Sarah Woods Mystery Series (1-6) Boxed Set (64 page)

“
I’ve seen it too many times. Kids rarely testify against their parents, even when the abuse is obvious.”

A beeping noise alerted the detective to his phone. After reading the message, he grabbed his notebook. “I’m heading back to the lab. They found some hair in the Mercedes.”

* * *

The forensics technician handed the detective a small plastic bag. “I haven’t studied it through a microscope yet, but I can tell you it’s not human hair.”

Detective James held the bag up to the light. “Brown, with shades of gold. Could it be from a fur coat?”

“
Possibly. I’ll have an answer for you shortly.”

The lab tech placed the few strands from the bag under a microscope. After a few adjustments, he said, “This specimen has spinous cuticle scales, indicating it came from a feline or a mink.”

“
Mari is an animal rights activist,” I said. “She’d never wear real fur. Do the Parkers have a pet?”

Detective James hesitated. “Not to my knowledge.”

“
So, do we think this fur could have come from the kidnapper?” I said.

“
It’s a possibility. Problem is, we don’t know if we’re looking for a pet or someone with a real mink coat.” He turned back to the lab tech. “How long before we know for sure?”

“
I’d need to send it to an outside lab. We don’t have the proper equipment here. Probably take a few days at best.”

Detective James sighed in frustration. “Okay. Go ahead. So far, it’s the only trace evidence we’ve got. Sarah, I’m sure you could use a break. Why don’t you grab some food and we’ll meet back here later.”

“
I’ll just grab a granola bar from the vending machine. Can I get you something?”

“
No, thanks.”

I exited the lab and jogged up the stairs to grab my purse from the detective’s office, plumbing the depths to find some quarters. The vending machine offered a delectable assortment of prepackaged, sodium-filled - and

probably stale from age – snack items, none of which tickled my fancy. I opted for a candy bar. The break room contained three Formica tables, a dozen plastic chairs, and a water cooler. I filled the paper cone with lukewarm water and downed it before the cup disintegrated in my hand. I crumpled the wrapper and tossed it halfway across the room toward an open trash receptacle. My gym teacher hadn’t lied when he said I’d never stand a chance of making the basketball team. I trotted over, bent down to pick up the trash, and realized my black jeans were covered with hair below the knee. If I’d noticed earlier, I might have chosen a clean pair of jeans before leaving the house. I tried to slap the hair off, but the static cling sucked it right back onto my leg. I started to sneeze.

Then it hit me. I stood up so quickly it made me dizzy. I forgot about the candy wrapper and bolted out of the break room.

Chapter 11

Detective James was still with the forensic guy when I entered the lab. I rushed over and pointed down toward my ankles. “If it’s not too late, can you test this cat hair with the sample from Mari’s car to see if they are a match?”

“
Where did this come from?”

“
I was at Alice Rossini’s house yesterday. Apparently cat hair clings to black denim like glue.”

“
She has a cat?”

“
The cat lives in the barn out behind her house. The caretakers took the little guy in.”

The detective pulled on some latex gloves, and with a pair of tweezers, plucked a sample from my clothing. He presented it to the lab tech. “Let’s perform a comparison analysis on the two samples.”

The lab tech complied. Within five minutes he confirmed there was a seventy percent chance the hair came from the same cat.

Detective James furrowed his eyebrows. “Perhaps Mrs. Parker came in contact with this cat the last time she visited Alice. Cat hair tends to stick. It could have been on her clothing for quite some time.”

“
He keeps it in the barn.”

He rubbed his forehead as if a headache had materialized. “What do you know about these … caretakers?”

“
They’re a young couple. Moved here about three or four months ago from North Carolina. Alice found them through a senior organization. I have no idea if background checks were performed.”

“
I’m heading back to my office to check them out. Can you get me their full names and birthdates?”

“
Oliver and Lucy Adams.” I felt a lump in my throat. “But, if I call Alice to get their birthdates, she’ll know something is up.”

“
I’ll see how far I can get with just their names.”

I followed the detective back upstairs to his office. Finally, Detective James leaned back in his chair. The blank expression on his face gave nothing away. “Sarah, I think it’s time to get Oliver in here for a little chat.”

“
What did you find?”

“
Well, he’s never been arrested as an adult, but his juvenile record is quite a different story. He was arrested three times between the ages of twelve and fifteen. I don’t have access to the complete file. I’ll have to contact the town of Ashland where he was arrested and see if they can fax over the details. This could just be petty stuff, but I’d like to know what we’re dealing with. As far as the cat hair goes, it’s circumstantial at best, but we have no other leads. I need you to do me a favor, Sarah.”

“
Sure, what is it?”

“
I want you to call Mrs. Rossini and have her ask Oliver and his wife to come here for a routine interview. Do your best to make it sound casual. I’ll keep them in separate rooms and see if both of their alibis check out. Meanwhile, I want you to convince Alice to allow us to search her property, including vehicles.

“
This is going to upset her,” I said. “Even if Oliver is innocent, the insinuation could tarnish their arrangement.”

“
That’s why we need to treat this as a routine check,” he said. “I’m not going to arrest anyone until we uncover a motive, or tangible proof.”

“
For arguments sake, if Oliver had something to do with Mari’s disappearance, where would he be keeping her? He and Lucy live with Alice full time.”

“
There are dozens of foreclosed and abandoned houses around town. It wouldn’t be that difficult to break into one.”

“
Unless she’s … her body could be anywhere.”

