“Oh, thank you. It was just awful, I tell you,” Belinda needed no further encouragement to retell the tale. “Thomas has been with us for years, and he simply disappeared, overnight. He took my favorite pieces of jewelry, too. It was as if he knew how to hurt me the most.” Belinda took a breath, preparing to go in depth about the missing items.
“Now, Mother, let’s not waste the FBI’s time with our troubles. I’m sure these ladies have more important things to do than look for Thomas.” Though lightly scolding, Graham’s tone also held kindness for his mother’s distress. He was the picture of a caring son.
“But, Graham, they offered to help,” Belinda glanced up at him, then stopped.
“We can get the details from the police report,” Jeri jumped in. “That way, you don’t have to relive something so traumatizing. We’ll do our best to help the police locate your missing items.”
“Thank you.” Belinda nodded, feeling somewhat cheated of the limelight.
“You said you had some questions for me?” Graham stood casually by his mother, one hand on her shoulder.
“Yes, just a few. Would you like to go someplace more private?” Jeri asked.
“No, thank you. I have no secrets from Mother. Please, ask away.”
“Graham, we haven’t even offered the ladies some refreshment. Please ask Sally to bring a tray,” Belinda patted his hand as she spoke.
“No, thank you, Mrs. Grant. That’s very kind of you, but we can’t stay. We have several more appointments this morning,” Jeri apologized. “And I believe Mr. Grant has another meeting. We’ll just get these questions out of the way, then be off.” Jeri became more sure of Graham Grant’s guilt as she watched him interact with his mother. His kind, caring attitude did not match the coldness she read in his eyes.
“If you’re sure.” Belinda nodded, regally.
“Yes, Ma’am,” Jeri smiled again, then made a show of flipping pages in her notepad, as if searching for questions.
“Here we are,” she looked up briefly to see Graham hide his impatience behind a quick smile. “Mr. Grant, could you tell us where you were on Tuesday evening?”
“Yes, of course. I went over the household accounts with Thomas, then retired to my room, early,” Graham answered smoothly, grateful that Thomas was not here to dispute his word.
Jeri nodded, as if accepting his alibi, without question.
“And yesterday afternoon? Where were you then?” she asked.
“I was here, all afternoon, working, up until I joined Mother for dinner.”
Belinda frowned, but said nothing. She specifically remembered that Graham had not joined her for lunch, as he had a meeting in town.
Jeri and Monique noticed Mrs. Grant’s expression, but made no comment.
“Thank you. Mr. Grant, is there another cellar, or storm shelter, on the property, besides the basement beneath this house?”
“No,” Graham answered a little too quickly, while squeezing his mother’s shoulder. “If you’d like to search the basement again, be my guest.”
Belinda went so far as to open her mouth to speak, but the firm pressure from Graham’s hand kept her silent. He must have a good reason for not telling the FBI about the old cellar.
“That won’t be necessary,” Jeri smiled, standing. “We’ve taken up enough of your time. Thank you both for allowing us this visit.” She included Graham in her smile, then turned her attention to his mother. “Mrs. Grant, I hope that your precious belongings are returned. It’s very disheartening when someone you trust betrays you. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“Thank you, Ms. Forbes. I so appreciate your looking into the matter.”
“Of course.”
“I’ll see you both out.” Graham’s smile was not as stiff as before. The fact that they did not wish to search the basement again boosted his confidence.
Jeri and Monique followed him to the door, waiting as he opened it. Before stepping through, Jeri paused, as if with an afterthought.
“Mr. Grant, do you know anyone in Clevestone?” Jeri watched his eyes carefully.
“Clevestone?” He appeared to think about it. “Why, no, I can’t say that I do. Why?” Graham’s heart began beating so hard, he had difficulty not reacting.
“Someone has been dumping bodies there, but I neglected to ask you about it earlier. Thank you for your time,” Jeri stepped through the door. She wondered if Graham Grant felt the sweat that instantly popped out on his brow.
