Page 40 of Gem Warfare

Garrett shrugged. “Yeah, but he sure as hell didn’t bury himself. Even if it were a suicide, someone covered it up. That’s a bunch of laws broken. I’m leaning towards homicide.”

“Did you find a bullet?”

“No, but it’s also possible he was killed elsewhere and transported there. The spent bullet could be as close as inside the house but if so, there have been substantial renovations so it’s unlikely we’ll unearth the exact spot he was killed. I have crime scene techs going over the house this afternoon.”

“I’m glad you didn’t tell Mom and Dad that.”

“I didn’t think it would go down well. Best they find out for themselves. Then they only have their own nosiness to blame. Although Dad would know I’d call the techs in since I hadcadaver dogs go over the house and I left a uniform posted outside.”

“I feel like someone would have heard a gunshot in our neighborhood.” We’d reached the sidewalk and I looked around, conscious of how quiet it was. Here was your average neighborhood. Kids shouting and laughing after school and on weekends, the sounds of lawnmowers and barbecue parties, cars shuttling residents around. We were not a neighborhood of crime so prevalent it went unnoticed.

“You would think so but it depends on when it happened. July Fourth? Nope. It would sound like a firework. Super Bowl? Over that kind of noise, unlikely. Even if it were just a regular night, they’re on the corner lot. Mom says the neighboring house could have been empty, and a small caliber weapon wouldn’t make a lot of noise. Maybe the TV was on, or music was playing. Plus, no one is going to remember the sound of a pistol pop from back then.”

“What are the chances of finding the bullet at all?” I wondered.

“It’s remote, but it might be worth taking another look in the yard once we’ve gone over the house. The ME took a sizeable amount of dirt with her from around the body so we might strike it lucky. I’m not holding my breath.” Garrett’s phone buzzed. He checked the screen and stuck it back into his pocket, then pulled out his car keys. “I’ll pick you up at three thirty to go see the forger?”

I nodded. “Thanks.”

We parted ways, Garrett’s lack of confidence in finding further evidence lowered my mood after I’d been so pleased about my mom’s stream of information. However, by the time I reached the office, I remained reasonably confident that I could put the Dugans’ minds to rest and get them returned to their home relatively scandal free. Garrett seemed to have nosuspicion about them or their involvement and I was sure they would be pleased to hear that.

Back at the office, I spent the next hour looking through property records, confirming my mother’s memory was extremely efficient. While I didn’t find a Smithson or the Langs, that didn’t surprise me since they’d been tenants. I did find an owner for the time period named Elsie Greenberg. Further digging revealed she owned four duplexes and a small apartment building, plus a single family home in Bedford Hills. The last address had to be her own home. Clearly, the property business had paid off.

There was little else available online about Elsie Greenberg, which was disappointing, but I found a marriage license to a Leon Greenberg fifty years ago, and birth records of two children, Elon and Naomi. Elsie was close to eighty years old. After scrolling several pages, I found an old business article with a photo of a woman in a dark dress beneath a cloud of graying hair. The article was about home offices being all the rage and Elsie was quoted as saying keeping her overhead low meant she could pass the savings onto her tenants. Apparently, she’d never consider hiring office space and her husband was happy to run his construction business from their Bedford Hills home too.

When my phone rang, I wasn’t surprised to see Maddox’s name flash up.

“Thought I’d check in and see if you’re as bruised as me,” he said.

“I’m barely bruised. The woman who tackled me thankfully broke my fall. You looked okay,” I said.

“I felt fine. Then, when I woke up this morning, my wrist hurt like heck. The doc thinks it’s a sprain.”

“Sorry to hear it.”

“Worst things have happened. Did you file your report?”

“Shoot! No, I didn’t. Thanks for the reminder.”

“No problem. I hear you got a case that distracted you.”

“Garrett mentioned you called.”

“I didn’t hear it from him.”

“Jord?” I guessed.

“Nope.”

“You’re enjoying this.”

“Always. Your mom told me. She wanted to know if the FBI should get involved in the case. I said no unless there were more bodies. I’m not sure if she were relieved or annoyed. It seemed to be a mixture of both.”

“Garrett confirmed there aren’t any more bodies.”

“Guess that means I don’t have to swoop in. I heard there was a fortune in jewels found on the body. Whatcha looking at?”

“I’m sure Garrett told you that it’s supposed to be a secret.”

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