“No. You didn’t have any on you before you went upstairs.”
Despite looking weary to the bone, despite the more recent signs of tears, the woman seemed rock steady.
“Ms. Carville?”
“She contacted her daughters. It was… difficult. Ms. Barrister’s arranging a shuttle for them for the trip to New York. After, I convinced her to drink a soother. I was afraid to try anything stronger, since they’d given her a sedative. I think she’ll sleep awhile. I hope she will. Is there anything more I can do?”
“I’d like to see downstairs.”
“Of course. If you’ll come with me.”
“McNab, stick with the sweepers unless Roarke needs you. I want security locks on the crime scene windows, and monitors in place. See if Roarke can change the combo of the vault.”
“Copy that.”
“Peabody, with me.”
Uma took them back into the kitchen, into a mudroom area and the back stairs. Stairs, Eve noted, that led both down and up.
“Should I call for John and Divine?”
“No, no need.”
“Originally, the downstairs area held more bedrooms for staff. Men’s quarters on one side, women’s on the other. The kitchen, the servants’ hall. When the house served as a museum, much of this area was for storage, repair, cleaning, authenticating, and so on.”
The stairs opened into a good-sized lounge with entertainment screen, a couple of sofas, a few comfortable-looking chairs.
“During the Urbans, the museum was ransacked, damaged, then abandoned as others were during that period and for a time after. Mr. Henry Barrister purchased it, and did extensive repairs. This is now our shared lounge. Divine enjoys jigsaw puzzles.”
She gestured to a table where one was in progress. “John and I may add a piece or two now and then. We have an eat-in kitchen, our rooms with en suites. There are two other bedrooms, but since I came to Barrister House, only three live-in staff.
“Occasionally, other temporary staff may be housed for large events.”
She broke off, closed her eyes. “Did he suffer? Do you think he suffered?”
“I don’t think so.”
Uma nodded, pressed her lips together. “We share an office. Though Divine prefers to work on her menus, food orders, and so on in the main kitchen or her own room. I generally use the desk in my room, but John and I have no issues on sharing the office space.”
“In all the years you’ve worked here, you’ve never been inside the vault?”
“I didn’t know there was a vault until I heard you talk about it tonight. Until I saw, just now… I don’t understand it.”
“Who cleaned the office?”
“When the first Mr. Barrister occupied it, he used a droid. Since then, I’ve done the daily cleaning, and our cleaning service would clean once a month.”
“I’ve got the name and contact for the service, Lieutenant.”
Eve just nodded at Peabody as she roamed the space. “Any outside egress?”
“Yes.” She led the way into the kitchen, white and spotless, and through it to a walk-in pantry with steps leading up to slanted doors.
“For emergencies, and I’ve never used them in the two decades I’ve lived and worked here.”
Eve climbed up, examined the locks, the security pad, and put it on her list for the sweepers.
“Did you have plans if Mr. Barrister had decided to sell the house?”
