Matt had just stepped onto the tiled foyer when his cellphone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that it was a text from Audrey. The frenzied rush in the main hall was something he did not expect, and he stepped to one side; pressing against the wall he scanned the throng for Sergeant Gupta. Seeing him, he called out: “Sanjay! Over here.” Sanjay tap-danced an intricate choreography through the labyrinth of people until he stood opposite him. “What in blazes is going on?” Matt asked. “It’s as busy as a train station at the height of the holidays.”
“Bertie rounded up more than we expected. I’d guess somewhere near twenty in all of on-duty, off-duty, and retired constables. Some are working with Bill Peterson’s forensics crew - mind you only the ones Bill has worked with before and trusts if you get my drift - and the rest with us.”
“You haven’t by any chance come across Constables Smythe and Rowntree?”
“Can’t say I have. Is there a problem?”
“Hmm…I’m not sure. Could be,” Matt replied, massaging his chin line. “Any sign of Mark Dale or Isobella?”
“Not yet. Is everything okay? You seem out of sorts, not your usual self.”
“The boy…Alan…has disappeared,” he replied, not hiding his exasperation.
Slack-jawed, Sanjay for a moment was speechless. “But, how? We had constables outside their rooms.”
“Ah!” Matt replied, wagging his index finger. “There’s the rub.” He ticked an imaginary checkmark in thin air. “That’s why I need to know where those two constables got to so that I can ask them.”
Matt’s phone vibrated again. He retrieved his phone and noted there was a text message from the Deputy-Commissioner. “Excuse me, Sanjay. I must read this.” He stepped aside and opened the message.
Return to Ms. Henderson’s room immediately. Learned Sir Reginald had the architect incorporate a maze of secret passages behind the walls in the mansion’s design. Bring some officers with you with flashlights.
Matt glanced at Sanjay. Biting on his lower lip, he gathered his thoughts. He noticed Bertie heading into the Great Room and, waving at him, called out to him. “Bertie! Over here!”
“Matt, I wondered where you’d got to. Sanjay’s filled me in.” He smiled and nodded at Sanjay. “But by the looks of you I think there’s more on your mind.”
“Do you by any chance know who Sir Reginald’s architect was?”
“A local firm at the time called Ethan Ridge & Son. It was quite a boon for the Company especially for Ethan’s son, Arnold. I think it was Arnold’s first major contract. Very hush hush. Anyone who worked on the production (and I mean everyone from the ground up) had to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. Strange don’t you think? That’s one of the reasons it stuck in my mind. Why are you asking?”
“Is the architectural firm still in the area?”
“Strange you should ask. It burned down shortly after the mansion was finished. Nothing suspicious according to the report. Faulty wiring if I remember correctly. Somehow it never sat well with me. A few days after the fire, Ethan died from a heart attack. Now that was a surprise to everyone who knew him. Even his doctor. The autopsy showed nothing definitive either. Shortly after the insurance paid out, his son, Arnold, pulled up stakes and re-established himself in the City of Harleybrooke.”
“Do you think he would still have the plans to this building?”
Bertie chuckled. “He was known to be somewhat of a packrat. Worked a lot from home. My guess is he would. I know where you’re going with this, Matt. Leave it with me. How soon do you need those drawings?”
“Yesterday!” Matt replied. “Another thing…”
“Shoot.”
“You said the report did not sit well with you. Why?”
Bertie scratched his forehead. “The fire spread too quickly. The greatest damage was in the File Room at the opposite end of the office from where it started. Yet the Fire Marshall’s report never mentioned the possibility of an accelerant or arson. When I asked him about it, he shrugged it off.”
Matt tucked that information in the back of his mind. “There is something else. I need five of your best men.”
“Done!”
“Sergeant Gupta. Go with Bertie and bring those men up to Ms. Henderson’s room. And one other thing. Keep those people you rounded up under close surveillance in the library.”
Sanjay smiled. “I’ve already got two constables keeping an eye on them.”
“Good! Time is at a premium. Lives may be a stake.” Matt turned and ran up the stairs. At the landing he momentarily stopped to open Audrey’s text message.
Matt, we must talk tonight! I will wait up for you.