Page 28 of Lost Cause
“What year did you move here?” Gabe asked.
“Late March of ’85. Just when the cherry trees out front were in full blossom.” He stared ahead as if he could see them, and hisexpression softened. “What a sight that was. Estelle especially loved them.”
“How would Estelle feel about the terrible state of the property and grounds now?” Burke asked.
Victor balled his fists. “I think you’re exaggerating. Sure, there’s some deferred maintenance, but it’s not as horrific as you declare.”
Gabe snorted. “When’s the last time you went outside and took a look around?”
Victor blinked at him. “It’s been some time.”
“How long?” Gabe asked. “It looks like repairs haven’t been made or landscaping trimmed in decades.”
Victor sniffed the air. “What does any of this have to do with the stolen crown?”
“Perhaps nothing.” Burke shifted his weight slightly, his posture open rather than defensive. “But in the early stages of an investigation, we look at every detail.”
Victor sighed. “Okay, well, in that case, ’92 was the last time I successfully stepped outside to go to the mainland. I might not have succeeded then, but I had to sign papers at the bank.”
“And you haven’t tried to leave since then?” Abby asked.
“I tried to go to the 2000 New Year’s celebration in Surfside Harbor. But as soon as I reached the ferry, I knew I had to turn around and hurry back up here.”
Wow. He hadn’t tried to leave the property in over twenty years, preferring to be shut up in this place. Abby couldn’t imagine it. “Anything special about that party to make you want to leave the mansion?”
Victor shrugged. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime event, but an uneasy feeling stopped me. I tried going outside a few times after that and couldn’t get over the threshold.”
“Have you ever considered working with a counselor to solve the issue?” she asked as gently as she could, so he would answerand she would know how difficult it was going to be to get him to go to the bank.
“Why should I? It hasn’t been an issue for me. Without Estelle, there’s nowhere I really want to go. I have enough money to have anything I want brought to me.” He held up his hands. “I know. I know. You can’t understand it, but when Estelle went missing, I lost interest in everything. She’s the love of my life. Not knowing what happened to her has devastated me. Broke me.”
“I’m so sorry, Victor.” Abby maintained soft eye contact, letting her silence communicate support. “I can’t imagine how difficult this is for you. When did she disappear?”
Victor didn’t hesitate but rattled off a date forty years earlier. “It was just a normal day. She took our small skiff into town to get groceries just like she did every week, but she never came back. Leaving our family without a wife and mother.”
“I can tell you miss her a lot,” Abby said sincerely as she thought not only about his loneliness, but also about his children without a mother.
“Every minute of every day.” His eyes turned glassy with tears. “She’s the most special woman. Kind, compassionate. Friendly to all and not a lick of prejudice in her. Oh, and she’s funny. Such a good sense of humor. And beautiful, of course. The best wife a man could ever hope for. But she’s gone now, and dwelling on it doesn’t change that fact.”
“What do you think happened to her?” Gabe asked.
Victor shook his head. “I honestly don’t know. Our marriage was strong. Sure, at first, she really didn’t want to leave Paris to live here, but she made the best of it and soon came to love it here.”
Burke leaned in slightly, displaying thoughtfulness not confrontation. “Could she have gone back to Paris?”
“I don’t think so. I hired a private investigator to look for her there. He didn’t find any trace of her, including flights or ship passages with her name on the manifests. So if she did somehow get back there, she’s not living under her real name.”
“Not to be insensitive,” Gabe said, “but do you think she’s still alive?”
Victor looked down at the table and fitted his fingers together. He held his pose until his fingers turned white. “I can’t—won’t—give up hope. I need to believe she is.”
Burke opened his mouth. A knock sounded on the doorframe, shifting everyone’s attention to Sam, who stood there.
She poked her head into the room. “Sorry to interrupt, but can I talk to you for a minute, Abby?”
Sam wouldn’t interrupt this questioning unless it was important, so Abby rushed to the door. “What is it?”
Sam leaned close and whispered, “I found something you and Burke need to see right away.”
