Locke was saying, “When your call came in, I had my phone in my hand about to call Easton with this update. We don’t know that the perp was Jasper Ford—”
“We do.”
“The search-and-rescue for him is still on.”
“You won’t find him.”
“Well, right now I need to locate his wife,” Locke said with asperity. “She is key to this investigation. Pass this latest info along to Easton. He’s bound to come to his senses and bring her back before anyone else notices that they’re gone.”
“We’ve called his phone a dozen times,” Gif said. “He isn’t answering.”
“Do you have Mrs. Ford’s number? If not, I do. I’ll call her.”
“Won’t do you any good. We’ve tried it. Out of service.”
Locke said, “He would’ve removed the battery so it can’t be used to lead us to her.”
“In all probability.”
“That’s not something an innocent person does, Agent Lewis.”
“An innocent person would if they were frightened enough of a guilty person. If we can’t track her phone, neither can Ford. To us, to Drex, he isn’t missing. He’s at large. The difference in terminology is significant.”
“It hasn’t been established that he was the man on the yacht. ”
“Who else could it have been?”
“Anybody.”
“You don’t believe that. Fingerprints?”
“We lifted them from the wheel. But even if we match them to Ford’s, he had steered the boat many times. The circuit solicitor would tell us to try again.”
“Who?” Gif asked.
“DA. That’s what they call them in South Carolina,” Mike explained. He’d been listening on speaker, but until now hadn’t spoken. “Locke, if you need something on Ford to take to the prosecutor, get a warrant to search this house, inside out.”
“We tried,” Locke said. “Judge declined to issue one. Ford hasn’t been positively identified as the man on the yacht. Mrs. Ford’s alibi checks out. The waiter remembers her just like she said. There’s no probable cause. But maybe, now that she’s made herself scarce, I’ll go back to him. Press it.”
Gif could tell that Locke was beginning to feel the pressure of what this turnabout with Talia meant to him. He would get a lot of departmental backlash for losing a material witness and possible suspect.
In addition to that, Rudkowski was going to blow a gasket. He would require appeasement, and the only appeasement that would satisfy him would be to have Drex’s head served on a platter.
Above all, Locke was confounded by what Drex had done, which to the detective would seem outlandish. It didn’t fit his code of professional conduct or conform to the rules of law enforcement.
Gif took pity. “Detective, listen. Drex isn’t playing a dirty trick on you, although it may feel like that. I guarantee that somehow he’ll make it up to you. Menundez, too. Believe me, he wouldn’t have surrendered his badge unless he was convinced that it was the best, maybe only, course of action left to him. Something compelled him to whisk Talia out of here, or he wouldn’t have done it.
“Don’t make the mistake of discrediting him, or questioning his commitment to capturing the serial criminal we acquainted you with last night. Drex has never been this close to getting him, and he won’t squander the chance. He’ll go for broke. He’ll go to any lengths, even if it means his own downfall.”
With reluctance, and what sounded like grudging respect, the detective said, “I sensed all that. The guy’s passionate. But you’ve worked with him for a long time. I just met him. Has he ever done anything this out of line before?”
Gif looked over at Mike, who gave a shrug that said Locke would hear of Drex’s shenanigans sooner or later. Gif said, “I’m sure Agent Rudkowski will be all too glad to fill you in.”
“I’ll relay this latest news to him on our way there.”
Gif started. “You’re coming here?”
“Rudkowski had already made up his mind not to wait on Easton to deliver Mrs. Ford. He was coming to the house to question her. After I break this news to him—”