same, aren’t they? Father and daughter.” Crouching down, Roarke lifted one of the gold bars. “I’ll wager this is real enough. He never appreciated how much she took after him, did he? Money being her weakness rather than women.”
“How much do you figure’s in there?” McNab wondered.
“I’d be surprised if it’s less than a hundred million. Mixed denominations on the cash, but a lorry load of it.”
“She could’ve just handed Kruger the cash,” Eve said. “No record, no trail. But she didn’t want to do it all face-to-face. I guess that was beneath her.”
She stepped back. “Peabody, we’re going to need to tap a forensic accountant to go over her books, Zip’s books. Make that a team of accountants.
“We’ll take what e’s there are in so you can go through them at Central. We lock it all back up.”
“Do you take her now?”
“No. We can’t risk her finding a way to warn Magdelana, or Magdelana hearing about the arrest and going rabbit.” Eve shoved her hands in her pockets. “As much as I’d love to bust her myself, the arrest and the auction op go off at the same time. I’ll talk to Whitney about setting that up.”
“Bring her in,” Jenkinson said, “let her call her big-shot lawyer, let her stew till you’re ready for her.” He shot out a toothy smile. “She spends the night in holding.”
“Yeah, that part’s a real shame. Peabody, contact the commander’s office, tell them I need a few minutes.” Eve shoved the safe door shut. “Lock it up.”
Back at Central, Eve went directly to Whitney’s office, where the admin waved her straight through. He sat at his desk, and spoke into his ’link. “I’ll get back to you. Lieutenant.”
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but wanted to update you immediately on the results of the Joy Barrister search.”
When he gestured to a chair, she resisted.
“It won’t take long, sir. The apartment is largely empty as the remodeling’s going on. However, her home office—securely locked—is not. We confiscated her desk unit, and the clone ’link, discs, police-issue stunner, and cash found in a locked desk drawer.”
“EDD on the ’link and desk unit?”