“Well, then, I can assure you that I have no ties to Clevestone.” Graham managed to pull himself together, after the surprise of her question. They obviously didn’t suspect him. Why else would they be leaving? “Oh, ladies, please don’t trouble yourselves with details of the theft. Thank you for indulging my mother, but you shouldn’t be bothered with such a petty crime.”
“It’s no trouble, Mr. Grant. We’re happy to help such upstanding citizens as your mother, and yourself,” Jeri smiled at him warmly. “If we find anything, we’ll let you know.”
“Thank you,” Graham nodded, closing the door as soon as they reached the steps. His heart was still beating much too fast, but the relief he felt outweighed the nerves. Certain that he was in the clear, he took several deep breaths, before rejoining his mother.
“Graham, why on earth didn’t you tell those nice ladies about the old cellar?” Belinda asked as soon as he entered the parlor.
“Because, Mother, I don’t want the feds, or anyone else, snooping around our property. You know that grandfather ran a lucrative liquor business during prohibition. I didn’t want them finding anything that would incriminate us, or give the IRS reason to audit our fortune.”
“Seriously Son, that was eighty-plus years ago,” Belinda scoffed. “No one cares about any of that today.”
“Don’t be so sure, Mother. It’s better safe, than sorry.” Graham poured himself a Scotch, though it was not quite noon.
“I suppose,” Belinda eyed him with speculation. “And why did you tell them that you were here all afternoon, yesterday. I distinctly remember that you had lunch in town.”
“They didn’t ask about lunch, and I returned shortly before two. You were resting, I believe. I spoke with Thomas, then retired to the study, where I worked for the rest of the day, just as I told the ladies.” Graham downed the Scotch, then poured another. “Can I get you a drink, Mother? I know that it’s not yet noon, but it feels like this day has gone on forever.”
“No thank you, Son. I took a nerve pill a little while ago. If you don’t mind, I think I’d like to lie down for a bit.”
“Of course, Mother. Would you like me to help you up the stairs?”
“Thank you, but I can manage. I’m sure you have business to attend. Have Marie bring up a tray in an hour, would you?”
“Yes, Mother.”
~~~
“Leave the drive and pull over about a block away. Make sure to keep us in sight of the house,” Jeri texted Ethan as she spoke to Monique.
“You think that’s him, right?” Monique followed instructions, parking on a side road, but keeping the end of the Grant’s driveway in full view. “That’s why you cut the interview so short, yes?”
“Yes. I asked Ethan to make this flyover the next on the list. He’s obviously not keeping the girl in the house, so he must have a separate building, or cellar. Let’s hope that it’s on the grounds.”
“And if it isn’t, we follow him,” Monique reached in the backseat for her pack. Finding the binoculars took only a moment, she was very well organized.
“Exactly. I tried not to spook him, which is another reason I cut the interview so short. The last thing we want is for him to kill both girls because he thinks we’re onto him.”
“He seemed pretty arrogant, up until you asked him about Clevestone. I though he was going to faint, right then and there.”
“His reaction was telling, but he recovered quickly.” Jeri picked up her phone. “Ethan should be here within thirty min
utes.”
“If he finds a cellar, or something, is that enough for a search warrant, being that Grant lied about having another structure on the property?”
“We’ll make it enough,” Jeri answered, checking her tablet. “Anna sent over a few more images. Hopefully, we won’t need to go that route.”
“What do you make of Thomas the butler departing so suddenly, and taking the family jewels with him?”
“Who knows? It could be a coincidence, or Thomas could have gotten suspicious, after your visit yesterday. Maybe he got too close.”
“You think Grant killed him?”
“It’s possible.” Jeri continued to scan the images.
“Isn’t it also possible that Thomas is our killer? Maybe he was the one we spooked, so he took off.”
“It’s possible, but the man we just met fits the profile, almost to a tee. Not to mention that my gut tingled, as soon as I met him.”
