Lie of the Needle(46)
“Methinks he didst protest too much, though?” Eleanor’s whisper seemed to echo my thoughts as I suddenly had a picture in my mind of watching Roos, hard at work flirting. Had he been trying too hard? Had there been a run-in with some real homosexuals, or had he made a pass at someone in the Raven?
I frowned. “The fact that Roos’s cameras were stolen from the carriage house suggests he may have captured something incriminating on film. A bribe, a drug deal, perhaps. Maybe it wasn’t a straightforward robbery after all. What was so inflammatory in his photos that someone, maybe in politics or some other high position in society, would want covered up?” I almost didn’t realize that I’d spoken aloud.
“Good.” Serrano nodded at me in approval. “I like the way you’re thinking now, Daisy. You need to keep your mind open to all possibilities.” He drained his mug and set it on the counter. “Hungry, Eleanor?”
“Yes, ravishing. I mean, ravenous.”
He grinned at her. “Want to grab a bite at the diner?”
Eleanor nodded and bestowed her best cat smile on him. Serrano took her arm, and they turned to leave.
“Wait!” I said. “So, did you manage to get the, um, body out of the attic?”
Serrano raised his eyebrows. “Yup. But as Angus had predicted, it was a helluva job. Not a pretty sight.”
I shuddered as I tried not to imagine the scene.
“One good thing was he was wrapped in a drop cloth before he was spray-foamed, though. We still may be able to get some clues.”
“Do you know if he was dead before he was made part of the attic?” Eleanor asked.
“Not yet.”
Even if Martha had brought some treats, I’d have lost my appetite by now.
“Someone must have driven the truck loaded with drums of the stuff over from the construction site. There’s a limited number of people who would know how to operate that truck and know where the keys were kept. That’s why my number one suspect is our favorite builder.”
“Beau Cassell? But why?” I asked.
“Because he doesn’t have an alibi for the night of the murder. And because he’s an arrogant bastard. That always gets my attention.”
“So are a lot of people I could name.”
The corner of Serrano’s mouth quirked up slightly.
“But why rush up into the attic and expose a body that you know you just hid up there?” I said. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“The arrogance that makes him think he can’t be caught. And apparently if that high-density closed-cell foam is applied too thickly, the way it was, it creates intense heat within its core. It’s like the molten center of a volcano. Cassell was right to alert everyone that it was a dangerous situation. The whole thing could have exploded.”
“Is that what someone wanted to happen? A massive explosion that burned the house to the ground, taking the evidence with it?”
Serrano glanced at Eleanor. “Ready, Ms. Reid? Where’s your coat?”
“Didn’t wear one.”
He shook his head as he slipped off his jacket and wrapped it around her. I pictured the residual heat of his body in the silk lining warming Eleanor’s slim frame. “See ya, Daisy. Thanks for the coffee.”
They hurried toward the door, his hand against the small of her back.