Rollo removed a notebook from the back pocket of his dark blue police uniform to take down notes on his interview with the shaken homeowner.
“Okay, maybe some people know that I like using my antiques for their original purposes. But we’re in the middle of nowhere. How could I have anticipated I would be robbed? My property is surrounded by a fifty miles of wilderness on every side. The front of the property has six-foot-tall electric fencing all around the perimeter. And the chest was in a second story bedroom. Who could possibly have gotten in here?”
“We’ll find out soon,” Damien said, kneeling beside the chest where he dusted for prints.
“Have you found anything?” Rollo asked.
“I haven’t found any prints yet, but I’ll take everything back to the lab and get a closer look,” Damien said.
“Is there anything else you can tell me about last night. Did you hear any noises? Are there any usual guests in the house? Any new staff members?” Rollo asked.
“No, nothing like that. Last night was a perfectly ordinary night. I came in from New York and landed my private jet at the Portland airport before taking the helicopter up to my landing pad on the property. When I arrived, I stored my favorite jewels in the chest before bed and then went to sleep like any other night. I don’t know how anyone would even know that I had done that. Do you think someone is watching me?”
“Obviously, someone is studying your movements. That seems to be clear. Whoever stole your jewels knew exactly how to get into a secret compartment in an antique chest of drawers. We aren’t dealing with an ordinary low-level criminal here. This heist was well-planned. If you have any insight into who might be stalking you, then please let me know. It would be very helpful to getting to the bottom of this case and retrieving your stolen items.”
“Well it may be nothing but…”
“Anything is going to help, ma’am,” Rollo said, beginning to grow irritated.
Caitlin had insisted from the beginning that nobody would know anything about her movements, her jewels, or her chest. Obviously she had not been forthcoming.
“When I bought this chest at the Sotheby’s auction, I did mention that I wanted to use it for its original purpose. Come to think of it, I had purchased the black diamond necklace at the same auction. Do you think someone might have overheard me?”
“It’s very possible. Damien, when we get back to the station I want you to look into the registered attendance at that particular Sotheby’s auction.”
“You got it, commander,” Damien said.
“Ms. Somerset, I need a list of every item that was stolen and its approximate value.”
As Damien finished up gathering evidence from the crime scene, Rollo took statements from the staff, hoping to rule them out as suspects. The expertly carved hole in the window glass suggested that the mansion had been broken into the night before. The staff who lived and worked at the mansion would not need to break in from the outside. However, stranger things had been known to happen when employees decided to rob their employers.
Rollo questioned the cook, the maids, the housekeeper, and the groundskeeper. When he had all of their statements he met Damien back out at his police SUV as the Tech Bear was loading his equipment in the back.
“What do you make of this?” Damien asked.
“Loose lips sink ships,” Rollo said.
Caitlin was a notorious blabbermouth who gave interviews and constantly talked about her extravagant lifestyle. Rollo had done the briefest amount of research into the heiress before coming up to investigate the crime scene. Any number of criminals could have known exactly where to find her jewelry.
“She had reason to believe she was safe though,” Damien said, opening the passenger seat of the black SUV with ‘Fate Mountain police’ emblazoned in yellow across the side.
“Whoever stole the jewelry was either an employee or hiked in through the wilderness,” Rollo said, climbing behind the wheel.
“That’s an awfully long hike for an ordinary person,” Damien said.
“A fifty-mile hike is a short distance for a million dollars-worth of jewelry,” Rollo said.
“So we’re looking for somebody who can hike fifty miles in the dark, climb up to a second-story window, and silently slice a perfect hole into glass. Not to mention expertly removing items from a piece of antique furniture.”
“That about sums it up,” Rollo said.
“We’ll have more information once I get this evidence back to the lab.”
Rollo turned around in the circular drive and made his way out towards the main road that would lead him back down into Fate Mountain Village. The Douglas fir trees passed by outside the black tinted windows of the SUV.
“I have to say, this is a first for me as police commander,” Rollo said.
“That isn’t saying much,” Damien said as he stared at his laptop and clicked away on the keyboard. “You’ve only been commander for two years.”