“It was my understanding that the driver was charged.”
“So?” he said. “Do you think that makes up for the loss of our grandchild?”
“No, of course not. Does keeping your daughter prisoner make up for the loss of your grandchild? Or the fact that Pamela was also a victim?”
“She should have never been riding to work on that ridiculous bicycle,” he sneered.
“Ah, is that how it works for you? Because her husband had their only car, and so she had the bike?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You don’t get to punish her just because you hold her responsible.”
“Maybe she’s punishing herself.”
“Maybe so,” she said flatly. “I’d like to see for myself, so where is she?”
He glared at her. “I’m calling my lawyer.”
“I think I’ll call mine as well.” She pulled out her phone and called the DA. As soon as he answered, she said, “I need a warrant,” and went on to give the address.
“Pretty high-falutin neighborhood. What’s it for?”
“Suspicion of kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, obstruction, and we’ll likely have more to add once we go through the place. They’re refusing to produce any proof that their daughter is alive and well. We have it on good authority that she is being held against her will and is not free to walk around.”
“And this daughter is how old?”
“She is twenty-nine.”
“Okay, give me five.” And she hung up. She pocketed her phone and just stood here, waiting.
Gerard stared at her in shock. “You’re serious.”
“I am absolutely serious. Finding out that you’re imprisoning somebody makes me that way in a hurry. And pissed off, by the way, but that’s okay. Why don’t you really call your lawyer, and we’ll see what he has to say about all this.”
“Look. We got off on the wrong foot.” He tried to calm things down.
“We’re still on the wrong foot,” Kate said calmly, “because you have yet to produce your daughter.”
“Then I guess you’ll have to get that warrant.”
“That’s fine. It’s in process.”
“Not once my lawyer gets a hold of you,” he said.
Rodney shifted at her side.
“I’m sorry, are you threatening me?” she asked.
“Just your job,” he said calmly. “Do you think a slime like you gets to keep a job after you threatened me?”
“Do you think a slime like you gets to keep anything after we find out you’ve imprisoned someone?”
He stared at her and looked over at his wife. Her bottom lip was trembling even more, and the tears in her eyes were clearly evident, as she silently pleaded with her husband.
“So now the real question at this point is this.” Kate turned to look at Pamela’s mother. “Do you want Gerard to let your daughter go and tell the truth, or are you just protecting all this that your husband has done, so that you don’t lose out on your fancy home here?”
The woman gasped, and then she burst into tears.