Page 63 of Dirty Looks

Jack whistled shrilly and everyone stopped to look at him. “I need everyone to go with Detective Martinez,” he said. “Dr. Graves and I need to look at the scene.”

“I’ll not have my father’s reputation ruined because the police start spreading rumors,” Phin said, blocking Jack fromthe room. “You’ll sign an NDA before you leave this house and if any photos or information leak to the media that’s not approved by the board of directors then we will own this entire town before we’re done suing you.”

“Step aside, Phin,” Jack said. “I appreciate that you know what you’re doing in a boardroom, but you should read the law before you say anything else that stupid. Now go with Detective Martinez and once other officers arrive you’ll be giving statements individually.”

Phin took a step toward Jack, but Jack didn’t budge. “Listen, Phin. I get that your family has fallen apart the last couple of days, and that you’re under a lot of stress. Don’t add to it by getting arrested for impeding an investigation. The longer you keep me out here the longer it takes for us to see to your father.”

“Come on, Phin,” Everett said, pulling his brother out of the way. “Let them do their jobs.”

I moved past Jack and everyone else, pulling gloves from my bag and then handing another pair to Jack.

“Did you touch anything?” Jack asked Geoffrey.

I turned the knob and opened the door to the office.

Geoffrey’s face blanched and he started to shake his head, but he froze. It was easy to see why. Robert Lidle sat slumped over his desk, a revolver in his hand, and a small hole at his temple. The smell of blood and death was fresh.

This space was different than the rest of the house. It was dark and masculine with wood-paneled walls and black modern light fixtures. There were double doors leading out into a patio and garden area, and I thought that must have been the place he snuck out to smoke because I could smell a faint tinge of cigars beneath the powdery scent pumped through the ventilation system.

“Did you touch him?” Jack asked again.

“I’m not sure,” Geoffrey said. “I heard the shot and then ran in. And he was there. I went to check on him, but I could see…”

I walked across a thick ivory rug that looked like it hadn’t been completed on the loom, but I was sure was very expensive, and to the massive black desk. Robert Lidle still gripped the .22 revolver in his right hand.

Jack followed behind me and stood over the body with his hands on hips, eyeing the scene.

“No signs of struggle,” Jack said, looking over the desk, and then he turned to look at Geoffrey who still stood ramrod straight just outside the door, his gaze not veering from the scene. “Did Mr. Lidle keep a weapon in his desk?”

“He did,” Geoffrey said. “A .22 revolver.”

“Walk me through what happened,” Jack said. “Every detail that you can remember.”

“We received a call from the hospital early this morning,” he said as if reciting notes off a card. “I believe it was before six, but you can check the phone records for accuracy. I answered Mr. Lidle’s phone, as that is part of my duties, and I learned that Mrs. Lidle had passed away shortly before. I alerted Molly and Alex, and then I drove to the main house and woke Mr. Lidle to give him the news. He was understandably upset.”

“Mmhmm,” Jack said. “Keep going.”

“Molly called Ms. Janet and Mr. Everett,” he continued stiffly, Jack’s response obviously pricking his pride. “Mr. Phineas was staying here, so I went to his suite and woke him. They left for the hospital a little after seven o’clock. The others met them there.”

“You and Molly stayed here at the house?” Jack asked.

“We did,” he said.

“When was the last time you saw Astrid Nielsen?”

“I’m not sure,” he said. “Mr. Lidle and I have been out of town. She lives in one of the staff houses.”

“You haven’t seen her this morning?”

“No,” he said.

“What time did the family arrive back here?”

“Mr. Lidle and Mr. Phineas arrived just after nine o’clock. Ms. Janet and her husband and Mr. Everett arrived before ten.”

“So everyone was here together maybe fifteen minutes before we arrived?” Jack asked.

“Yes, that would be correct.”

---