Page 124 of The Dollmaker

“You’ve known him since high school. He knew Kara.”

“He was like a big brother to her in a lot of ways.”

“Did he ever meet Diane?”

“He must have. She and Kara were friends.”Keep an open mind.“What are you suggesting?”

“He’s charming and fun to be around, but how well do you know him?”

“I also served with him. I saw him save a lot of good men.”

Keep an open mind.

“You’re frowning. I’m not trying to make you angry. I’m just asking the question.”

“Vargas asked the same questions about you.”

“She’s a smart agent. She’s willing to look under every rock for this killer.”

“It’s not McLean.”

“Okay.”

He balled up his napkin and tossed it on the table. “Before we go to the lake house, I need to pick up DNA from the county sheriff’s evidence locker and drop it at Shield.”

“What DNA?”

“We found a reference in Kara’s file suggesting there might have been more DNA found on her.”

She shook her head. “I doubled-checked the files. There was only one sample.”

“Knox indicated there’s more filed under an arson case that occurred the day Kara was found.”

“Interesting. Do you want me to test it?”

“Shield Security will do it.”

“It likely won’t be admissible.”

“I’m not looking for admissible. I’m looking for evidence.” He tossed a twenty on the table. “I called yesterday. The sample will be waiting.”

“Then let’s go.”

It took less than an hour to get the samples and drop them at Shield Security before doubling back to Roger’s tree-lined street. Now his. He didn’t want the place. Didn’t want any ties to this past, but until Kara’s killer was found, he knew he’d hold on to the old house.

He parked in the driveway and studied the white clapboard house with the expansive front porch. A massive willow tree draped its long and lazy leaves. The gardens were filled with overgrown boxwoods that cast off an aroma he always associated with the old and titled families of Virginia. As he got out of his car, he looked toward the swing that creaked back and forth. Empty stone planters now sported only dirt and dried vines. The building that had once felt oppressive now only looked lost.

“Roger wasn’t taking care of the place,” Tessa said.

Digging the key from his pocket, he walked up the wide front steps, remembering the time he had sailed down them on an old mattress destined for the dump. Kara had snickered. His mother looked horrified, as if someone had seen and would report back to Roger. She’d always lived in fear Roger would see beyond her beauty to the frightened young girl who’d moved out of her parents’ two-room house in search of love.

The steps creaked under their feet as they climbed to the porch. The old lock was rusted and stiff, but when he wiggled the key back and forth, the tumbler turned. The door begrudgingly swung open, letting in light that illuminated the dust dancing in the air.

He reached for the light switch, knowing from the attorney’s letter the electricity was paid until the end of the year. The dusty chandelier came to life, casting a weak light that couldn’t penetrate the dark, musty rooms. To his right was a large parlor, and to his left the formal dining room. Both sat bare now.

“Where’s the furniture?” Tessa asked.

“Roger told me when I saw him in June that he’d sold off most of it. Said he was simplifying his life.” Sharp hadn’t thought much of it. Hell, he’d always wondered how one man could use all this space. Now as his footsteps echoed in the emptiness, he realized how much Roger had lost.

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