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“Where is Sophia’s bedroom? That’s where I’d like to start,” Dr. Rolfe says.
“Walk past the dining room, kitchen, and all that, and there are two bedrooms off to the side. The master bedroom is on the third floor, same as you, but you can only access the master through the front staircase. The only way you can get up to his level is to go down to the main level, then back up that front staircase. Or the elevator. Every floor opens up onto a deck. I’d give you the tour, but I’ve really got to skedaddle.”
“Do you know, does he have security cameras?”
“I think he does.” Wayne sniffs. Both hands rest on his hips. “I’d assume he does. You’d have to ask him.”
“Any other employees on the grounds?”
Wayne chuckles. “Yeah, you’d expect a butler or something, right? Nah, that’s not Jack’s speed. There are some rooms in this house that feel like an old lady lives here, but it’s just because he bought it furnished and hasn’t been around enough to prioritize decorating. The library. The formal living room. You’ll know you’re in a room they spend time in if it’s not overdone. My wife keeps asking when he’s gonna remodel the kitchen. It’s French country. Looks fine to me, but my wife says it dates the place. Anyway, you guys can take a look around and form your own opinions.” Two steps later, Wayne stops. “He has a cleaning service. I don’t know when they’re scheduled, but they do have a key. And there’s a gardener. If he’s like mine, he shows up whenever. And a pool cleaner. I use his pool cleaner. He referred him to me. Good guy. Small company. I think he hired someone to cook for a while, but I seem to remember she quit. I could be wrong. Anyway, Jack’ll be home as soon as he can.”
The small apartment to the front of the house had been designed as an in-law suite. The front space includes a small but comfortable sitting area, a full kitchen, and a kitchen table. Two doors lead to bedrooms with private bathrooms. One door in the kitchen opens onto a large balcony with views over a neighboring house. Below the balcony is the driveway extension and the garage doors. At the end of the driveway there is a small wooden gate with a latch and no lock. One door provides access to the in-law suite and one staircase. The windows in the living area and the bedrooms offer views of palms and the manicured courtyards.
I drop my bag on the sofa. These rooms will not be helpful. “You wanna go look around?”
Dr. Rolfe removes her blazer and hangs it over her suitcase. White silk blouses over a leather belt. Silky dark hair covers half her back and spills over her narrow shoulders. Her jeans shape her ass nicely. If this is the kind of outfit she wears to teach, then I can only imagine the side comments from students. I most definitely never had a professor who looked like her. And yet again I question Sullivan’s true motivation in leaning on her for this case.
She opens her tote bag and lifts a 35mm camera and hangs the strap over her neck. She gets a notepad and pen, slips her phone into her back pocket, and says, “Let’s go.”
Alex grips the stairwell with her right hand as we descend. “I don’t think I’d want marble stairs. Would you? If you fell, it would hurt.”
“Do you fall down stairs frequently?”
“I can be a mite clumsy. But so can anyone. I bet these stairs are slippery if you have wet feet. They have a pool and an ocean out front.”
“You don’t approve of the flooring. Noted.”Huh. She’ll drive a car down a runway, but she has an issue with flooring.
“I knew Jack was wealthy, but I didn’t realize how wealthy. Is this family money?”
“He inherited a trust fund at twenty-five. The size of the fund expanded at age thirty. According toForbes, his current estimated wealth far exceeds his trust fund. I don’t know how accurateForbesis, but personally, I would’ve expected a bigger estate based on his estimated net worth.”
“If I remember correctly, he bought this place after Cassandra’s death. He wanted to be close to Sophia’s school. He didn’t want to uproot her.”
“Well, then, why didn’t he move into Cassandra’s house when she died?”
“I don’t know. I’m going to guess she didn’t have a twenty-eight-million-dollar mansion. This might be smaller than what you would expect, but it’s still more posh than I’d expect his ex-wife owned.”
“How’d you learn the value of this house?”
“Searched it online.”Of course she did.
We stop in the kitchen, and I scan the back yard, the wall to the beach, and the narrow fenced in trail leading to the public beachfront.
“I’m going to survey the perimeter. I want to note all the cameras and entry points. When I access the security footage and send it to my team, I want to give them priorities. I’ll meet you back in her bedroom?”
“Yes.” Her eyebrows draw inward. “Touch nothing that might be evidence. Do you have gloves?”
“Dr. Rolfe.”This woman.
“Call me Alex.”
“Fine. Alex…”
I don’t know how to finish with a professional conclusion. I am not inexperienced. She is the one who is inexperienced and acting like she’s on an episode ofSherlock Holmes, presumably pretending to be her father. The woman is Jack Sullivan’s to deal with. I exit the room, intent on my mission.
CHAPTER5
22 Hours Missing
