“What's up, Sharlene?" Jane asked.
“How long have you been down here?" Sharlene replied.
Jane glanced at her watch. "About an hour. Why?"
“You didn't come upstairs during the board meeting?"
“No. Why do you ask?"
“I was hoping you'd seen something. Oh, this is so awful. Somebody's been in Ms. Palmer's office, rummaging through things like mad."
“During the board meeting, you mean?" Jane asked.
“I think so."
“Then you know at least a couple of people that it wasn't," Shelley said briskly.
“Well, not really. Babs went out to get some financial statements from the files. Tom went to the bathroom. Georgia left to make a phone call—"
“Wait," Jane said. "Start at the beginning. How do you know this happened during the board meeting?”
Sharlene thought for a minute. "I guess I really don't. I went into her office this morning, to put some flowers on her desk. I guess it was stupid, but I saw them for sale on a street corner on the way to work and it seemed a nice thing—"
“It was nice," Shelley said. "You don't have to explain yourself on that score. But what time was that?"
“Nine or so."
“And did you lock the door when you came out?" Jane asked.
“I think so. Yes. Well, maybe."
“So anybody might have gone in there anytime today?"
“Not really. There are always people in the staff area — the tour guides on their breaks and such. Somebody would have seen if anyone else went inside."
“Wasn't that true during the board meeting, too?" Shelley asked.
Sharlene shook her head. "I don't think so. There weren't any scheduled tours this afternoon and there were only the two volunteers and they were sitting out in the lobby the whole time, chatting with the woman who was working the gift shop. I already asked them."
“Was anything taken from the office?" Jane asked.
“I don't know. It's such a mess," Sharlene said. "It'll take me forever to straighten it out. I better start—"
“No," Jane said. "Let's go up and get the room locked right now and call the police."
“The police! Why?" She stared at Jane for a minute, then added, "Oh, of course. How dumb of me.”
Ten
Fortunately, Babs McDonald had known about the vandalism sooner and thought faster. By the time Shelley, Jane, and Sharlene emerged from the basement, Babs had locked up Regina's office and phoned Mel. She'd also corralled everyone from the board meeting back into the boardroom and shooed the three of them in as well before taking a chair from which she could keep an eye on the violated office through the open door.
“That nice young man who's a friend of yours was on his way over anyway," Babs said to Jane. "I don't believe either of you has met Mr. Abbot, have you? Whitney Abbot, our architect. This is Jane Jeffry and Shelley Nowack. They're doing the preliminary data entry on the museum contents.”
Jane's first impression of him was of cool perfection. Perfect teeth, perfectly groomed John Kennedy hair, a perfectly fitted charcoal-gray, three-piece suit without a wrinkle or a speck of lint (or cat hair, which any dark garment Jane owned was sure to be blighted by) anywhere. He wasn't a big man and probably hadn't stood more than an inch or two taller than Regina, but he looked fit in an expensive handball-and sauna way.
He shook their hands — Jane noticed his fingernails were immaculate and manicured to a subtle gloss — and said, "That's a big job. We're all grateful." He spoke quite formally.
“Ms. Palmer's plan makes it much easier than it might otherwise have been," Shelley said, matching his formality. "We didn't know her, but we're very sorry about her death. It was terrible for everyone and, I'm sure, especially so for you.”
He nodded. "An unimaginable loss.”
The remark wasn't so much cold as it was meaningless, Jane thought. But then, they were strangers to him. Why should he pour out his heart? Perhaps he was still in a state of shock. Or perhaps he was just a very reserved person who was unaccustomed to expressing his feelings freely.
There was a moment's awkward silence before the entire group turned at the sound of Caspar Snellen's voice in the doorway. "Where is everybody?" He looked around, perplexed. "What are you all doing in here? Having a wake or something?”
This tasteless remark seemed to just hang in the air, obscenely, for a long moment until Babs took charge. "Caspar, you'd better come in.
We're waiting for the police and I'm sure they'll want a word or two with you."
“Me? Why me?"
“Because you're here," Babs said curtly. "And Regina's office has been trashed."
“Oh, no, you don't! You're not sticking me with it. I didn't like the bi — her, but I didn't kill her and I haven't violated her office.”
Georgia rose and took his arm, hissing, "Shut up, Caspar."
“Why should I? This whole gang would love to blame everything on me, and you're playing footsie with them.”
Jane observed the others. Whitney Abbot was simply staring at the brother and sister, but there was a muscle twitching in his jaw. So there was some emotion in him after all. Lisa was looking away, out through the small, dusty window that overlooked the back parking lot, as if she couldn't bear the sight of Caspar. Babs was shaking her head in disgust, and Jumper was regarding Caspar with interest, as though taking mental notes. Derek Delano seemed immune from the emotions of the others and was frankly ogling Sharlene, who was wringing her hands in despair and looking unintentionally vulnerable and sexy.
“What are you doing here, Snellen?" Jumper asked.
Caspar whirled on him. "Jeez, Cable! What are you today?" He glanced contemptuously at Jumper's black leather jacket and pants.
Jumper grinned. "A lot of things. An attorney. A witness. A member of the board. And a man with a few questions. I might point out to you that all of the rest of us have a good reason for being in the building. But you don't."
“I've got the right to be here. I paid my stupid fee," Caspar said childishly.
“Your fee doesn't entitle you to be in the staff area," Babs said.
“I'm entitled to be anywhere I damned well please," Caspar snapped. "This is my great-grandfather's building and his money you're all spending like it's water. Money that should be, and will be, mine. Just because that Palmer woman sucked up to my batty old aunt—"
“Caspar!" Georgia all but slapped her hand over his mouth. "That's enough!”
Surprisingly, he clammed up and looked at her with something that might have been fear.