Page 54 of Lost Cause
“So one more thing then,” Abby said. “Sylvia’s daughter works at the bank where Victor rents his safety deposit box. It’s probably just a coincidence, but I’m wondering if there’s any wayshe could’ve accessed the box and discovered the information on the crown.”
Hayden scratched his chin. “Would be difficult to do without a court order, and even then they would have to drill the box open and change the key. But if she somehow got Victor’s key, she could do it. Any possibility of that happening?”
“Her mother could’ve taken it from the mansion and brought it back,” Abby said.
“Then let me do a deep dive on her. See if there’s anything to indicate she’s involved in shady things and might need money.”
“When can you get to all of this?” Burke asked.
“Starting right now.” He flicked a hand in the air and looked down.
Abby couldn’t see his fingers but she heard them clicking on his keyboard. “Anyone else have anything to report or ask?”
Nolan sat up straighter. “I had an interesting conversation with Leonard Shaw. He’s the antique dealer in Seaside Harbor I told you about. Obviously, I couldn’t straight-up ask about the stolen crown, so I played it off like I was asking about some 1800s artifact. He said a thief wouldn’t be able to move something like that around here—not in the small towns, or even in Salem or Eugene. They’d have to go to Portland to fence it. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any names to give me.”
“So this is a dead end?” Abby asked.
Hayden smirked. “No, Nolan has me doing his job for him. I’m searching for potential fences in Portland.”
Nolan stared at Hayden and shook his head. “I showed Shaw the locket but kept the inside pics hidden like you asked. He said he’d need time to verify the authenticity, but it’s probably French from the late 1800s and was custom-made for an aristocratic family. Shaw also said it would fetch a pretty penny and mentioned jewelry like the locket is hot right now, and he’d pay top dollar for the piece if it checks out.”
“So even without Estelle’s picture, the guy’s statements suggest it could’ve belonged to Estelle,” Burke said.
“But what was it doing half buried in the greenhouse?” Abby wondered aloud. “She sure didn’t lose it or bury it herself.”
“So who did?” Jude squinted his eyes. “The only reason I can see to bury the necklace of a missing woman where she lived is if you’re trying to frame the property owner. But if that was the case, the person who buried it would’ve told the police where to find it.”
“Maybe there’s more than the necklace buried there,” Reece suggested. “Maybe Estelle’s body is buried there too.”
“Good thought,” Abby said. “We either need to get a cadaver dog to search the property or call the Veritas Center’s anthropologist.”
“No cadaver dogs in the local area,” Burke said. “But the state police K9 team has them.”
Abby looked at Burke. “You can call them in, but if their dogs locate something, they’d insist on using their own forensic anthropologist to excavate the remains. It could take days, maybe weeks, to get on her calendar.”
“Then I’ll call Kelsey Dunbar at Veritas,” Nolan said. “Not only does she have the latest technology for locating remains, but if she discovers a grave, she can immediately begin unearthing them.”
Abby shifted her attention to Burke. “Does that work for your department?”
“I’m good with it. If Ryder has a problem, I’ll make it work.”
She smiled her thanks and turned her attention back to Nolan. “Let me know if she’s available as soon as you find out.”
“I hope we don’t find a grave,” Burke said, “but it would be good to close the mystery of Estelle’s disappearance.”
“But unless the murderer screwed up and left some obvious evidence, it won’t tell us who killed her without furtherinvestigation.” Abby paused to gather her thoughts. “It’s even more important to hunt down those rumors about her having an affair.”
Burke nodded. “I should have her file by morning, and we can review the interview list. Maybe we can figure out who thought she was two-timing Victor.”
Abby looked at her teammates. “Anyone have anything else to report?”
“I located several experts who can date the torn velvet you found in the greenhouse,” Reece said. “I’ll text them to you.”
“Perfect.” Abby smiled at her teammate.
Jude swiveled in his chair to face the camera head on. “Ditto for me on finding experts. Well, close anyway. I only found one person in the area who can authenticate an antique certificate. Turns out he’s the same guy Nolan spoke to in the antique shop. Seems like everyone thinks he’s the big cheese of antiques around these parts. I could expand my search to bigger cities if you want.”
Abby thought for a moment. “At this time, I don’t think it’s worth the effort to pursue. That could change when Victor approves us to show the actual certificate to an expert.”
