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“I’m fine I’h “I’m sorry”

“She’s sorry,” Morse said between pursed lips and pressed his cheek to Nadine’s so both of their faces were in view “She’s sorry she was so hungry to be top bitch that she slipped the guard you put on her and fell right into ht, Nadine?”

“Yes”

“And I’ to kill you slowly, and with a lot of pain, unless your pal the lieutenant does everything I say Isn’t that right? You tell her, Nadine”

“He’s going to killwould stop the tre to kill me, Dallas”

“That’s right You don’t want her to die, do you, Dallas? It’s your fault Louise died, yours and Nadine’s fault She didn’t deserve it She knew her place She wasn’t trying to be top cunt It’s your fault she’s dead You don’t want that to happen again”

He still had the knife at Nadine’s throat, and Eve could see his hand shake “What do you want, Morse?” Calling up Mira’s profile, she carefully hit the right buttons “You’re in control You call the shots”

“That’s right” His s up on screen by now You see I’oing to bother us All those nice green-lovers planted these pretty trees It’s a wonderful spot Of course, nobody coh to kno to bypass the electronic field that discourages loiterers and cheet here so we can conduct our negotiations”

“Six minutes I can barely make that at full speed If I run into traffic—”

“Then don’t,” he snapped “Six minutes from end of transht use to call this in, to contact anyone, to soNadine You come alone If I smell an extra cop, I start on her You want her to coht, Nadine” As incentive, he turned the point of the blade to prick a narrow slice at the side of her throat

“Please” She tried to arch back as the blood trickled “Please”

“Cut her again, and I won’t deal”

“You’ll deal,” Morse said “Sixnow”

The screen went blank Eve’s finger poised over the controls, thought of Dispatch, of the dozens of units that could be around the park in ht of leaks, electronic leaks

And she thought of the blood dribbling down Nadine’s throat