"Ed Howdershelt - Field Decision" - читать интересную книгу автора (Howdershelt Ed)

asking me why I want to talk to you. If there's any reason at all to suspect
foul play, we can make the investigation official enough that I won't have to
bug you for expenses. John can handle those details on an 'if or when' basis."
When the blonde simply stared at him for another few moments, Cade
said, "I can't go to work on this until you loosen up, lady. These reports all




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say that the cops have signed off. They seem to think that she's tanning on an
island in Greece and that she'll call home when the money runs out. Maybe
they're right, but _you_ don't think so and _you_ called _us_ for help. For
some reason John thinks this may be worth a look, so he offered it to me, and
that's where we are now. I'm willing to spend some of my leave time looking
for her. Take it or leave it, but make up your mind real soon."
Cade set his coffee cup firmly on her desk and shoved the folder into
the large envelope. He then reached for her yellow legal pad and wrote three
numbers at the top of the page, then tore the page in half and presented her
both pieces of paper.
"My numbers," he said. "Now give me yours."
In fact, her numbers were on file, as were every other official of any
rank. Cade wanted to see her sign herself into cooperation by giving them to
him. If she did, and if the numbers checked out against her numbers on file,
she'd be ready enough to proceed. If she didn't give him the numbers, Cade
would drop the folder on her desk and spend his leave elsewhere.
Debra McAlister stared at the torn yellow paper on her desk, then
glanced at her phone, considering whether to call John to see if Cade was
telling the truth. Cade shoved her desk phone next to the legal pad.
He softly said, "Yeah. Good idea. Go ahead, McAlister. Verify what I've
told you. I damned sure would. You want me to wait in the hall?"
She looked up from the phone and their eyes met. Despite the tenseness
between them, she felt that he was telling the truth, but she had to be sure.
Just as softly, she replied, "Yes, please. This is important to me."
Cade nodded and hefted his empty cup.
"No problem. I'll refill this on the way out. Look, I'll have to pick
your brain about Sandy, so we need to be able to get along for at least a
little while, okay?"
She nodded slightly, then grimaced inwardly. Damn. Cade had led her
with his words; first to agree that he should wait in the hall, and then to
nod agreement with his statement _'that they need to be able get along for a
little while'_.
Cade watched her face change slightly with self-reproach.
"You think I'm trying to manipulate you, Debra?"
"Yes. I think you do it without realizing it."
"Could be. _You_ realize, though, that I'm here to help you find your
daughter, not to sell you insurance, right?" He grinned slightly.
McAlister found herself returning the grin and nodding again and said,
"You did it _again_. When every sentence deliberately leads to an agreement,
that's manipulation."