Page 23 of Max's Mission

“Do you have Tad’s keys?” Max asked as Gallagher wrapped evidence tape around the suitcase.

The agent looked up with a frown. “Why?”

Max lifted a shoulder. “Just being thorough.” His hope was maybe there was one on there Margot recognized, or one they could trace. He was also curious why they weren’t with the other items.

“They’re in my office.”

“Is that in this building?”

“It is, yes.” Gallagher finished the suitcase and set it on its wheels. “Let’s put all these back in the cage and I’ll take you up there.”

“Sounds good.” Max reached for a box.

Between the three of them, it only took a minute to get everything back behind the fencing. With it all locked up, Gallagher led them from the room. Winding back through the maze of cars, they reentered the main building, then took the elevator to the third floor and turned down a long hallway.

Halfway down the corridor, the agent stopped and unlocked a door. Entering, he flipped on the lights, then crossed to the desk.

“Here you go.” He scooped up an evidence bag from the desktop and passed it to Max.

Taking the bag, Max turned it over in his hands, examining the keys. “You said these were on the body you pulled from the lake?”

“Yeah. We’ve run them for prints, but the water erased anything usable.”

Max stepped closer to Margot and tipped the bag toward her. “Do you recognize any of the keys?”

She took it from him, peering through the plastic. After a moment, she pointed to one. “That’s our house key.”

Gallagher’s gaze sharpened. “You’re sure?”

“Yes. I put that red nail polish on it myself. He could never remember which key it was, so I marked it. I did the same to mine, and to the keys for my new house in Costa Rica.”

“She did.” Max glanced at the agent. “I’ve seen her house keys. The tops of both are painted red.”

“Do you recognize any of the others, Dr. Gaultier?”

Margot peered through the plastic again, slowly shaking her head. “No. I don’t think so. One looks like a bank deposit boxkey, but I don’t know what it would be to. I have a safe deposit box, but Tad never had access to it.”

“Why not?”

“It’s a family thing. My parents opened it for me when I was born and put a selection of family heirloom pieces in it. I’ve only ever looked in it once and that was when they gave me the keys when I turned twenty-one. I opened the box, withdrew all the contents and moved it to a bank of my choice.”

“What’s in it, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Just jewelry and some coins. It’s part of my inheritance, but I’ve never touched it.”

“Are these traceable pieces?” Gallagher crossed his arms. “I’ll be honest, Dr. Gaultier. I looked you up. I know what kind of background you come from. It surprises me that you don’t live a more lavish lifestyle.”

“Yes, well, my family’s lavish lifestyle meant I had a lonely childhood. And I don’t need—or want—my parents’ money to provide for my daughters. I vowed the day I opened the box that using its contents would be an absolute last resort.”

“You turned your back on your family’s wealth?” He raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“Yes. It’s never brought anything but loneliness and heartache for me. As for your question about whether the items are traceable, I imagine some of them are, yes.”

“Do you have paperwork on them? Provenance or insurance?”

“I do.”

“Is there any chance your ex-husband could have accessed the box?”

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