“No, he’s still here, but you did miss the insurance adjuster. Cazares didn’t find anything wrong with the security panel, and now he’s checking all the windows and doors. I’ll ask him to find out all he can about Victoria. She was so friendly the day Rafael and I met her. Apparently it was an act.”
“Maybe we’re reading too much into the photo. Maybe she was waiting to cross the street.”
“I don’t think so. Juan called. He’s bringing over more fan mail.”
“Did he say it was bad?”
“I don’t believe the expression he used translates well.”
Her heart fell. She didn’t want to see anything even remotely as awful as the eyeless drawing, but she wouldn’t be able not to look. “Okay, so we’ve been warned. Is it time for lunch?”
Santos checked his watch. “No, but that’s no reason not to eat. Ask Tomas to bring us some fruit or whatever you’d like.”
The elevator supervisor joined them before she could leave the table. “I’ve prepared an initial estimate for a residence elevator of a similar size. I’ll need to go up on the roof and—”
“The roof!” Santos exclaimed. “We forgot about the roof. Is there an entryway for the elevator shaft someone could have opened to enter the house?”
“Yes, but it should have been secure.”
Santos pulled a business card from his pocket. “I’ll have the arson investigator check. He’s the one gathering evidence. I doubt the security company thought of wiring it into the alarm system.”
“They should do it now. I’ll wait for the arson investigator to clear the roof before we go up there. Give me a call when it’s clear. I’ll mail you a written estimate.”
“Thank you, I will,” Santos said.
Libby waited for the elevator supervisor to leave before she sat forward on her chair. “While we were at the bullfights, someone could have driven up in a workman’s van, used a ladder and climbed up on the roof. No one would have paid any attention if they’d seen him.”
Santos nodded. A high wall separated the far side of the house from the neighbors, and whoever had broken in could have left the ladder in place, relaxed on the roof and enjoyed the ocean view until it was time to set the fire. “Someone entering from the roof could have jumped down into the elevator and gone down the back stairs to get the trashcan. Every kitchen has one. There would be time before the fire was discovered for him to climb down the ladder, return it to his van and drive away.”
“I’ll find Cazares, and we’ll look outside,” Libby offered. The detective sat on a step near the bottom of the staircase in the foyer, writing in his notebook. “Excuse me.” She explained their latest thoughts. “Will you come outside with me and see if we can find any trace of a ladder used to reach the roof?”
He rose with a slight sway and shoved his notebook into his pocket. “I was concentrating on the windows, not the ground. I may have inadvertently trampled whatever evidence there might have been.”
“Let’s hope not.” She swung the door open and led the way around the side of the house. Not wanting to search on her hands and knees though the foliage for clues, she skirted the bordering flowerbeds.
The detective stood back. “They’d not have placed the ladder near a window where it would be noticed. And they couldn’t have used too steep an angle, so if they entered from the roof, they should have propped the ladder out here on the sandy path near the wall.”
They moved along slowly. “There, do you see it?” Cazares asked. “Someone kicked the sand to cover the ladder’s tracks, but once you know what you’re looking for, it’s easy to find.”
“Is that the secret of detective work?”
He shrugged. “It’s one of them, but perseverance is the key to most success, no matter what the field.”
“Yes, of course.”
They returned to the patio, and she listened carefully as Cazares described what they’d found. “We didn’t disturb the scene. Will the arson inspector be here soon?”
“Yes, but he didn’t sound pleased that I’d called. The alarm company should be here this afternoon. Apparently we should have run an occasional test of the system, and I don’t believe anyone here ever did.”
“Would that have been Mrs. Lopez’s job, or Tomas’s?” Libby asked.
“Neither of them thought to do it. I’m going to give the job to Manuel. He’s the only one with the skill to do it well.”
Cazares glanced around to make certain they wouldn’t be overheard. “Are you sure he’s trustworthy?”
“Positive. He’s worked for us for years.”
“Good, but it’s difficult to know every aspect of an employee’s life,” Cazares offered. “There can be personal problems of which you’re unaware.”