Page 49 of Lost Cause
He forced a smile to encourage her to talk. “I didn’t think you would have, but I’m sure in all these years your workday ran late and you missed the last ferry.”
“Yeah.” She visibly relaxed. “Happened to me and Ugo both, but Victor arranged water taxis to take us to the mainland.”
“When’s the last time it happened?” Abby asked.
Sylvia’s eyes tightened. “I don’t keep track of things like that, but I guess it was on Victor’s birthday in September. He asked me and Ugo to have dinner with him.”
“It’s kind of you to join him,” Abby said.
“Like I told you, he’s family to us. We’d help him any way we could.”
“What about Estelle?” Abby asked. “Tell us about her.”
Sadness washed over her. “She was an excellent employer. Didn’t treat the help like we were lower class. Asked us to do things instead of commanding it. And she had a great sense of humor, so we laughed a lot on the job.”
The same story Ugo gave. Not helpful at all, but Sylvia appeared to be telling the truth.
At least Burke bought into her story, and he was the king of suspicion. “We were surprised to find locked cells in the basement.”
Sylvia jerked back but quickly relaxed. “I thought that was odd too, but it made sense after Victor explained how law and order barely existed when this house was built.”
“Do you know if the cells were ever used?”
“He never mentioned it, and I never cared enough to ask. It’s super creepy down there. Why would I want to know more about it?”
“I agree it’s creepy,” Abby said. “But I’d want to know everything possible about a house I spent so many years working in.”
“Guess that’s the difference between you and me.” Sylvia leaned back and crossed her arms.
End of discussion, from her point of view anyway.
“What about firearms?” Burke asked. “Do you know if Victor owns any guns or do you carry one to work with you?”
Sylvia’s mouth dropped open. “Me? A gun? No. I’m deathly afraid of them. Victor inherited an antique collection, but I’ve never seen him even open the cabinet to look at them, much less use one.”
“So you wouldn’t have brought oil here to lubricate a gun?” Burke asked.
She shook her head, but didn’t speak as if she thought his questions were ridiculous.
Wouldn’t stop him. “Do you have a key to the gun cabinet?”
“No. I’ve never even seen the guns.” Her adamant tone seemed to confirm she was telling the truth.
Abby picked up her phone from the table and displayed the recovered locket. “Do you recognize this?”
She let out a slow breath and studied the screen, as if she was thankful the discussion had moved on, but why? What was she withholding?
She looked up. “The locket belonged to Estelle.”
“Belonged, as in the past tense and Estelle is no longer alive?” Abby asked.
Sylvia cocked her head. “We don’t know anything for sure, but even if no one else will say it, Victor’s the only one who believes she’s still alive.”
“What do you think happened to her?” Abby quickly asked.
Sylvia shrugged. “My guess is someone took her. Obviously not for ransom because there was never a demand for money,but perhaps for something else. She was a beautiful woman. Could’ve been reason enough for some guy to abduct her.”
“So you don’t think she left here on her own accord?”
