Page 57 of Lost Cause
“Is this one of Estelle’s dresses?” Burke asked.
Fear radiated from Victor’s eyes. “Her favorite for casual day wear. Does this mean someone killed her?”
“It would be odd for someone to kill her, then take off her dress, and put it in the trunk,” Burke said. “But anything’s possible.”
“So maybe she was just injured.” Victor’s voice was filled with hope. “And she was still able to change clothing and pack her trunk to go wherever she was headed.”
“Again,” Burke said, “possible, but we’re looking at a lot of blood. She would’ve had to seek medical attention before going anywhere.”
“Did law enforcement check with your family doctor when she disappeared?” Abby asked.
Victor nodded. “They wanted to be sure she hadn’t been suicidal. And as I told them over and over, Dr. Roach confirmed she wasn’t depressed in any way.”
“We’ll need to talk to him,” Burke said. “Is he still practicing?”
Victor shook his head. “Passed away about two years ago.”
Another dead end.
“Do you mind if we continue to search the trunk?” Abby asked.
“Go ahead, but unlike the things in the closet, please respect her items.”
A sheepish look crossed Burke’s face as he gently removed the dress, revealing a similar one, but in a bright floral fabric. Next came a luxurious ball gown made of green silk. He gently took all three dresses to the end of the sofa.
But Abby’s eye caught on the next items. Small, framed family photos.
Victor sighed. “Many of those pictures are of her family in France. She kept them on her nightstand and her little writing desk in the corner of the bedroom. I knew they were missing, but thought she’d taken them with her too.”
“You said her family didn’t approve of her marrying an American and definitely didn’t approve of her moving to the United States,” Abby said. “What if she was leaving you and returning to France, but someone in the family didn’t want her to come back?”
“I know all of her close family members. They loved her too much to hurt her, so I don’t have a clue who would want to keep her away.”
“Was she in line to inherit property or money in France?”
“I don’t think so. She has two older brothers who would inherit the family’s estate and other properties. Though I do believe her father would’ve left one of their six homes to her.”
Burke carefully placed the dresses on the couch. As he moved the ball gown, polaroid pictures fell out of the folds and fluttered to the floor at Victor’s feet.
He tried to snatch them up, but he was having trouble with hands that seemed stiff.
“Let me.” She dropped to the floor to gather them together, then returned to her seat next to him. Burke moved behind them.
The first photo showed Estelle in front of the mansion. She held the crown in her hands, posing with it as a model might do when displaying something for sale. A broad smile beamed from her face.
Victor gasped. “She knew about the crown. Even took it outside. But how? When? And who took the picture?”
“Let’s check the others out.” Abby shifted the top one to the back, revealing another shot of Estelle. She wore the same dress, once again with the crown in her hands, but in a different pose. Abby continued to the next one, and the next. Each one a different pose, but still featuring the crown.
“I don’t understand this.” Victor collapsed against the back of the sofa. “It just doesn’t make sense. If she knew about the crown, why didn’t she tell me? Or why didn’t she ask questions about it?”
Abby was equally as baffled. Maybe they missed something. She flipped through the photos again.
“Wait,” Burke said. “Is there something written on the back?”
Abby turned it over. “A date. September 28, the year before she disappeared.”
“Does that day mean anything to you, Victor?” Burke asked.
