Whisper in the Night (Detectives Kane and Alton)

“I’ll need samples of Mr. and Mrs. Rosen’s DNA to match against the samples from Lindy’s room, and fingerprints of the family. Was anyone else in Lindy’s room over the last couple of weeks?” Wolfe placed his bag on the table and pulled out two DNA kits, then his compassionate gray eyes fixed on the couple.

“Yes, the handyman, Sean Packer, he’s here today. We’ve had the man from the security company, Charlie Anderson, come by as well.” Mr. Rosen’s hand shook as he pushed it through his hair. “Did you find anything?”

“We found no signs of a break-in but the bed shows signs of a struggle. We have to assume someone abducted her but how they entered the house is a mystery.” Wolfe looked at the Rosens. “Could Lindy have invited someone up to her room last night?”

“And leave the front door wide open?” Mrs. Rosen looked incredulous. “No way. Lindy always asks if she wants one of her friends to sleep over, and they wouldn’t arrive in the middle of the night.”

“Sure. I don’t mean to upset you, Mrs. Rosen, but we need to ask these questions.” Wolfe passed Mrs. Rosen his not

ebook. “Could you please give me a list of cleaning products you may have used in her room over the last few days? I’ve taken her bedlinen to do more tests in the lab.”

“Cleaning products?” Mrs. Rosen’s expression blanked. “In the laundry, you mean?”

“Anything you may have used in her room or in the laundry.” Wolfe handed her his notebook then pulled on fresh latex gloves before opening the DNA kit. “Mr. Rosen, I’ll need to swab the inside of your mouth.”

After Wolfe had collected the samples and scanned the family’s fingerprints, Jenna looked at the strained expressions on the couple’s faces. “Wolfe’s very thorough. If someone was in Lindy’s room, he’ll find evidence.”

“Have you had any other recent visitors we need to eliminate?” Wolfe glanced at the list Mrs. Rosen had handed him. “Any other tradespeople, family or friends?”

“A few since we came here. I’ll give you a list. We employed a painter and a pest control service.” Mr. Rosen stared into space for some moments. “We use a gardening service. The Green Thumb Landscaping Service. They send three or four men each week.”

Jenna indicated to her notebook. “If you could give me the details, we’ll pay them a visit this morning.”

“I noticed the handyman waiting in the hallway. I’ll go get a DNA sample and his prints.” Wolfe picked up his bag and hustled out the kitchen.

“Do you have a monitoring company for your security system?” Kane shuffled his feet. “I noticed you have floodlights, and you mentioned the CCTV is connected to the security system. Do you have a backup copy of the CCTV footage?”

“Not here, no, but we’re hooked in to Silent Alarms. Its office is out of Black Rock Falls. If the alarm is tripped they call to make sure we’re okay and the cameras come on automatically.” Mr. Rosen’s expression was bleak. “No one triggered the alarm or they would’ve called me. They’re very reliable. The girls have set it off a few times and the response was immediate. I already called them to check the CCTV footage from last night and there’s nothing. They’re sending someone out to make sure nobody tampered with the system.”

“Are you sure you set the alarm last night?” Kane shrugged. “It’s an easy thing to forget.”

“I was standing right next to him when he set the alarm.” Mrs. Rosen lifted her chin. “It was before I set the table for dinner around six.”

Jenna looked at the young girls, maybe five and eight years old, and exchanged a look with Kane. The girls had remained silent as if in shock. “Do your daughters know the code to disarm the alarm?”

“No, only Lindy.” Mr. Rosen balled his fists. “All these questions. Shouldn’t you be out searching for my daughter?”

Jenna cleared her throat. “I know you’re upset, Mr. Rosen, but from the moment you called me we’ve had people out searching. With everyone out searching the streets, someone has to look in the obvious places, and to do that we need as much information as possible.” She waited for Rosen to write the list, and then stood. “Use your cellphone to call your friends in case she shows up. I’ll leave now and go speak to the people on this list. We’ll never give up. You have my word. I’ll call you the moment we hear anything.”

As Jenna reached Kane’s truck, she noticed Blackhawk moving purposely toward her from the trees with Duke at his heels. She looked at him expectantly. “Please tell me you found something.”

“Duke picked up her scent from the family’s vehicle and back to the porch.” Blackhawk frowned. “I figure she was carried from the house.”

“There’s no forced entry, so how did he deactivate the alarm and sensors?” Kane stared down at Duke. “It doesn’t make sense; someone opened the door from the inside.” He took the evidence bag carrying a pair of socks taken from Lindy’s laundry basket from Blackhawk. “I’ll take Duke inside and work back to the front door.” He whistled the dog and headed back inside the house.

“Duke wouldn’t have missed a fresh trail.” Blackhawk turned to Jenna. “Have the people here left home this morning?” His intelligent eyes scanned Jenna’s face. “If not, someone else drove out the driveway, leaving a muddy trail. I followed it back and they parked the vehicle behind those trees. One part of the wheel hit the dirt. It turned on the driveway then drove out, leaving a print on the blacktop. It’s damp, so within the last six hours maybe.”

Jenna waited for Wolfe to finish loading the evidence into his van, then explained what Blackhawk had found. “I’ll leave you to do your thing and go chase down Lindy’s friends. I’m afraid I commandeered Webber to assist Rowley with the search.”

“That’s fine. Emily is on vacation for spring break, so she’ll assist me.” Wolfe frowned. “Right now, we need to make sense of this and the tire track could be crucial. I’ll keep you informed.”

“Thanks.” Jenna went to leave and then turned back. “How is Emily? It must be great to have her home from college.”

“It’s nice to have my three daughters back together and with her studying forensic science, her help in the lab is invaluable. She’s moving back home next fall. Black Rock Falls College now offers full degree courses for both forensic science and law. She can intern with me as well.” He glanced past her, and then indicated down the driveway with his chin. “We have a visitor.”

A white pickup pulled in behind Wolfe’s vehicle and a stocky man stepped out, wearing coveralls and carrying a tool bag. Jenna held up a hand to prevent him walking to the house. “Just a minute, this is a crime scene.”

“Yeah, I can see that, Sheriff.” The man’s intelligent tawny eyes had smile wrinkles around them as he offered his hand. “I’m Charlie Anderson. The boss sent me out to run some tests on the alarm system.”