“Ethan told me about your gut feelings.”
“Oh, yeah? What did he tell you?”
“To trust them, so I will.”
“Thanks,” Jeri grinned sideways at Monique. “Did you notice how Mother Grant reacted when we asked about a separate cellar on the property? She was about to spill the beans, I’m sure of it.”
“Yes, I saw Grant’s reaction, too. He didn’t even flinch.”
“He’s an accomplished liar, no surprise there.” Jeri focused on one image in particular. “Check this out, this woman’s age regression looks very similar to Diana Post.”
“You’re right, she does. We should add her to the list. What does that make, four?”
“Yes.”
“It’s a short list, if we do have to interview them.”
“True, and we might, if for no other reason to pinpoint Grant’s connection to Clevestone. It will make for a much tighter case, if we can tie him to someone there.”
“Wouldn’t it be tight enough, if we found the girls on his property?”
“Now that Thomas has disappeared, Grant could make him a scapegoat. Blame it all on the butler. Classic.”
“Sounds like a good reason to help the police find Thomas.”
“Exactly, I’ll have Nate request the files. If Thomas is still alive, he may know something that will help us.” Jeri reached for her phone again, just as a text came through. “It’s Jackson. He says that Jen is going home today.” Smiling, she responded to the news. “I told him to take care of her, and to let us know if he needed anything.”
“That’s great, she’s getting out of the hospital sooner than expected.”
“Not too soon for them, I’m sure. Something tells me that Jackson will have his hands full with that one,” Jeri grinned, waiting for Nate to answer.
“Funny, I was thinking the same thing, but about Jen,” Monique grinned back.
“Hey, Nate, how’s it going?” Jeri asked when Nate came on the line.
“Just doing my best to keep you guys legal,” Nate responded. “It’s been a while, how are you doing? Cassie asked me yesterday if I ever talked to you anymore.”
“I know, Ethan has you on speed dial, but it’s been too long since we’ve spoken. How are Cassie and the baby?”
“Fantastic, thanks. Charlotte is getting into everything, but we love it.” Nate’s pride came through, loud and clear. “You should come back to Charleston soon, see for yourself.”
“We’d love to, but we’ve been a little tied up lately, thanks to one psycho, or another.”
“I know, they never stop coming, do they? Speaking of, I know you didn’t call to chat, what do you need?”
“We think we’ve narrowed down a suspect in the Kansas case, but we need a copy of a police report, and we need to go through the proper channels.”
“Sure thing, what’s the incident?”
“Graham and Belinda Grant, Shawnee County, Kansas, filed a report this morning claiming that their butler, Thomas, disappeared with jewelry and other valuables. Sorry, I don’t know the butler’s last name. I need a copy of the report, and any leads the police may have on Thomas’s whereabouts.”
“No problem. You think the butler did it? Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”
“Funny,” Jeri rolled her eyes. “No, but I think the butler may know something, if he’s still alive. I think Graham Grant is our killer.”
“Right, I’ll get back with you shortly.”
“Thanks, Nate.”
“It’s nice to have such a connected player on the payroll,” Monique commented.
“Yeah, Nate’s the best. If he doesn’t know someone who can pull the strings we need, then he knows someone who knows someone.”
“It really is all about connections, isn’t it?”
“Pretty much, if you want to get anything done through Government channels.”
“It’s the same in Europe,” Monique told her.
“No doubt. Connections, and money, equates to power,” Jeri said wryly. “Wait a minute, do you hear that?”
“Yes, it sounds like a helicopter.”
“Finally, we’re getting somewhere.”
Chapter Eighteen
Graham resisted the urge to pour another Scotch, he needed a clear head to get through the rest of this day. Not only did he have to contend with interviewing candidates to replace Thomas, he had to figure out a way to get rid of Thomas’s body.
Now that he was in the clear, and he truly felt that he was, he could put things to rights, and get back to the business at hand.
