Stranger on the Shore - lanyon Josh (лучшие бесплатные книги txt) 📗

“And he used to sleep in the nursery?”

“He was an inside dog. I don’t know where he slept.”

“Was he inside the house that night? Was he upstairs with you and Diana? Was he in the nursery?”

Pierce considered. “Maybe. I don’t remember. Is this like that Sherlock Holmes story? The one about the dog that didn’t bark in the night?”

“I think so, yes. Nobody has mentioned the dog barking. Michaela’s dogs yap every time a stranger walks into the room. But there’s no mention of Corky barking that night. There was a baby monitor in the nursery, so people would have heard.”

“The dog didn’t bark. I would have remembered that.”

“Right. And it seems to me like most dogs would bark if a stranger walked into a room at night. Dogs have a protective instinct, don’t they?”

“Usually. Ours always did.” Pierce was silent. “But like I said, Corky wasn’t exactly guard dog material. And he might have been sleeping in the room with Diana and me. But I see where you’re going with this. You think whoever took Brian was known to the dog?”

“Yes. Unless Brian did get up and walk out on his own two feet.”

“I don’t think that helps us much. The dog knew every person on the estate.” Pierce smoothed back Griff’s cowlick. “You’ve got quite a bruise there. I’m surprised you don’t have a black eye or two.” His kiss on Griff’s bump was gentle.

The tenderness was unforeseen and maybe alarming. Griff had no idea how to respond. He was probably misreading it anyway. He smiled absently, stroked Pierce’s thigh. He said thoughtfully, after a time, “You don’t seem like a guy who would have a tattoo.”

“I’m not. That was me trying too hard to prove something.”

“To who?”

“Maybe to myself.”

Griff thought this over. “You never thought of getting the tattoo removed? That can be done, right?”

“I believe in learning from past mistakes, not trying to erase them.”

Griff tilted his face to meet Pierce’s rueful eyes. He smiled. “Me too.” He reached up to pull Pierce down for a kiss.

* * *

Despite the fact that it was Saturday and Pierce did not have to go into the office, he had some kind of formal Bar Association luncheon to attend. Griff, freshly showered and sitting cross-legged on the foot of the bed in his jeans, watched him fasten his snowy shirt sleeve with a gold cufflink.

“Something funny?” Pierce looked up, catching him mid-grin.

“I don’t think I know anyone who wears cufflinks.”

Pierce sighed. “Are you going to make fun of my clothes again?”

“No.” Griff couldn’t help asking, “Do you wear tie clips?”

“Sometimes.” Pierce picked up Griff’s T-shirt and tossed it in his face. “Happy?”

Griff laughed and pulled the soft cotton down. “Hey, has Muriel had her portrait painted lately?”

“Not that I’m aware of. But I’m not sure I would know.”

“The guy who steered me to where Alvin is living now said that Alvin painted a lot of middle-aged women. He called it the cougar club.”

Pierce’s eyebrows hit his hairline. “You’re suggesting Muriel is having an affair with Alvin?”

“What do you think?”

“I’ve known Muriel all my life. I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve never seen her show any interest in a member of the opposite sex. Or the same sex, for that matter.”

Griff thought it over. “Okay. So maybe there isn’t any sexual or romantic relationship. Maybe she met him some other way and recognized a unique opportunity and a relatively small window of time to realize it.”

“Two problems. DNA. No one could have anticipated that Jarrett, let alone the others, would waive the idea of paternity testing. I’d have bet money it would never happen. Second, the ongoing question of Tiny Teddy. Where the hell did he get that bear?”

“He either really is Brian or whoever took Brian gave him that Teddy Bear.”

Pierce stared at him. “You’re saying you think Brian was taken by a member of the family?”

“Well, yes. I thought we were in agreement on that. Isn’t that what you were saying the other night?”

“Hell no. I don’t believe one of the Arlingtons took Brian. I’ve known every member of that family my entire life.”

Griff opened his mouth, but he didn’t want to argue with Pierce. Not now. He changed his words. “Okay, not necessarily the family. There are still a couple of people on staff who were employed when Brian disappeared.”

Pierce threw him a deprecating look, not bothering to reply.

“I tried to interview May Chung and she said I should talk to Nels Newland.”

“Talk to him about what?”

“I don’t know. But she seems to think there’s something relevant to the investigation.”

“I don’t buy it.”

Griff expelled an exasperated breath. “Then what? Because I don’t see how Odell Johnson could be part of this.”

“It follows that we’re looking for someone else. Someone who has not ever been on the radar.”

“But then we’re back to this unknown kidnapper somehow coming into contact with Leland Alvin and using him to impersonate Brian. It’s too farfetched. It doesn’t make sense.”

Pierce looped his tie around his neck and knotted a half-Windsor without bothering to look in the mirror. Tip of the tie to top of his belt buckle, it was the perfect length. “That much we agree on.”

“Maybe the problem is we’re trying to connect two unconnected things.”

“I’m not following.”

Griff shook his head. “I’m not exactly sure. Not yet.” He picked up his T-shirt and dragged it over his head. He crawled across the mattress to the side of the bed, hunting for his socks. He grabbed one sock and pulled it on.

Pierce was still watching him. “If you’ve got a theory—”

“You’ve heard as much of a theory as I’ve got. I think we have to take each of these elements and examine them individually. Not try to connect them at all.” Griff located his other sock and pulled it on. He bounced off the bed and started looking for his chucks.

“Brian’s kidnapping is not related to Leland Alvin showing up?”

“Well, obviously it’s connected in that Brian had to disappear for Leland to have an opening. But that couldn’t have been planned at the time of Brian’s disappearance.”

“I agree it’s unlikely.” Pierce glanced at his watch. “I’m late. You’re going back to Winden House now, I assume?”

Griff nodded, shoving his foot into his tennis shoe. He looked up as Pierce crossed the gleaming floor to him.

“Just remember the walls have ears.” Pierce’s hand locked behind Griff’s head and he drew him in for a quick and thorough kiss.

* * *

Come to think of it, he didn’t need to worry about the Arlingtons asking him to leave. As Griff pulled into the front courtyard of Winden House, he remembered that he was supposed to be departing the next day anyway. His vacation week was over. Tomorrow he would be on his way back to Janesville.

He turned off the Karmann Ghia and sat for a few moments listening to the engine ticking over, studying the white and impervious facade of the mansion.

Slowly an idea began to formulate. He pulled out his cell and phoned Pierce, but Pierce did not pick up and the call went to message.

Griff said, “Here’s a thought. Maybe Alvin isn’t afraid to consider DNA testing because he’s Marcus’s son. Maybe they’re acting together. Maybe they think the results would be close enough. Maybe the results would be close enough given that neither Matthew nor Gemma is around for comparison.”

Griff was no expert on DNA, but he knew it all came down to genetic markers and probability values. If the father was deceased or his DNA was not available, the DNA of a parent or sibling could be used to establish a high probability of paternity. So if the sibling actually was the father, the genetic markers would be present. The danger would be too many genetic markers might be present, but that was a comparatively small risk in a case like this where the family wanted to be convinced.