As they left, Erwin walked slower than usual, her gaze lingering here and there. Did she think this would be her last time in this house?
Vera paused at the front door. “Did no one on staff know about the pregnancy?”
Erwin blinked, her eyes wide with something like surprise. “What?”
“Did anyone know Alicia was pregnant?”
Erwin adjusted the load of files in her arms. “I never heard anyone talk about it. I sure didn’t.”
She said the last as if her teeth were grinding together. Maybe Alicia and her husband had opted to keep the news to themselves. Except Vera wasn’t so sure Erwin hadn’t known—not after their conversation yesterday. Moving on, Vera reminded her, “Remember to call if you think of anything else useful in the investigation.”
A vague nod, and Erwin was out the door. Once she was driving away and Vera was doing the same, she called the appraiser. With Wilton’s murder all over the news, it only took a moment to get an answer to her question.
Thomas Wilton had gotten the property appraised because he was considering putting it on the market. He was entertaining the notion of moving to California.
Vera couldn’t be sure what this meant, of course, but her instincts were jumping at the revelation. This news could very well be somehow related to the murders.
It was far too large a potential change to be ignored.
Which of their suspects would be the most upset by this sort of news?
All four, Vera would wager.
28
Carter Residence
Coldwater Creek Road, 10:15 a.m.
Vera could see right away that Helen Carter was not happy to see them. Catching an interviewee off guard was always preferable since there was no time to plan answers. But the one being asked the questions rarely appreciated this tactic.
Carter had known she would be questioned again. She just hadn’t known the exact date and time.
At the moment she was in the kitchen preparing a pot of fresh coffee. Vera waited in the living room with Bent. They’d settled on the sofa to wait for Carter’s return. Vera imagined Carter had wanted out of the room in order to warn her tenants, Martinez and Hernandez, that they would be summoned soon.
This second round of interviews wasn’t so much about learning new information, although that would be nice. Today was about responses. It had been pretty clear during the initial interview that Helen Carter, Jose Martinez, and Renata Hernandez did not want to talk about the murders. By now that reluctance would have expanded into fear.
On the drive over, Vera had called Bent with the news about the property appraisal. He had agreed with her conclusion that Erwin’s apparent surprise at finding the appraisal was a tick mark in the not-guilty column. He’d also been surprised that she’d found a possibleburner phone in her place and turned it over. There was no doubt it was the one used for communications between Alicia and Seth Parson that the brother had mentioned. The question was, Did Erwin have it all along, or had someone actually planted it to make it seem as if she had?
“Sorry to make you wait.” Carter breezed into the room, carrying a tray laden with a shiny silver coffee pot and lovely delicate china cups seated in saucers.
She placed the tray on the coffee table and prepared to pour. She looked to Vera. “Cream or sugar?”
“Black is fine.”
When she turned to Bent, he passed on the coffee altogether.
Carter then offered a small plate loaded with scones. Had everyone decided to bake this morning?
“They look delicious, but no thanks.” Vera wanted to get on with what they’d come here to do.
Carter set the plate aside and took a seat. “Renata and Jose are on their way up. I let them know you were here.”
Of course she did.
“Tell us again,” Bent said, kicking off the questions, “when did Renata and Jose move onto your property?”
“About three months ago. They had lived in the ranch manager’s apartment in the barn until then. Alicia didn’t feel comfortable with anyone else living on the property.”
