Riptide

clearing the sheen of tears out of her eyes. These people
    couldn't hurt her now, Adam and her father wouldn't let them.
    And she wouldn't, either. She'd been through enough now that a
    couple of hard-assed cops couldn't intimidate her.
    "Good," Detective Gordon said, then she caught herself looking
    over at Mr. Matlock, as if for approval of her approach. She cleared
    her throat. "Your father said we could ask you a couple of questions."
    "All right."
    "Why did you run, Ms. Matlock?"
    "After my mother died and I'd buried her, there was no reason
    for me to stay. He found me at the hotel where I was hiding, and I
    knew he would get me. None of you believed me, and so I didn't
    think I had a choice. I ran."
    "Look, Ms. Matlock," Detective Gordon said, coming closer,
    "we still aren't certain there was a man after you, calling you,
    threatening you."
    Adam said mildly, knowing until he and Thomas had discussed
    it, Krimakov's probable identity would remain under wraps to the
    NYPD, "Then who do you think kicked her out of a moving car
    at One Police Plaza? A damned ghost?"
    "Maybe it was her accomplice," Detective Gordon said, whirling
    on Adam, "you know, the guy who shot Governor Bledsoe."

Becca didn't say anything. Thomas saw she was pulling away,
    even though she hadn't moved a finger, trying to draw into herself.
    She looked unutterably tired.
    "Also," Detective Gordon added, not looking at Mr. Matlock,
    "our psychiatrist reported that he believed you have big problems,
    Ms. Matlock, lots of unresolved issues."
    Adam raised an eyebrow. "Unresolved issues? I love shrink talk,
    Detective. Do tell us what that means."
    "He believes that she was obsessed with Governor Bledsoe, that
    she had to have his attention, and that was why she made up these
    stories about this guy calling her and stalking her, threatening to
    kill the governor if she didn't stop sleeping with him."
    Adam laughed. He actually laughed. "Jesus," he said. "That's
    amazing."
    "I'm sure that old woman who was blown up in front of the
    Metropolitan Museum didn't think it was funny," Detective Gordon
    said, her jaw out, not ready to give an inch.
    "Let me get this straight," Adam said mildly. "You now think she
    blew up that old woman to get the governor's attention?"
    "I told you the truth," Becca said, cutting in before Letitia Gordon
    could blast Adam. "I told you that he phoned me and told me
    to look out my window, which happens to face the park and the
    museum. He killed that poor old woman, and you didn't do anything
    about it."
    "Of course we did," Detective Morales said, his voice soothing
    and low. "It's just that there were a lot of conflicting stories coming
    in."
    "Yes," Becca said. "Like the ones Dick McCallum told the cops
    in Albany that made all of you disbelieve me. This guy probably
    paid off Dick McCallum to lie about me, and then he murdered
    him, too. I don't understand why it isn't clear to you now'

Detective Gordon said, "Because you ran, Ms. Matlock. You
    wouldn't come in and speak to us, you just called Detective
    Morales from wherever you were hiding. You're at the center of all
    this. You, only you. Tell us what's going on, Ms. Matlock."
    "I believe that's enough for the time being," Thomas said, and
    calmly moved to stand between the two New York detectives and
    his daughter. "I am very disappointed in both of you. Neither of
    you is listening. You are not using your brains. Now, let's get this
    perfectly clear: Since you're having difficulties logically integrating
    all the facts, I want you to focus on catching the man who kidnapped
    my daughter and shoved her out of his car right in front of
    cop headquarters. I trust you people have been trying to find witnesses?
    Questioning them? Trying to get some sort of composite
    on this guy?"
    "Yes, sir, of course," Detective Morales said. As for Detective
    Gordon, she wanted to tell him to go hire his damned daughter a
    fancy lawyer, that Dick McCallum had been murdered, that she
    could have had something to do with that, too, maybe revenge,
    since McCallum had blown the whistle on her. She opened her
    mouth, all worked up, but Thomas Matlock said quietly, "Actually,
    detectives, I am a director with the CIA. I am now terminating this
    conversation. You may leave."
    Both detectives were out of there in under five seconds, Detective
    Gordon leading the way, Morales on her heels, looking both
    apologetic and scared.
    Becca just shook her head, back and forth, back and