Vows of Silence by Debra Webb Page A

he offered with something less than sincerity. “There are those of us who thrive and those who strive. Unfortunately for the latter, they generally attempt to do so by clinging to the upwardly mobile coattails of the former.”
    Rick was pretty sure he’d just been insulted, but considering what the man had been through the past couple of days he decided to overlook it. “Yes, sir. Is there something I can do for you?”
    Senator Ashland lifted his chin in the arrogant manner for which Ashlands were known and settled his somber attention on Rick. “You may arrest that gold-digging whore who killed my son.”
    Rick held his tongue for three beats as he moved around behind his desk. He understood that the senator was agitated and had every right to be upset, but Rick also knew Melinda and she was no gold digger and certainly no whore. A murderer, well, now on that score he couldn’t say for sure, but his gut wouldn’t let him pin that rap on her. If she had anything to do with Charles’s death it was accidental not intentional…or was he fooling himself? Did he want to believe that because Lacy was most likely involved?
    “Senator Ashland.” He gestured to a chair. “Please have a seat, sir, and let’s talk about this rationally.”
    The senator threw his hands up in an argumentative gesture. “I am perfectly rational, Chief Summers.” He might be rational, but his face was beet-red with irrational emotion. “My wife and I have waited for this day for ten years. We knew when Charles went missing that she had somehow harmed him. We want her put behind bars where she belongs!”
    Rick considered the best way to approach the subject for a moment before responding. Senator Charles Ashland was a powerful man in these parts. Insulting his intelligence or his integrity could lead to complications Rick didn’t need in his life right now.
    “It’s true, sir, that in cases like this the spouse is generally a suspect, but we both know that the chances of Melinda having harmed her husband are very slim. And she was in the hospital as you’ll recall.”
    Ashland shook a finger at Rick. “That’s another thing. I spoke to a nurse there who said she couldn’t be sure where Melinda was the afternoon Charles disappeared. She was out of her room for some time. Why haven’t you been looking down that avenue?”
    Rick rested the tips of his fingers on his desk to keep his hands from clenching. The last thing he needed was to make any gestures of aggression. “I can assure you that every avenue is being examined, Senator. If Melinda left the hospital the day of her husband’s disappearance, I will know how and why.” He’d read the nurse’s statement in the file. Taylor hadn’t put much stock into the idea, because the nurse couldn’t be sure if Melinda was out of her room for twenty minutes or two hours when he’d tried to pin her down to an exact time frame. The nurse had admitted that they’d been unusually busy that afternoon.
    Ashland grabbed the back of the chair in front of him. Rick couldn’t tell if he needed the chair for support or if he was fighting the need to rip something apart.
    “Chief Summers, you have to understand our situation here.” The man sagged as if the burden he carried had suddenly become too great to bear. “Those children are all we have left of our son. We’re terrified that she’ll take them and run if she feels the heat bearing down on her. Can you see our dilemma, Chief? We can’t risk losing those children. So far, we’ve kept them separated from her, but God only knows how long we’ll be successful. She is their mother after all.” His face darkened with fury once more. “And those other women have rallied around her. I don’t trust them. I don’t trust any of them. They could all be involved!”
    “You have my word, Senator,” he promised. “I will do everything I can to make sure your son’s murder is solved. I’ll also talk to Melinda and make sure she