X (Kinsey Millhone 24)

As I sat down, I said, “Oh.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Hang on a minute. I think I just figured out what’s going on.” I stood up again and moved to the door. “As soon as I take a look at something, I can tell you if I’m right.”

Ari followed me out of the office and down the hall. When I reached the elevator, I pressed the Down button and waited while he caught up.

“I take it Stella’s pissed because you canceled the honeymoon?”

“What’d she expect? I told her I wouldn’t go until I knew what Teddy was up to. I leave and she’s free to do anything she wants.”

“Don’t be dense, Ari. You canceled because you don’t want to spend time with her. You and Stella are a bust. Get the marriage annulled.”

“And then what?”

“Ask Teddy’s forgiveness and beg her to take you back.”

“She won’t do it. You think she’d do that?”

The elevator door opened and we stepped in. I pressed “B” for the basement level and the doors eased shut. We both stood there, facing forward, while the elevator descended with scarcely a sound.

“Have you ever apologized?”

“For what?”

“For screwing around, Ari. What do you think? Why don’t you just tell her you’re sorry?”

“I am sorry. And I mean that. Dumbest and worst thing I ever did, and I have no excuse.”

“Because what you did was inexcusable.”

“Yeah, but she was a little quick off the mark with divorce papers.”

“Quit trying to shift the blame. Teddy’s not the type to put up with any crap. Stella doesn’t seem remorseful in the least, and that only compounds the injury.”

The elevator door opened onto the gloom of the basement and I gestured Ari ahead of me. “You lead. I’ll get lost. I want to take a look at those CCTV monitors.”

We proceeded through the basement until we reached the room where all the CCTV monitors were set up. A man in uniform sat tilted back in his chair, one foot on the edge of the counter, while he scanned the views. When he realized Ari was there he removed his foot, sat up, and assumed a posture of professional attention. Most cameras were focused on empty rooms and long, empty corridors. The system rotated through a series of static shots, revealing nothing except the well-lighted interiors.

Ari said, “This is Duke. Kinsey Millhone.”

We nodded at each other. Duke was young and didn’t strike me as someone with much experience. The task he’d been given is tougher than it looks. Try to pay strict attention to a set of gauges or dials, or stare out at the empty horizon from the pilothouse of a ship, and you’ll find your mind wandering, making you less effective with every minute that goes by.

As we watched, the cameras continued their silent surveillance.

The chef was in the kitchen, and I could see a maid in uniform vacuuming the living room. No one in the dining room. Downstairs hall. Front door. Bedroom. Bedroom. Living room again; maid still vacuuming. Study. There was something hypnotic about the process.

I said, “I’ll tell you what’s been bothering me. I could see what was right there in front of me, but I didn’t know what it meant. I spoke to Christian Wednesday night and he couldn’t have been more relaxed.”

“You should have called and told me. Why’d you talk to that bum?”

“Don’t interrupt while I’m trying to help.”

There were two rolling chairs available. I pulled one over to the bank of screens and took a seat. Ari pulled the second chair into place next to mine.

“I met Teddy yesterday and she behaved as though she had all the time in the world. Neither she nor Christian gave any indication they had pressing business to conduct, let alone a crime to commit. No sign of anxiety. No whiff of nerves. I expected both to be in high gear. Teddy did try some sleight of hand. She’d left a book on Tiffany jewelry on the arm of a chair. She acted like it was an oversight, but she was so casual about tucking it away, I knew it had to be bullshit. She wanted me to believe the necklace was the object of the exercise and Christian was hired for his safecracking skills. No such thing.”

“So what are we doing here?” Ari asked.

I turned to Duke. “Can you run some of these tape cassettes back a few days? Not all of them.”

“Sure, no problem. Which?”

“That one. And that. And these two.” I was pointing to the monitor that showed a shot of the front door and the monitor showing a reverse shot of the corridor just inside. I also indicated a third camera that had a wide-angle view of the hallway, looking toward the elevator. The fourth camera was fixed on the driveway a short distance from the front door.