“
What?” Detective James narrowed his eyes at me. “What is it, Sarah?”

“
I don’t know. I hate to even bring it up because it’s going to sound crazy.”

“
Let me decide what crazy is.”

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “My boyfriend and I had dinner at Alice’s house two nights ago. Oliver brought us down to the basement at Alice’s request to show us the vintage props from her husband’s movies. Apparently, Oliver is the only one who ever goes down there. Alice and Lucy seemed to think it’s haunted. There was this horrible stench. Oliver claimed it was from a dead raccoon.”

“
Are you telling me you think Mari’s decomposing body is in the basement of Alice Rossini’s home?”

“
No. I don’t know what I’m saying. Why would Oliver keep her body in a place so obvious? He never would have offered to give us the tour. Just forget I mentioned it.”

“
Let’s make this simple. If Mrs. Rossini allows us to search her property, and nothing turns up, we’ll just chalk it up to being over cautious. If she doesn’t agree, we’ll need to obtain a search warrant from a judge.”

“
This makes me nervous,” I said. “I don’t want Alice to panic.”

“
You’ll figure it out.”

* * *

I left the police station and called Carter. When I explained to him that Oliver was a person of interest in Mari’s disappearance, he agreed to accompany me to Alice’s.

Carter was waiting in his Buick when I pulled into Alice’s driveway. “Does Alice have any clue what’s going on?” Carter asked.

“
No. I called to tell her we were on our way. I feel bad lying to her, but I think it’s best for now.”

“
What’s your plan?” he asked.

“
I’ll tell Alice I’ll stay with her while Lucy and Oliver are at the station. At that point, I’ll ask if it’s okay for the police to search her property. I’ll tell her it’s routine.”

“
Routine? I think she’s smarter than that, Sarah?”

“
She adores Lucy and Oliver. They’ve been good to her, and if he’s innocent …”

Carter sighed. “Alice is a big girl. She deserves the truth. She’ll understand.”

“
I know, but I think her health is declining. What if this ordeal causes her to have a heart attack or something? She’s already on a lot of medication.”

“
You’ll find a way to tell her. Let’s go get this over with.”

Lucy answered the door, a look of concern on her face. “Ms. Woods. Is everything okay?”

“
May we come in?” I asked.

She looked around with uncertainty. “Certainly. But Alice is taking a nap.” Lucy hesitated. She looked at Carter and back to me. “Is there bad news?”

“
The detective in charge of the investigation thinks it would be helpful to talk to Mari’s neighbors, including you and Oliver. He’d like to see you both this afternoon, if possible.”

Lucy ushered us into the house and invited us to relax in the formal sitting room. “So, why does the detective want to speak to us?”

“
It’s just procedure,” I said. “Nothing to worry about.” I felt bad about the lie, but what else could I say? “Is Oliver here?”

“
I think he’s out back. I’ll … go tell him.”

“
I’d be happy to stay with Alice if you and Oliver want to head to the station and get the interview over with. Someone will be here shortly to pick you up.”

“
Why can’t we drive ourselves?” she asked.

“
It’s no problem,” I said. “It’s a courtesy of the police department.”

Lucy stood there as if her legs were paralyzed. She seemed unsure of herself. Finally, the chiming of a bell echoed through the house. “Mrs. Rossini is awake. Please excuse me.” She whisked off while Carter and I remained on the couch.

“
Well,” Carter whispered. “This is going to be an interesting afternoon.”

A few minutes later, Lucy wheeled Alice into the room. “Good afternoon,” she said, eyes puffy from sleep. “Is there any news about Mari?”

“
I wish there was,” I said. “The detective feels he needs more help from the community … and that sort of thing. He asked if Lucy and Oliver would be willing to go and speak with him.”

Alice blinked, apparently not buying my vague explanation. “Well, of course. Anything to help. But Lucy and Oliver don’t know Mari that well.” Alice hesitated, then said, “why can’t the detective come here?”

“
He’s very busy and thought it would save time to have them go to the station. I already told Lucy I’d be happy to stay here with you until they return. It shouldn’t take long.” I gestured to the van parked outside the house. “The driver is here to pick them up.”

 
Alice turned her head toward Lucy. “I’m perfectly fine with that, dear. Why don’t you let Oliver know?”

Lucy removed her apron and left the room.

Alice looked up at Carter from her wheelchair. “Okay. Now that Lucy is gone, please tell me what’s really going on.”

I glanced at Carter, who proceeded to shrug in the ‘I told you so’ sort of way. I stalled until I heard the outside door close. “Look, Alice …”

“
Mari is dead, isn’t she?” Alice said.

My breath caught in my throat. I composed myself and said, “Why do you say that?”

“
You’re acting very mysteriously,” she said.

“
I’m sorry. This is hard for me.” I reached out to touch her hand. “Detective James asked if you would agree to a search of your property, including the vehicles.”

“
Sarah … why? What is he expecting to find?”

“
I can’t share that information right now. Not until the detective speaks with Lucy and Oliver. I’m sorry.”

“
What kind of theory do the police have? Surely my caretakers have nothing to do with Mari’s disappearance?”

“
I’m not at liberty to divulge that information.”

Alice closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m telling you, that young couple would never be involved in anything untoward. I’d bet my life on it.”

“
I’m sure you’re right,” I said. “If nothing turns up in the search, they’ll move on with the investigation and look for other leads.”

Alice exhaled. “Okay. I’ll agree to it.”

I made the call to Detective James. He congratulated me for persuading her. However I felt no triumph in the victory.