security, he thought. Leo s birthday.
She handed him the keys, as they stepped up to the big, solid, white painted door, indicating which two from the bunch he would need. One was a simple Yale, but the other was for a five-lever, double-locking mortise. He unlocked them both and opened the door, seeing the sensor light flick on as he did so. He saw the smal control panel at once, and flipped back the lid covering the number pad. He looked at the indicators, then at Kelly Lance.
'This isn't active, is it?'
She shook her head. 'No. If it was there would have been an audible signal as soon as the sensor picked you up.'
Skinner frowned as he stepped into the big, familiar house, in which his wife had grown up, in which he had spent happier times himself.
'How long had they been away?' he asked the woman.
'They advised us last Saturday week that they were driving up to the Adirondacks for a month. We have their telephone number at the lake on our files, for use in the event of an incident.'
'But you haven't had one.'
'No. Everything's been silent since then. But it would have been, wouldn't it, since Mr Grace didn't set the alarm.'
'I know they have a cleaning woman. Is it possible that she could have been in and forgot to reset the pad when she left?'
'That's possible, but unlikely. We require our clients to give us the names of all key-holders, even those who might only have access for a few days. There's no one on their list other than Mr and Mrs Grace themselves, and Dr Sarah Grace Skinner, their daughter.'
'... Who has definitely not been here in the last ten days.' He looked over his shoulder and cal ed to the FBI agents, who were waiting outside.
'Come on in, lads.'
Kosinski stepped into the entrance call, with Brand close behind.
'Everything okay, sir?' he asked.
Skinner shook his head. 'No. My brain's not working very well. Have you got a number for Lieutenant Schultz?'
'Yes, sir.' He dipped two fingers into the breast pocket of his jacket and drew out a business card.
The Scot's cellphone was in his hand as he took it from him. He glanced at it to make sure that he was tuned into a network, and dial ed the number shown. 'New York State Police, Loudonville,' drawled a nasal operator.
Schultz was in his office. 'Deputy Chief Skinner,' he said. 'What can I do for you?'
'You can find the guy who kil ed Leo and Susannah. Failing that, tell me something. Before I got there yesterday, were there any personal effects removed from the house? Specifical y, I mean keys.'
'No, sir, none at all. That was in accordance with your request.
However, since your visit we have removed certain valuable or sensitive items; the books, for example. And keys will be among those; let me check, please. This may take a moment. Would you like me to cal you back?'
'No, I'l hold.'
As it happened, Schultz was gone for less than a minute. 'I have them here, sir. I'm looking at al the keys that were recovered from the cabin.'
'Okay. I'm looking for a brass five-pointed key, with no manufacturer's name, and for aYale-type latchkey, again without a manufacturer's name.'
'They were supplied by my company,' Kelly Lance whispered to him.
'As part of our security they are unmarked in any way.'
'No, sir,' Schultz replied, in a slow, deliberate tone, after a few seconds'
perusal. 'I have nothing like that here. I two Chubb keys, and two mailbox keys, and that's al .' He paused. 'Can I ask what this is about, sir? Do you have a problem in Buffalo?'
'I think we might have. In fact, I think your investigation's just moved about three hundred miles west.'
'We'd better get there, in that case. I'll clear it with my boss.'
'Put a hold on that for a bit,' said Skinner. 'I'l have a look around here; after that we'll get back to you.' He ended the call and turned to the two special agents. 'Leo Grace might have been over seventy,' he told them, 'but he was as meticulous a man as I ever met. No way did he call 72
Ms Lance's office to
She handed him the keys, as they stepped up to the big, solid, white painted door, indicating which two from the bunch he would need. One was a simple Yale, but the other was for a five-lever, double-locking mortise. He unlocked them both and opened the door, seeing the sensor light flick on as he did so. He saw the smal control panel at once, and flipped back the lid covering the number pad. He looked at the indicators, then at Kelly Lance.
'This isn't active, is it?'
She shook her head. 'No. If it was there would have been an audible signal as soon as the sensor picked you up.'
Skinner frowned as he stepped into the big, familiar house, in which his wife had grown up, in which he had spent happier times himself.
'How long had they been away?' he asked the woman.
'They advised us last Saturday week that they were driving up to the Adirondacks for a month. We have their telephone number at the lake on our files, for use in the event of an incident.'
'But you haven't had one.'
'No. Everything's been silent since then. But it would have been, wouldn't it, since Mr Grace didn't set the alarm.'
'I know they have a cleaning woman. Is it possible that she could have been in and forgot to reset the pad when she left?'
'That's possible, but unlikely. We require our clients to give us the names of all key-holders, even those who might only have access for a few days. There's no one on their list other than Mr and Mrs Grace themselves, and Dr Sarah Grace Skinner, their daughter.'
'... Who has definitely not been here in the last ten days.' He looked over his shoulder and cal ed to the FBI agents, who were waiting outside.
'Come on in, lads.'
Kosinski stepped into the entrance call, with Brand close behind.
'Everything okay, sir?' he asked.
Skinner shook his head. 'No. My brain's not working very well. Have you got a number for Lieutenant Schultz?'
'Yes, sir.' He dipped two fingers into the breast pocket of his jacket and drew out a business card.
The Scot's cellphone was in his hand as he took it from him. He glanced at it to make sure that he was tuned into a network, and dial ed the number shown. 'New York State Police, Loudonville,' drawled a nasal operator.
Schultz was in his office. 'Deputy Chief Skinner,' he said. 'What can I do for you?'
'You can find the guy who kil ed Leo and Susannah. Failing that, tell me something. Before I got there yesterday, were there any personal effects removed from the house? Specifical y, I mean keys.'
'No, sir, none at all. That was in accordance with your request.
However, since your visit we have removed certain valuable or sensitive items; the books, for example. And keys will be among those; let me check, please. This may take a moment. Would you like me to cal you back?'
'No, I'l hold.'
As it happened, Schultz was gone for less than a minute. 'I have them here, sir. I'm looking at al the keys that were recovered from the cabin.'
'Okay. I'm looking for a brass five-pointed key, with no manufacturer's name, and for aYale-type latchkey, again without a manufacturer's name.'
'They were supplied by my company,' Kelly Lance whispered to him.
'As part of our security they are unmarked in any way.'
'No, sir,' Schultz replied, in a slow, deliberate tone, after a few seconds'
perusal. 'I have nothing like that here. I two Chubb keys, and two mailbox keys, and that's al .' He paused. 'Can I ask what this is about, sir? Do you have a problem in Buffalo?'
'I think we might have. In fact, I think your investigation's just moved about three hundred miles west.'
'We'd better get there, in that case. I'll clear it with my boss.'
'Put a hold on that for a bit,' said Skinner. 'I'l have a look around here; after that we'll get back to you.' He ended the call and turned to the two special agents. 'Leo Grace might have been over seventy,' he told them, 'but he was as meticulous a man as I ever met. No way did he call 72
Ms Lance's office to
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