Page 32 of Lost Cause
“Anything else I should be wary of?”
“If you were to question her skills just because she’s a woman, she wouldn’t be so easy-going.”
“I know men in our line of work still do that, but I never would.”
Abby wanted to get going so they could get back to Victor, but she couldn’t leave this alone. “So you’re okay with women in law enforcement? Not afraid that a woman doesn’t have the strength and ability to have your back?”
“I’m good with it,” he said. “Would I question her to see if she’s well-trained before we partner together? Sure, but I’d do the same thing with a guy. If I found them lacking, I’d make sure they got the necessary training before I’d trust them in the field.”
Oh yes, trust. This seemed like a hot button for him too. She couldn’t miss the signs. Not with her own lack of trust every time she contemplated getting involved with a guy.
“Let’s get going.” Step by step, she visually examined every inch of the original pine floor, but didn’t locate anything else she wouldn’t expect from a floor that seemed original to this house.
At the end of the corridor, the passageway turned to the left and ended at a worn stairway. Abby started up the steep steps. With no handrails, she had to run her hand along the wall tosteady herself. The plaster was cool under her fingers, and a chill came from beneath the closed door at the top of the stairway. She turned the antique glass knob, and the door opened.
She aimed her flashlight ahead and stepped into a large bedroom with an ornate four-poster bed, matching dresser, wardrobe, and another tall cabinet. Victor’s dressing gown lay on the mattress.
“This must be Victor’s room,” she said.
“So the hallway is just a shortcut from the library to the owner’s bedroom suite.”
The letdown over not locating another lead hit harder than she’d admit. “I was hoping we’d find an answer to some of our questions.”
“Someone could’ve used the passageway to move around the house last night to light that fire without us knowing about it.”
“I’ll ask Sam to process the knob for fingerprints.” Abby glanced around the room again. “I don’t feel right about searching his personal possessions. Not without his knowledge.”
“Then let’s head to the dining room to bring him back to the hallway to open the safe and ask why he didn’t tell us about the secret passageway or safe.”
Abby carefully made her way back down the steep stairs and along the hallway into the library.
Behind her, Burke took a picture of the secret doorway. “To show Victor when we talk to him. In case he denies it, the picture will save us time.” Burke pulled off his blue booties but kept his gloves on.
She searched the room for Sam and found her swirling black powder over a window lock with her fluffy brush.
Sam glanced at her. “Anything else I can do to help right now?”
“Yes,” Abby said. “Assuming Victor has the combination to the safe, we’ll bring him back here to open it. Can you dust forfingerprints right now? Then the picture frame, and the doorway at the end of the hall, up the stairs.”
Sam gave a solid nod. “I’ll start right away.”
“Perfect.” Abby ripped off her shoe coverings but, like Burke, left her gloves on since they would be returning.
She hurried out of the room, Burke following her. In the dining room, he brushed past her and made a beeline to Victor. He stopped across the table from the older man and peered at him.
Victor raised troubled eyes to Burke. “What? What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Looks like you withheld something else from us.” Burke’s tone was measured and deliberate, but less intimidating than she might expect from him when talking to a potential suspect.
“I have no idea what you might be talking about.” Victor seriously looked baffled.
Abby felt bad about having to question the older guy. It was hard enough for a younger person to handle an investigation, but someone of Victor’s advanced years might take more offense at the questions they were asked. Not only didn’t she want to offend him as he was essentially her employer, but she didn’t want to see him suffer either.
Burke opened his phone and held it for Victor to see, but didn’t speak.
“Oh that.” Victor let out a long breath. “It’s just a shortcut to my bedroom. I rarely use it and didn’t even think of it as related to the theft.”
Burke’s shoulders relaxed as if he believed Victor. “I need you to remember your house is a crime scene. Everything about it is important to us because you never know what could be related to the theft. With that in mind, is there anything else you’d like to tell us about?”