Spending time with the girls last night had been lovely, but it was not enough, not nearly enough. He felt cheated of their company, thanks to an interfering busybody, and his meddling mother. How he’d wanted to take one of them to his table, to make her his, once and for all. But he couldn’t, not last night. And not today. But tonight would be different. Tonight, he would finally get to know them both. Very, very well.
Standing by the fireplace, holding an empty glass, he visualized the plans he’d made for the Aubrey wannabes. So lost was he in his depravity, that he didn’t register the helicopter, flying over his home.
“Lunch is served, Mr. Grant.” The raspy voice of Marie, their longtime cook, pierced his reverie.
“Thank you, Marie.” Placing the glass on the mantle, Graham went into the dining room, where the table was set for one.
That’s right, he remembered, Mother is dining in her room.
Cheered by the thought, he sat down and turned his thoughts to Thomas. He must rid himself of the body, and soon. He still liked the idea of letting acid disintegrate the body, but who knew how long that would take. Thomas could become a valuable ally, if suspicion ever turned back to him.
The thought had not yet occurred to Graham, but he liked it. Thomas would make a wonderful patsy, should the need ever arise. He’d left on the very day that the FBI came to call, very suspicious behavior. As long as they never found his body, they would never know the truth. Thomas could be a murderer, just as easily as he could be a thief.
“It’s all about perception,” Graham smiled as he sipped his soup.
~~~
“That looks like tire tracks,” Chloe pointed to a line of depressed grass, leading from the pavement behind the garage, to the gate at the edge of the manicured lawn.
“Let’s follow them, see where they go,” Ethan nodded, motioning to Jeff.
“I remember this house. The basement was totally empty,” Chloe told him as they followed the tracks across the field. “It was strange. Who doesn’t need storage?”
“Apparently the Grants,” Ethan replied. “Jeri is positive that he’s our man.”
“Wait, look there, the tracks lead to a group of trees,” Chloe pointed.
“What’s behind the trees?” Ethan nodded, feeling the excitement grow.
~~~
“Mr. Grant, did you order a helicopter to survey the fields?” Marie asked, bringing in dessert.
“Helicopter? What are you referring to, Marie?”
“There’s a helicopter flying over the fields. It’s been there for about fifteen minutes.”
Ignoring the thick slice of chocolate cake Marie placed before him, Graham jumped up and walked quickly to the window. There, as Marie described, was a helicopter, hovering over the old cellar.
His blood froze.
He knew that, by design, the entrance to the cellar appeared to be a rock pile from the air. The trees in front of the doorway were dense enough to camouflage the entrance, making it virtually impossible to tell, from above, that the pile of rocks was anything more than a blip on the landscape.
Why, then, were they still hovering directly above the rocks?
Was it even legal?
Spurred into action, Graham flew to the phone, calling his friend, the mayor. It was time that all of those campaign contributions paid off.
~~~
“It looks just like one of the other seven rock piles we’ve seen today. I guess it’s easier to put them in one place, rather than to have them removed,” Chloe offered as they stared down at the terrain.
“Yeah, maybe. But there’s something different about this one. It’s too perfect, see? We’ll mark it, come back to it after we view the rest of the property. Let’s keep going, Jeff.”
Halfway into the grid pattern covering the thirty acre estate, Jeff’s voice broke through the headsets.
“We’ve been ordered to leave the premises.”
“By whom?” Ethan demanded.
“Apparently, the owner has connections. He filed a disturbance complaint. I’ve no choice but to take her in.”
“A disturbance complaint? That’s ridiculous! We’re searching for missing kids! That trumps any noise complaint.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, man,” Jeff seemed apologetic as he took the chopper up and away from the Grant property. “I’ve been ordered in, so in we go.”
“He’s afraid of what we’ll find,” Chloe told him.
“Or what we’ve already found,” Ethan answered.
~~~
“Ethan said the chopper’s been ordered off of the Grant property,” Jeri read the text to Monique. “Somebody pulled some strings.”
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