Consigned To Death Part 22

"Max, I'm sorry to disturb you on a Sunday."

"No problem, Josie. What's up?"

"I'm here at the Grant house with Chief Alverez. I'm fine. But it looks like there was a break-in while I was here and he was asking me about it, so I thought I ought to call you."

"A break-in! Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I didn't see anything. But I heard footsteps and it pretty much scared me to death. Then Alverez came in and found me huddled in a ball crying my eyes out. Pretty embarra.s.sing, all things considered."

"Let me speak to him," he said. He didn't sound like he found my attempt at lightheartedness amusing.

I handed the phone to Alverez, who took it, and said, "Alverez."

He rested against the wall, calm and seemingly at ease. I sat on the chair and watched and listened.

"She seems fine. She was spooked, was all. ... I haven't checked yet. ... Understood. ... I'll be reinst.i.tuting security. ... Yeah, absolutely. Okay ... okay ... here she is."

I accepted the phone, and said, "Max?"

"Did you see or do anything you don't want him to know about? Just answer yes or no."

"No."

"Do you have any idea who it was who entered?"

"No."

"Do you know why someone would have broken in?"

"No. Well, maybe."

"Why?"

"Can I say openly?" I asked, my eyes on Alverez, watching him watch me.

"No. Keep him in sight, but get out of earshot."

I repeated Max's instruction and Alverez said he'd step outside. I watched through the kitchen window as he walked toward the ocean. When he'd stopped and was standing with his hands in his pockets and his back to me, I told Max I was ready.

"So, why do you think?" he asked.

"Maybe to find the missing paintings."

"Right. Got it." Max paused. "Why would someone risk breaking in if you were there?"

"I don't know. I was in the bas.e.m.e.nt, so they wouldn't have heard me walking around. And the workshop is on the far side of the house, so they might not have noticed the lights being on." I shrugged. "The bulbs are pretty dim down there, anyway."

"What about your car?"

"I left it in town. I walked."

"That explains that," Max acknowledged. "And you didn't hear the person drive up?"

"No. But if I was in the bas.e.m.e.nt, I don't know that I would have heard a car."

"In any event, you didn't?"

"No."

"Did you see anything-a shadow, a reflection in a mirror ... anything?"

"No. Nothing."

"What did you hear?"

"I heard a floorboard, on the porch, I guess. Then I heard the front door opening. Then more footsteps."

"Where did the footsteps go?"

"It sounded like to the study, but I can't be sure."

"That's all?"

"I heard noises. I thought it was someone moving around, pulling open drawers, maybe knocking over a chair. Then footsteps heading toward the kitchen."

"Then what?"

"Then I tried to get out. And couldn't. And flipped out."

"You did fine, Josie. What else did you notice?"

"Nothing. After Chief Alverez arrived, I heard running steps, then a car roar off."

"And that's it?"

"That's it," I said.

Max paused, digesting, I guessed, what I'd told him. "What were you doing in the bas.e.m.e.nt?"

"Looking around. I looked at a trunk and was deciding whether the broken things in Mr. Grant's workshop were worth including in the appraisal."

"What broken things?"

"You know, a lamp that needs a new cord, a plate that needs to be glued. Things like that."

"What did you decide?"

"Probably they're not worth including. I mean, there's no market for glued china, you know? I thought I'd have Sasha look at the lamp, but that's about it."

"Okay. You can tell him what you've told me. If he asks anything out of range of your experience today at the Grant house, don't answer. I told him I'd give you this instruction, so all you have to say is that you want to wait for me. If he needs more information, we can meet tomorrow. Okay? Are you clear?"

"Yeah. I am. Thanks, Max."

"Just remember, short answers. One-word answers are best."

"I remember."

I hung up and slipped the phone back into my purse. I made my way outside and when Alverez turned toward me, I smiled. "I'm all yours. Max said."

I heard the sirens, and before he could answer, two marked cars had pulled up, their red lights spinning in the night.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

After Chief Alverez finished questioning me, he told me that he needed to talk to the senior technician for a minute, and then he'd drive me to my car.

"Okay," I said, feeling shaky and weak, glad for his offer, embarra.s.sed to admit that independent little ol' me didn't want to walk alone in the dark to my car.

We rode without speaking. All I heard were the comforting sounds of the droning engine and the soft claps of waves as they washed ash.o.r.e.

Approaching the strip of stores where I'd left my car, I noted that the Taffy Pull was closed and dark. My car was the only one parked nearby. The entire area looked deserted.

Alverez said, "How are you feeling?"

"Embarra.s.sed."

"Well, you don't need to be. Why wouldn't you get upset when someone breaks in to a recently murdered man's house?"

"I guess," I acknowledged. I shrugged. "I'm okay."

"You did fine," he rea.s.sured me.

"Well ... no, I didn't. I used to pride myself on handling crises well. Now look at me. I'm a mess."

"Jeez, Josie. Don't be so hard on yourself."

My father used to say the same thing to me, that I had to give myself a break. Hearing Alverez speak similar words comforted me.

"Thanks," I said, trying for a smile. "Also, thanks for driving me."

"You going to be okay on your own tonight?"

I swallowed, fighting sudden tears. "You bet," I said, aiming for perky.

He paused, then said, "If anything else occurs to you, don't wait. Call me right away. Even in the middle of the night, okay?"

I shivered at the urgency conveyed by his words, and turned to look at him. In the glinty white moonlight, I could see the outline of his features, but not his eyes.

"Okay."

"Here," he said, reaching into his pocket. "Take another card so you'll have my number handy."

I took it and slipped it into my purse. After a pause, I asked, "Do you know how the person got in?"

"Looks like they just popped the lock."

I shook my head. "I can't believe it's that easy."

"Yeah," Alverez said. "That lock is probably original to the house. A credit card would do it, no problem."

"But the back lock requires a key."

"Yeah," he said, nodding. "Apparently Mr. Grant didn't use the back door much, so he thought it ought to be secure."

"Really? How can you know that?"

He paused, then said, "It's what I do, actually. I find things out. Like, for instance, the grocery-store delivery folks always came to the front door, by request."

I nodded. "Funny, isn't it? We're in the same business. We both are paid to find things out."

"Yeah. Same, but different."

"Yeah." I thought about what he said about the lock. "Should I tell Mrs. Cabot to change the lock?"

"Absolutely. I plan on telling her, too. We'll be providing security until we figure out what's going on. But she might want to add more, like an alarm system. Until the contents are removed."

"That'll be pretty soon, I guess. In a week or so, probably Dobson's will take control of everything and put it all in storage in New York. So they can do their own research." After a short silence, I added, "Well, I guess I better go."

"Will you be all right to get home?"

"Sure. I'm glad to be away from the Grant place, I've got to tell you." As I spoke, I decided not to be alone there again. "When you said you're going to be providing security, does that mean that you're going to station men at the Grant house?"

"Why?"

I shrugged. "Call me crazy, but I don't really want to be there on my own again. And I don't think I ought to let Sasha be alone there, either."

"Makes sense. For the foreseeable future, I'll have someone there."

"Good. We're scheduled to start the appraisal tomorrow morning. Will it be all right for us to enter?"

"Yeah, no problem. The technicians are just about done already. They'll be out of here within an hour. I'll tell the man on duty that you're expected."

"Thanks. Well, then ..."