the driving, with his usual luck, he’d have had to park a mile away. Jack was right about the blood pressure, too. He really did need to relax more.
Jack picked the lock on Nikki’s door within seconds and had the alarm deactivated in no time. “Come on in, boys, and I’ll whip us up some breakfast, but first I want to check out a few things. Nik keeps a little office upstairs. I want to go through her things. Mark, see if you can lift anything of importance off her computer. Conway, set the table and get the stuff ready. Scrambled eggs, bacon, whatever you can find. Use her best dishes. This is a party.”
“I am personally going to sign your commitment papers when they cart you off,” Mark said.
Jack laughed all the way up the stairs. He had a bad moment when he saw Nikki’s neat, tidy bedroom. It smelled so much like her that his eyes started to water. He was stunned to see a picture of the two of them on her dresser. Suddenly he wanted to cry the way he’d cried when he was a little kid. He tried to shake off the feeling but his eyes stayed moist. He knew Mark was pretending not to see what he was going through.
“OK, let’s get with it.”
One of the police officers led Isabelle to the side. “Tell me one more time exactly what you saw and the time you saw it.”
Isabelle kneaded her hands. “I came out here in a limousine. You already spoke to the driver. We were right behind the man from the kennel. I got out of the limo when the trainer got out. The gate was dead, the power off. When I left here a few days ago, the power was on and the alarm was on in the house. The trainer said it was on when he left a little while ago. I’ve been…been house-sitting. I wasn’t able to get out here yesterday because I had car trouble. Mrs. Rutledge called the limousine company and had them pick me up. When the trainer finally managed to pry open the gates enough so we could slip through, I saw that the lock on the kitchen door had been picked. I’m assuming it was picked, because I locked it when I left. I set the alarm, too.”
“When did you see the three figures running away?”
“When the trainer was trying to pry open the gates. The dogs were going crazy and it had just started to snow. All I know is there were three of them. They had something over their heads. I don’t know this for sure, but it looked like…like pantyhose or something sheer like that. Whatever it was, it was flesh-colored. Like I said, it was snowing, the flakes were kind of swirling around making it hard to see. I wasn’t wearing my glasses. I need them for distance but since I wasn’t driving, I didn’t have them on. Maybe the trainer could see better than me.”
“Was anything taken from the house?”
“I don’t know. I don’t live here. It doesn’t look like it to me but I can’t be sure. I told you, I’m just house-sitting till Mrs. Rutledge gets back.”
The officer narrowed his eyes slightly. “Where exactly is Mrs. Rutledge? When will she be back? Do you have a way to get in touch with her?”
Isabelle pretended to sigh mightily. “Mrs. Rutledge doesn’t share her personal comings and goings with me. I’m a paid employee. I’m not sure, but I think she’s due back late tonight or tomorrow. No, I do not have a number where she can be reached. It’s not like there are small children here or pets where something could go awry. I told you, I’m just watching the house.”
“Those dogs out there…what’s that all about?”
“Officer, I simply don’t know. I guess Mrs. Rutledge values her privacy. They’re usually just here at night. You’ll have to talk to the trainer if you want to know more about those dogs. Personally, they scare the crap out of me. Is there anything else, Officer? Excuse me, the phone is ringing.”
Isabelle grappled with the wall phone as an arctic blast of air swirled into the kitchen. She didn’t offer a greeting until the door closed behind the officer. Her “hello”
Jack picked the lock on Nikki’s door within seconds and had the alarm deactivated in no time. “Come on in, boys, and I’ll whip us up some breakfast, but first I want to check out a few things. Nik keeps a little office upstairs. I want to go through her things. Mark, see if you can lift anything of importance off her computer. Conway, set the table and get the stuff ready. Scrambled eggs, bacon, whatever you can find. Use her best dishes. This is a party.”
“I am personally going to sign your commitment papers when they cart you off,” Mark said.
Jack laughed all the way up the stairs. He had a bad moment when he saw Nikki’s neat, tidy bedroom. It smelled so much like her that his eyes started to water. He was stunned to see a picture of the two of them on her dresser. Suddenly he wanted to cry the way he’d cried when he was a little kid. He tried to shake off the feeling but his eyes stayed moist. He knew Mark was pretending not to see what he was going through.
“OK, let’s get with it.”
One of the police officers led Isabelle to the side. “Tell me one more time exactly what you saw and the time you saw it.”
Isabelle kneaded her hands. “I came out here in a limousine. You already spoke to the driver. We were right behind the man from the kennel. I got out of the limo when the trainer got out. The gate was dead, the power off. When I left here a few days ago, the power was on and the alarm was on in the house. The trainer said it was on when he left a little while ago. I’ve been…been house-sitting. I wasn’t able to get out here yesterday because I had car trouble. Mrs. Rutledge called the limousine company and had them pick me up. When the trainer finally managed to pry open the gates enough so we could slip through, I saw that the lock on the kitchen door had been picked. I’m assuming it was picked, because I locked it when I left. I set the alarm, too.”
“When did you see the three figures running away?”
“When the trainer was trying to pry open the gates. The dogs were going crazy and it had just started to snow. All I know is there were three of them. They had something over their heads. I don’t know this for sure, but it looked like…like pantyhose or something sheer like that. Whatever it was, it was flesh-colored. Like I said, it was snowing, the flakes were kind of swirling around making it hard to see. I wasn’t wearing my glasses. I need them for distance but since I wasn’t driving, I didn’t have them on. Maybe the trainer could see better than me.”
“Was anything taken from the house?”
“I don’t know. I don’t live here. It doesn’t look like it to me but I can’t be sure. I told you, I’m just house-sitting till Mrs. Rutledge gets back.”
The officer narrowed his eyes slightly. “Where exactly is Mrs. Rutledge? When will she be back? Do you have a way to get in touch with her?”
Isabelle pretended to sigh mightily. “Mrs. Rutledge doesn’t share her personal comings and goings with me. I’m a paid employee. I’m not sure, but I think she’s due back late tonight or tomorrow. No, I do not have a number where she can be reached. It’s not like there are small children here or pets where something could go awry. I told you, I’m just watching the house.”
“Those dogs out there…what’s that all about?”
“Officer, I simply don’t know. I guess Mrs. Rutledge values her privacy. They’re usually just here at night. You’ll have to talk to the trainer if you want to know more about those dogs. Personally, they scare the crap out of me. Is there anything else, Officer? Excuse me, the phone is ringing.”
Isabelle grappled with the wall phone as an arctic blast of air swirled into the kitchen. She didn’t offer a greeting until the door closed behind the officer. Her “hello”
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