“Don’t you say a thing,” he snapped at Sarah.
But she bawled uncontrollably.
“You see, Gerard? It’s not that easy.” Kate turned to him. “When you start pulling tricks like this, it impacts everyone.”
“My daughter is not of sound mind,” he said.
“So everybody keeps telling me. Until I see her, and we get her evaluated by a specialist, then nobody will have an answer to that, will they?”
“You have no right!” he yelled.
“Your daughter is an adult, and you have no right to keep her here!” Kate stood taller, her legs braced apart, and her arms crossed over her chest.
“What are you, some kind of a bitch?” he asked, but she was completely unfazed.
Kate smirked at him, which seemed to anger him more. When her phone rang again, she grandly smiled, as she read the text. “The warrant is in.”
“Wait, wait, wait. You’re not allowed to enter my house.”
“Did you hear what I just said about a warrant?” She held up the document on her phone. “And your maid already gave us access inside. The warrant just clears the rest of it for us. You certainly may call your lawyer now, if ever, if you wish, and this is the number on our warrant.” Kate read it off to him. “He can do an investigation on this right away, as I’m sure you want him to. In the meantime, you will excuse us, but we’ll be bringing in extra personnel to take a look at your house.”
“You surely can’t do that,” he said.
“Yes,” she said flatly, “we can and we are.” She heard the sirens pulling up out front. She looked at Rodney. “You want to let them in? Then we’ll escort Sarah and Gerard out of the way.”
“Where? What do you mean?” Gerard yelled.
“Downtown, where you should have gone in the first place. In the meantime, we’ll talk to your maid.”
“No, no, no, no.”
“Yes,” she said in a hard tone. “You haven’t been the least bit cooperative so far, and I have no intention of doing it any other way.” His jaw firmed. “I know,” she quipped, with a wave of her hand. “My job’s in jeopardy. My life’s in jeopardy.Blah-blah-blah-blah. Bullies like you just never quit.”
Kate turned, then looked at the wife and smiled. “You know something. I think we’ll start with you.” As she led her into a different room, Gerard was yelling, “You can’t talk to her.”
“Oh yes, I think I can, and I will,” Kate snapped.
He yelled out, “Sarah, don’t you say anything.”
As she got the woman into the kitchen, Kate faced her. “Where is your daughter?”
But the woman shook her head. “You don’t understand.”
“No, I don’t, because nobody is cooperating. That’s why you have all those flashing lights outside, lighting up your neighborhood, not to mention sirens still blaring. I bet your neighbors are annoyed. All I’m concerned about is that your daughter is safe and sound.”
The woman’s eyes welled up.
“No way. The tears might work on others. They won’t work on me.”
At that, she took a slow breath. “I don’t know where she is.”
“Now that, I almost believe.” Kate studied her.
“That’s because I really don’t know. I only wish I did.”
At that, she turned to find Rodney, standing behind her. “Let’s do it. Search the house, top to bottom.”
He nodded, then took off with the officers who had just arrived.