“How about Cassidy’s dad?” Gretchen said.
“Not sure. That topic was firmly off-limits. I honestly couldn’t tell you if the guy is even alive.”
That was something they could find out on their own.
“Friends?” Josie coaxed. “Anyone who visits regularly?”
“Cassidy has friends over sometimes. Dani might have had a fellow over a time or two. They’re nice gals, and Dani’s been really great to me, but I don’t spy on them. I’m not sitting inside watching the house through my windows and making notes. I couldn’t really tell you what goes on or who comes over.”
“Of course,” Josie said. “Why don’t you tell us about today and start at the beginning?”
“Fine, fine. Dani was supposed to take me for my wound care appointment yesterday and she never came over. I tried calling her, but it rang and rang until her voicemail picked up. I left a message. Texted her, too. Her car was—is—parked across the street but since she wasn’t getting back to me and her car was still here, I thought maybe she was just sick. She helps me a lot. I don’t want to be too much of a pain in the ass. So even though it was really unlike her to drop off the face of the earth like that, I was trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. Try not to be intrusive, you know?”
“Of course,” Gretchen agreed, scribbling as he spoke.
“I was still worrying today, too. I hadn’t heard or seen either of them. Dani likes to sit on the porch swing and read. Sometimes when I’m coming in from work, I see her there. This morning I came over and knocked on the front door and that’s when I saw her book and flip-flops just laying around. I have no idea how long they were out there. No one answered so I walked around back in case one of them was in the kitchen, but when I got here, the door was already open.”
Josie pointed to it. “Was it wide open or just cracked?”
“Wide open. I went inside and called their names. No answer. That’s when I noticed there were pots on the stove and plates out for a meal. Looked like they were in the middle of making dinner and just left. Both their phones were on the countertop. That was kind of a red flag. No one leaves their phone behind these days, especially not a teenager. Then I went into the living room. A couple of things were knocked on the floor and um, well,” he sucked in a deep breath, “there was a little bit of blood on the corner of the coffee table and a few drops on the carpet. I got a little uncomfortable, so I came back out here and called 911.”
“You didn’t check the second floor?” asked Gretchen.
“No, no. The blood was enough for me to know I needed to call you guys. Scared me a little, to be honest.”
“Did you touch anything?” asked Josie. “Turn any lights on or off?”
“No. I mean, I touched the back doorknob when I went in but nothing else. I didn’t turn on any lights.”
Brennan said, “The call was for a welfare check. We cleared the house. No one was inside.”
“Did you run Dani Schwarber’s name?” Josie asked.
“Yeah. No criminal record. One vehicle registered in her name which is across the street, just as Mr. Craig said.”
Turning to Craig, Josie said, “When is the last time you saw either of them?”
He scratched the stubble along his chin. “Now that I think of it, probably not since the weekend. Dani brought over some tomatoes and cucumbers from her garden on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday, well, I didn’t see either of them, but I heard Cassidy blasting her music and singing along with it ’cause her bedroom window was open. Girl can’t hold a tune to save her life.”
His smile was pained but filled with affection.
“Do you know where Dani works?” Gretchen asked.
“She’s a physical therapist at a place on Quesenberry Court.”
Quesenberry Court was only a block away from the building in which Maxine Barnes had worked. Josie tucked that fact away to examine later. Right now, Dani and Cassidy Schwarber were the priority. One of the first things they’d need to do was establish a timeline. Hopefully the small security camera next to the front door would do that for them. If their phones had been left behind, they could view their contents with warrants, but it might also be useful to talk with Dani Schwarber’s employer. Josie wondered if she’d missed any shifts. To her knowledge, no one from a physical therapy office had contacted police for a welfare check. In the past, they’d gotten calls from employers when an employee missed two or three days without calling or contacting their supervisors at all.
“Mr. Craig, you’ve been very helpful,” Josie said, holding a business card out to him. “If you think of anything else, even if it seems minor, don’t hesitate to call me. I’ll do the same if I’ve got more questions.”
He eyed the card suspiciously. “You’ll look for them?”
“Yes. We’re going to get warrants to search the house and go from there.”
That seemed to pacify him. He took her card and ambled back to his place. Gretchen tucked her notebook under one arm and turned toward Conlen. “What didn’t you want to tell us in front of Mr. Craig?”
He looked at Josie when he answered. “Near the front door, we found a bunch of flowers. Red so dark they’re almost black, with white edging. Just like the ones from the Barnes homicide scene.”
SIXTEEN
