Page 8 of Midnight Secrets

“Never assume.”

“Huh?”

“Never assume. Because assumptions can be and are often wrong.”

“Oh.” He had a point, but I doubted I’d have done anything differently. As I said, I’d seen it several times.

“All right. So, you and your colleague split up. What happened then?”

“I went upstairs. When I got to the landing, I realized I’d need to touch the doorknobs to check the rooms, and I hesitated.I didn’t want to smudge any prints if it was indeed a burglary. That’s when I noticed the master bedroom door was open.”

He tipped his head, a slight furrow between his brows. “You sound like that’s unusual.”

“It is. I have this habit where I close doors at my listings. It started as something I did after an open house to make sure no one was hiding in any of the rooms. I do it after showings and when I take listing photos, too, so I know I didn’t miss anything. And I know I shut that bedroom door when I left Friday. Since the Hammonds were out of town, it made me wonder why the door was open. No one else should have come through the house.”

“Why were you in the house on Friday?”

“To take pictures for Lynne. She couldn’t meet me here that day to do a walkthrough, but we wanted to get the staging set up as soon as possible, so I took pictures for her Friday night. The Hammonds left earlier that afternoon for Boston, right after they signed the papers contracting me to sell the house.”

He nodded. “Okay. Continue. What did you do after you noticed the open door?”

“I went inside. The room was a mess. Covers half off the bed, a lamp on the floor. Clothes—everywhere.” My hands fluttered.

“How did you find Mrs. Hammond? She was on the far side of the bed, not visible from the doorway.”

“After I saw the mess, I wanted to check the closet. I noticed a floor safe when we did our first walkthrough, and I wanted to make sure it hadn’t been tampered with.” I swallowed hard and moisture gathered in my eyes. “I didn’t make it that far. I saw her and—” I broke off and closed my eyes, sucking a breath in through my nose.

Forcing the thoughts away, I looked at the detective. “I left the room and called 9-1-1.”

He made a note. “What happened after that?”

“Lynne and I left the house to wait outside like the dispatcher asked us to.”

Again, his head bobbed. “Okay. I think I have what I need from you for now. I’ll?—”

I held up a hand. “What about Mr. Hammond?”

Detective Quartermaine paused. “We haven’t spoken to him yet. Wait.” He narrowed his eyes, then glanced around the yard. “Did you find him dead too?”

I could see a healthy dose of skepticism in his expression, but also a smidge of doubt.

“No. I didn’t leave the front porch after I called the police. But I am wondering if he’s dead somewhere on the property. They weren’t supposed to be here, and they were supposed to be together in Boston. Have your officers looked for him?”

“They have, Ms. Holmes. There is no one else on the grounds.”

My shoulders slumped. “That’s a relief.” But another thought hit me, making me tense again. “But if he’s not here, then where is he?” My eyes widened. “Do you think whoever killed Mrs. Hammond kidnapped him?”

Officer Turner coughed. He raised a fist to cover his mouth and cast a quick look at Detective Quartermaine. I narrowed my eyes, studying the officer’s face, then looked at the detective. A smirk played with his firm lips.

A frown took over my expression. “You think I’m nuts, don’t you? Some airheaded blonde who’s spouting wild conjecture?” I crossed my arms and glared at Detective Quartermaine. “Who’s assuming now, hmm?”

Turner covered a laugh with another cough. Detective Quartermaine returned my glare.

“I have your statement, Ms. Holmes. Don’t worry about Mr. Hammond. I’ll track him down, I assure you. In the meantime, ifyou hear from him, let me know and have him call me.” He took a card from another pocket and held it out to me.

I took the white rectangle from his fingers. “May I leave now?”

“Yes. But stay available in case I have more questions.” He said the last as he backed away, his attention turning to Lynne, who was no doubt next on his list of people to interview. I hoped he was friendlier to her than he was to me.

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