This morning she would review the rest of the CDs. But first, she needed a shower and breakfast.
Before she could make a move to do either, the front buzzer rang. At the sound, Ranger began to bark.
Jane stood, crossed to the intercom and hit the call b.u.t.ton. "Yes?" she managed, voice thick.
"Mrs. Westbrook? Police."
"Police," she repeated. Her gaze went to the computer and the box of CDs. Could they have discovered her midnight visit to Ian"s office? But how?
Jane cleared her throat. "It"s not a good time."
"We need to speak with you. Now, ma"am."
Something in his tone alarmed her. "Is Ian...has something happened to my husband?"
"Not that we know of, ma"am."
She recognized the voice then. Stacy"s partner. McPherson.
But not Stacy. She had been taken off the case.
"I just got up. I need a minute."
She made a quick trip to the bathroom, relieved herself and brushed her teeth, then threw on the clothes
she had worn to Ian"s clinic the night before.
Instead of buzzing the detectives in, she went down to the street level entrance and peeked through the
sidelight. Sure enough, Mac and his new partner stood outside the door. Surprisingly, they had two uniformed officers with them as well.
She frowned, finding that weird. If they were here to question her, why the additional cops? The night
they arrested Ian, the detectives had been accompanied by two uniformed officers as well. Were they
going to arrest her? Why?
Mac saw her and held up his shield. With trembling fingers, she unlocked and opened the door. The minute she did, the other detective handed her a folded paper. "We have a warrant to search these premises, Mrs. Westbrook."
Stunned, she looked at the paper, then at the detectives. "A warrant?" she repeated, confused.
"We"ll begin down here." The policemen moved past her, into the foyer.
She struggled to get her bearings. "Wait a minute. I don"t even know if this is legal."
Detective McPherson stopped, looked at her. "It"s legal, Mrs. Westbrook."
Defiantly, she unfolded the paper, skimmed it. It looked authentic, had been signed by a Judge Kirby,
dated this morning. She handed it back.
"Wait here, I"m going to call my lawyer."
"You have that right, ma"am," the second detective said. "But we have the right to search these premises
and we intend to do just that, immediately."
Her studio door opened. Ted poked his head out. He looked from her to the officer, expression fierce.
"What"s going on, Jane?"
"Ted," she said, mustering her most authoritative tone, "could you keep the officers company while I
make a phone call?"
Mac checked his watch, obviously irritated. "Two minutes."
She hurried into the studio; Ted ambled out. She found the phone, used information to get Elton"s
number, then dialed it. Voice shaking, she explained the situation to his secretary and the woman buzzed her through.
"The police are here," she said when the attorney came on the line. "They have a search warrant."
"Have you seen it?"
"Yes, it looks legal. A judge signed it. Judge Kirby."
"Was it dated?"
"Yes, today"s date."
"I wondered when this would happen. Seems to me they"re a little late."
"What are they looking for?"
"Specifically, I"m not sure. Generally, anything that links Ian to the crimes or victims."
Jane thought of the CDs. No doubt they would confiscate them. All the effort of acquiring them had been for naught. If only she hadn"t fallen asleep; if only she had gone through them all. Now the information was lost to her.
"Listen, Jane, examine the warrant carefully. By law they"re only allowed to search the exact places listed in the warrant. For example, if it names the residence but not the garage, they cannot search the garage.
They may not search your vehicles unless they are named. Is your studio a separate address with a
dedicated entrance?" She answered yes to both and he went on. "If they want to search it, it must be specifically named on the warrant. Also, in a warrant, the judge specifically grants them the right to look for- and seize-specific things. They may only look for those things, though they may be as general as financial records or correspondence. Still, this isn"t a blanket fishing expedition, they have to have probable cause. "They"ll try to bully you to get what they want, so hang tough. By Texas law, you must remain on the premises. I"ll be there as soon as I can."
Jane hung up and returned to the foyer. Ted looked uncomfortable, the detectives impatient.
"May I see that warrant again, please?" she asked.
"Of course." Mac pa.s.sed to her. "You"ll find everything in order."
She scanned it. "This lists 415 Commerce, our residence, and garage and vehicles." She lifted her gaze to
the detective"s. "You realize of course, that my studio is excluded from this warrant?"
"Excuse me?"
"My studio is 413 Commerce. This warrant doesn"t grant you access to it."
The second detective"s face reddened; he muttered an oath. The uniformed officers shifted slightly.
Mac held out a hand. "One call to the judge and we"ll be back. Be reasonable, Jane-"
"Mrs. Westbrook," she corrected. "And if you want to search my studio, you"ll need a warrant."
He made a sound of frustration. "We"ll be back today. Why not save us all the trouble-"
"No trouble at all, Detective. I"m not going anywhere."
THIRTY-ONE.
Friday, October 24, 2003
10:20 a.m.
While the detectives searched, Jane waited in the front foyer with Ranger, one of the uniformed officers baby-sitting her. Elton had been correct: they were looking for specific items that would link Ian to the crime and victims. Items of clothing, doc.u.ments, photographs, receipts and the like. Curiously, the warrant specifically named two articles of clothing: an Atlanta Braves baseball cap and a leather bomber jacket.
Ian owned neither.
As Jane had feared they would, they took the computer and all the CDs she had gotten from the office the night before. They also confiscated Ian"s cell phone, the address book from his office, bank statements and canceled checks.
Ranger growled low in his throat. She had leashed him and he stood at attention beside her.
This felt wrong to him as well. An invasion. A violation.
Jane wondered if she would ever feel totally comfortable in her own home again.
Elton arrived. He examined the warrant, found it in order and excused himself to follow the detectives
around the loft. Before he did, she asked if it would be all right if she waited in the studio.
He said it would, and after taking Ranger for quick pit stop outside, she headed there.
"What"s happening?" Ted asked.
"They seem to be having a great time rummaging through my closets and drawers." She sank onto the
white wicker sofa in the reception area. "I"m pretty certain that by now they know what size bra and
panties I wear."