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“But why?”
Dan stared at him, his eyes huge. “Because he’s hiding something.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
DAN LIFTEDthe heavy door knocker and brought it down with a dullclang. His heart pounded; his skin tingled. He was dimly aware of Gary behind him.
Mrs. Cain opened the door, glaring at him. “I shall be reporting this to your superiors.”
“You do that,” Dan murmured, brushing past her and hurrying to the staircase. He climbed it two steps at a time, not bothering to knock at the office door before he barged inside.
Senator Cain was seated at his desk. “What is the meaning of this?” He stared over Dan’s shoulder. “Detective Mitchell?”
Before Gary could utter a word, Dan blurted out, “It’s time to solve this puzzle, Senator.”
“What are you talking about? What puzzle?”
“I was about to ask the same thing.” Mrs. Cain seemed a little breathless, as though she’d run up the stairs.
“Senator, if we might have a word with you—alone.” Dan stared at him.
The senator gave his wife an apologetic glance. “Della, give us a minute, please?”
“But this is—”
“Della.”
She glared at him but said nothing as she withdrew, closing the door behind her.
Senator Cain turned to Dan. “Okay. What’s this puzzle you’re talking about?”
Dan made an effort to breathe evenly. “Have you ever seen a Chinese puzzle box? You know the kind of box I’m talking about, right? The pretty veneered ones where you have to work out in what order to slide the panels to reveal a hidden drawer.” He smiled. “Only it wasn’t a drawer in your case—it was a door.”
Senator Cain stared at him, his brow furrowed. “You’re not making any sense.”
“You know how to open a puzzle box? You need to look for the join in the veneers. It isn’t always obvious, but once you do, the whole puzzle opens up.” He met the senator’s stare. “Everything you’ve told us…. You fed us a packet of disinformation. Just enough truth that we couldn’t see what lay beneath.”
“But youknowwhat lies beneath,” Senator Cain protested. “You know about the affair. I told you everything.”
Dan shook his head. “Not everything. Yes, I believe you loved Cheryl. But there’s still something hidden from view, something you don’t want us to know.” He walked over to the doors that led to the art room. He touched one of them. “This is what it’s all about.”
Senator Cain blinked. “My art collection? But… you just looked at it again.”
Dan stared at him. “I’m not referring to your collection, Senator.” He touched the door again. “I’m talking about this door.”
“If this is the result of one of your… visions, Mr. Porter, then I’m sorry to tell you, it’s led you astray. And I fail to see what bearing a door has on Cheryl’s death.”
“All the same, we’re going to hear him out,” Gary announced. “Unlike you, Senator, I have faith in Dan’s visions.”
Dan fired him a grateful glance before giving the senator his attention.
“I couldn’t understand why someone would have such beautiful doors created—doors you could open to reveal that wonderful collection—and then put furniture in front of them.”
The senator frowned. “The pair are ten feet across. That takes up a lot of room. And the furniture has to go somewhere.”
Dan held up a finger. “There you go again. Disinformation. A grain of truth intended to placate us.” He slid the right-hand door open with a fingertip, then peered into the art room. “No furniture in front of them in here.” Dan walked back to the senator’s desk, slipping his hand into his bag. He held up the folder. “Do you know what this is? It’s the join in the veneer. The first clue how to open this puzzle box you’ve created.” He opened the folder and withdrew a clear plastic sheet filled with strips of negatives. “I knew the answer was somewhere in Cheryl’s files. I kept turning it over and over in my mind, trying to find it, but I couldn’t see it—until just now.” He glanced at Gary. “Lori gave us the answer when she told us what Cheryl said the day she disappeared. ‘It’s been in plain sight all the time.’” Dan held up the sheet. “And she was right.”
“What are those?” Senator Cain’s voice was quiet.
