Page 99 of One of Us Is Guilty

The house was a vast pile, and obscured the ocean behind it, but not the smell. Bloch inhaled deeply. She loved the smell of the sea.

‘Mr. Corbett?’ asked Bloch.

He nodded and handed Bloch his business card. In his other hand he held a set of keys.

B. Corbett, associate at Family Law and Matrimonial Department, Buchanan and Duff, attorneys at law.

‘This shouldn’t take too long,’ said Corbett.

‘It will take as long as it takes,’ said Bloch.

‘How long does it take to appraise a property?’ asked Corbett.

‘To do it properly, it will take some time,’ said Raymond.

‘Can I see your business card?’ asked Corbett, to Raymond.

Raymond said nothing. Bloch said, ‘He’s not in the realtorbusiness any more. He just does private appraisals and valuations for the market.’

‘I’ll need his name for the file,’ said Corbett.

Bloch said, ‘My name is—’

‘I know who you are. You’re Flynn’s enforcer. Sorry, I meantinvestigator. Who is he?’

‘He’s the realtor. He’s with me,’ said Bloch. ‘You’ll see his name on the valuation report whenMr.Flynn serves it on your firm.’

‘Fine, you want to make it that way. No problem. You know, this is a total waste of everyone’s time. The house is a pre-marital asset. There’s no way a judge is going to let this fall into marriage property. Your client is never going to see a dime from this house in the divorce.’

‘I’m not a lawyer. I’m just here to make sure he gets to value the property. Let’s get this done,’ said Bloch.

Without another word, they followed Corbett to the front door. He unlocked it, and as the door opened the security panel in the entrance hall began to beep intermittently. Bloch was on his heels, watching as he punched in a four-digit code into the keypad to shut off the alarm system. As he pressed the hash key, a louder and more satisfying beep echoed through the hallway to signal the deactivation of the intruder warning.

An ornate armchair sat in the corner of the hallway, and Corbett took out his cell phone and folded himself into the chair.

Bloch looked around the vast hallway with its central staircase leading up to the first floor. The house had a nautical theme, with a ship’s wheel above the door, varnished oars nailed to the opposite wall, telescopes and barometers, and natural wood.

A typical grand Hamptons summer house.

‘Don’t take too long,’ said Corbett.

From his heavy black bag, Raymond brought out a light bar and switched it on. Instead of white LEDs, the bar emitted a strange purple glow. He began running it over the floors and walls.

‘What the hell are you doing?’ asked Corbett.

‘Checking for mold and dry rot,’ said Raymond. ‘This is an old house. I don’t want any arguments about the property valuation based on remedial works from the husband’s realtor if they’re not necessary. I know how the game is played.’

Bloch couldn’t resist a smile. Raymond was playing the part. Even if, despite the suit and haircut, he still didn’t quite look the part.

‘This isn’t going to be fast, is it?’ asked Corbett.

Bloch picked up Raymond’s bag, followed him into the kitchen as he swept the light over every surface and said, ‘Get comfortable, Mr. Corbett.’

This was the second time in as many months Bloch had followed Raymond with that strange light. The last time, they were in a much smaller property.

Molly Green’s apartment. A court-sanctioned forensic examination for the defense.

Raymond was Bloch’s forensics guy. Had been for years. He worked from a private lab in the city, and always had time for Bloch. She was one of those people who was good to know. While becoming friends with her wasn’t easy, it paid off, and once they had discovered that they both had a fondness for Hong Kong cinema the friendship became easy.