Star of His Heart - Brenda Jackson [78]
And when he spoke it seemed that everybody listened.
“Well, yeah, I’m sure you could, Mr. Warren,” Lieutenant Barton cleared his throat and said after a few moments of tense silence. “I’m sure that with the CIA, anything goes that will work. But here we have to worry about lawsuits, charges of police brutality and things getting thrown out of court for failure to acknowledge a person’s human rights.”
“Men like Roberts shouldn’t have any human rights,” Sir Drake said slowly, banefully. “As far as I’m concerned he lost those rights the first time he raised a hand to hurt his wife.”
Ashton stood, deciding to spare the occupants in the room a summation from Sir Drake about his own personal brand of punishment. He doubted the women, as well as a few of the men, had strong enough stomachs to take it. Most people couldn’t handle his friend’s ruthless attitude and intolerance when it came to criminals.
“Are you going to call off the search, Lieutenant?” He asked the man the same question Netherland had asked earlier but one Lieutenant Barton had smoothly avoided. He wouldn’t give the officer the luxury of doing that to him.
Evidently the lieutenant caught his drift. He met his gaze and said, “Not completely. But we will pull back until we have more concrete information. Right now, until Roberts decides to talk, it’ll be like searching for a needle in a haystack.”
Ashton nodded. “Any ideas where she might be?” He was good at reading body language, and although the lieutenant was saying one thing, he had a feeling the man was thinking another. Evidently the policeman’s decision to pull back had not been his own but had come from a higher source within the bureaucracy of the law. The city, embarrassed by the way Roberts had easily escaped, was trying like hell to bring closure to their screwup. And why not? The young woman didn’t have an immediate family who would stay on their backs to keep the case open. Ashton glanced at the many faces in the room. Boy, was that a wrong assumption. She may not have an immediate family but she sure had an adopted one who wanted her found.
Lieutenant Barton met Ashton’s gaze as he leaned back in his chair. “Yes, I have some ideas but it might be pulling at straws.”
“Let’s hear them,” Ashton said calmly.
Lieutenant Barton shot a quick glance over at Rome, as if deciding whether or not the young man would be able to handle what he was about to say. Making a decision that he would be able to, he began after clearing his throat. “One of the reasons we think Jada Roberts may not be alive is that we found a shovel in the trunk of the car Roberts was driving. The dirt samples off the shovel have been sent to the lab, and we hope to determine just where that type of soil may be located.”
He took a deep breath before continuing. “But the main reason that I personally don’t think he’s killed her is his attitude when he was apprehended. He acted as if he had expected to be caught and that he knew a secret that no one else did. I think killing her would have been too easy for him, and he may have wanted to teach her a lesson. I think he’s left her someplace where he figures she won’t ever be found by anyone. In my opinion, he’s playing a sick game, one that will eventually cost Ms. Roberts her life if she isn’t found within a reasonable time.”
The room got deathly quiet as everyone absorbed what the lieutenant had said. Ashton was the first one to speak. “So, at the moment, everything hinges on that dirt sample?”
“Yes.”
“How soon will we know anything?”
As if on cue the lieutenant’s beeper went off. “I’m hoping that’s our answer now.” He took the beeper off his belt and after glancing at it, turned it off. “May I use the phone?”
“Certainly,” Netherland responded. “It’s over on that desk.”
A few moments later the lieutenant had ended the call he’d made. The expression on his face alerted everyone in the room