Secrets of the Rose. Lois Richer

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СКАЧАТЬ But Miss Natalie—she says there is nothing. The security panel has only one code entered for that night, a code which the good Natalie says belongs to you. The fibers from a snip of cloth left in the window belong to material in men’s pants sold by the thousands. It may have been there for months. These police find no fingerprints, though they have thrown their powder all over the house. Even the handwriting on the mirror is childish, like that of a thousand kindergarten children—and so virtually untraceable.”

      “Stop being melodramatic and tell us what you found.” Daniel’s eyes blazed with anger. “Can’t you see how you’re upsetting her?”

      Russ glanced once at Daniel, his face hardened. He seemed about to say something, but after a glance at Shelby, changed his mind.

      “I apologize, Shelby. I do not mean to act inadvisably. But before I say more, I must ask a question. When you stood at the window that night, you did not hear a car, did not see someone drive past? Perhaps you heard footsteps below, running away?”

      She shook her head.

      “No. Russ, you talked to the police. You’ve been to my home. You know Aimee’s room is at the back, above the garden. Grandmother owned a huge section of land behind the house, which I’ve kept undeveloped. There’s no road back there for a very long way.”

      “Exactly so.” He straightened, crossed his arms over his chest. “Yet this thief, this abductor, he steals this child, not a tiny sleeping baby, you see, but a little girl who is liable to awaken when picked up by a stranger. And yet, there is no sound. Why? Does he drug her? C’est possible. But I do not think there is time before Mama Bear arrives. And he has no getaway car waiting for him at the back, therefore he must carry the child around to the front of the house.” He shook his head. “Very strange.”

      Russ had been partly raised in France. Perhaps that’s why he fell into the language whenever he spoke of Aimee. Shelby said nothing, simply stood, waited. Russ was onto something, she could see it in the glint of his eyes.

      “He is a wonder, this phantom of ours. In truth, our thief is so accomplished, he does not even leave footprints in the flower beds below. How is this possible? Is he a ghost? I do not believe in ghosts.”

      “The police said there was no evidence of footprints.” She glanced at Daniel. Clearly he didn’t understand what Russ was getting at, either.

      “No, there is no evidence. This I checked for myself.”

      “And?”

      “There is no evidence of footprints because someone has raked the area.”

      “Raked it? But how? When?” Shelby shook her head. “I was there, Russ. I hit the alarm as soon as I heard someone in the hall. I couldn’t find Aimee. The police came almost immediately and they were all over the place. Surely they would have noticed if someone had worked in the garden.”

      “I am not so sure of that. You yourself were there but a few hours before, no? Your neighbor said he saw you raking the ground under some bushes near the house.”

      “Yes…” Tim. It would have been he who’d seen her. The old carriage house he rented was the only thing near enough their yard, since originally the two properties were one.

      “And yet, on this freshly worked soil, there is no outline of a shoe, no markings whatever.” Russ shook his head. “No.”

      “So someone came along behind and raked over his tracks? Is that what you’re saying? But what does that tell us? That there was an accomplice?” Shelby couldn’t wrap her mind around whatever he was intimating. The entire thing seemed like a nightmare, something that would happen to someone else. Not to her. Not to Aimee.

      “Yes. I’d like an answer to that question myself. What exactly are you trying to say, Russ? You insinuated that you had something big to tell us. Well, let’s hear it. Or is this another one of your hot air dances? Promise the world, deliver nada.” Daniel’s lips curled in a derisive smile.

      “I always deliver. And you would do well to watch what you say, my friend.” The words were spoken calmly enough, but it was the steel threading through them that made the impact. “I have nothing to apologize for. My record is clean. Can you say the same?”

      “Why don’t you come right out and accuse me of Grant’s death?” Daniel demanded, his jaw locked so tightly it grew white with strain. “Why pretend to be a friend when all the time you blame me for not being here, for not backing him?”

      Shelby gulped. The gloves were off now, and she had no idea how to stop this. They looked like two raging animals, each daring the other to step past an invisible line. But what was it all about? Daniel mentioned Grant. What had he to do with this feud? Did he feel guilty for his friend’s death?

      “Yes, you are right. I do blame you, Daniel. You should have been here. He was on a case that only you knew about. If you could not be there for him, you should have phoned me. I would not have left him here alone. To die.”

      “Stop it!” Shelby stepped between them. “No one knew the fire would start, Russ. Daniel wasn’t here because Grant insisted he simply wanted to check out something. Who could have imagined he would get caught….” She stopped, drew a breath. “You have nothing to be guilty about, Daniel. The fire was an accident. Grant is gone. But I cannot, I will not lose Aimee. So say whatever you’re getting at, Russ, and let’s get busy trying to find her.”

      “Very well.” Russ stepped back. “This is my opinion. The person who took Aimee knew exactly what he was doing. It was a professional job by someone who knew your routine, the house, the grounds, the security code, everything. Our ‘ghost’ left nothing to chance.”

      Shelby tamped down the questions.

      “If you know, tell me!” she demanded. “Who did it?”

      “I do not know that. Yet.” He glanced up through his black lashes at Daniel. “But I believe it was someone close to you.”

      “You’re hinting at me? This is ludicrous! Pure supposition with no facts on which to base it.” Daniel turned his back and strode to the door. “I do need to speak to you, Shel. But I can wait until tomorrow.” He twisted to look at Russ. “I suggest you wait till then also. In the meantime, find something solid on which to base your ideas.”

      He walked out, slamming the door behind him. Shelby turned on Russ.

      “Daniel did not do this, Russ. I can’t believe you would think he did. You, he and Grant were friends not very long ago.”

      “Yes.” Russ held her gaze. “We were friends. Once. But things change. The person who stole your daughter had personal knowledge of things an ordinary thief wouldn’t know. He left nothing to chance, not even his footprints in the garden. Either he or someone helping him knew the freshly worked ground would imprint and was prepared to cover those tracks.”

      “And you believe that person was Daniel?”

      “I do not say exactly that. I say merely that you must be wary of whom you trust. I will keep digging, but you must be alert. These are people who wish you harm, Shelby. Be very careful.”

      While she stared after him, Russ walked out of the room, leaving her door ajar. A moment later she heard the elevator doors whoosh close.

      She СКАЧАТЬ