Page 46 of Lost Hours
“One of many things we’ll be collecting today,” Sierra added.
At their vehicles, Nolan stared at her. “Let’s hope something you find leads us to the killer, because as of this moment, we have few promising leads.”
13
The moment they arrived at the mansion, Sierra took charge of the scene, allowing Mina to stand back and observe. Maybe notice things she’d missed last night. Things that could move this investigation forward.
They checked in with the deputy on duty, and as they walked up the big, wide steps, Nolan described the details from the night before to Sierra and Blake.
Inside the large foyer, Sierra turned to Nolan. “So you don’t think Smythe cooked the food on site?”
Nolan shook his head. “First of all, the house didn’t smell like anything had been cooking. There were some pleasant food aromas, but only when he uncovered the serving dishes. Nothing as intense as if he’d cooked here. Second, I don’t think he could’ve cleaned up the entire kitchen and packed up his supplies in the time we were in the escape room.”
Sierra frowned. “So he likely didn’t leave prints in the kitchen, but you can at least check with local caterers to see who might have supplied the food.”
“Not many caterers in the area,” Mina said. “And the meal wasn’t your typical chicken dish, so I’m confident my sergeant will track that down.”
Sierra shifted her attention back to Nolan. “You mentioned that you put your phones in a Faraday bag. Where is that bag now?”
“I’ll show you.” He took off down the hallway to the dining room, then stood back and pointed at the gleaming mahogany buffet. “We found them here after we got out of the escape room.”
“Any thoughts that your phone was cloned while you were inside?” Blake asked.
Nolan blinked a few times. “Now that’s something I didn’t really think of. I’ll have Hayden check that out.”
Sierra got out a small notebook much like police officers carry and wrote something down. “We’ll be sure to check the bag for Smythe’s DNA.”
“But he wore gloves,” Nolan said.
“Now this is where you’re underestimating Sierra’s skills.” Blake cracked the first smile they’d seen.
“We transfer DNA in many ways other than fingerprints. For example, he could have dry skin, scratched his face or his eyebrows and released flaky skin onto the gloves. Or brushed his arm or his face. All are good possibilities.”
“Which is why we’re so thankful you’re here,” Mina said.
Sierra smiled. “So, where is this escape room?”
“Follow me.” Nolan strode down the hall and stopped outside the closed door.
“Has the door been closed the entire time?” Sierra asked.
Nolan shook his head. “Smythe unlocked it and it remained closed while we were inside the room, but we left it open when we went to search for him and to call 911.”
Mina rested her hand on her sidearm. “If you’re worried the scene was contaminated, I can assure you it’s been protected from the moment one of my deputies arrived.”
Sierra waved her hand. “I’m sure you took care of that, and I’m not concerned. I’m just questioning the air quality inside, if we can retrieve DNA from an air sample.”
“From the air?” Nolan gaped at her. “If that’s possible, then forensics have changed a lot since I attended police academy.”
“That it has, and it’s changing all the time.” Sierra retrieved gloves from her pocket and put them on. “It’s not possible in all instances an air sample will give us DNA, but once I see the size of the room, I’ll know more.”
She bent down to the box of booties sitting by the door and slipped on a pair. “Please come into the room and close the door, but stay by the entrance while I get a good look at the scene.”
She entered, Mina followed, and Nolan and Blake came behind. When Nolan closed the door, Mina understood what it must’ve been like to be trapped in this room with the mayor’s body. Her gaze went directly to the locker where they’d found him, and she fought off a shiver. She considered herself a tough law enforcement officer, but no one ever got used to finding a murder victim. If they claimed they had, they were probably lying.
Sierra looked over her shoulder. “Which locker held the mayor’s body?”
“The first one as you’re entering the room,” Nolan said. “If you look inside, you’ll see the back is cut out, providing extra room for his body.”
