Gabriel contemplated the meritless abstract canvas adorning one of the room’s walls. “Let us say for argument’s sake that Alice Winter’s fatal encounter with your as yet unidentified thieves took place at approximately half past three on Friday afternoon.”
“Three-twenty-five, I’d say.”
“And yet her friends Sophie Maxwell and Ella Burns didn’t report her missing until the following day.”
“At 12:37p.m.Ibiza time.”
“Did you ask them why they waited?”
“Several times.” She pointed toward a seating area. “In this very room.”
“And?”
“They said their friend Alice had a wild side, and they weren’t worried when she didn’t come home that night.”
“Were you satisfied with their explanation?”
“I wouldn’t put it that way. But I was confident they had nothing to do with their friend’s disappearance, especially after my colleagues found the car.”
“At approximately eight o’clock that evening?”
“More like seven fifteen. My superiors delivered the bad news to Edward Knight in Britain and then ordered me to seal the room where his wife had been staying.”
“I’d like to see it, please.”
“Not a chance, Señor Allon.”
“And if I were to ask nicely?”
The door was defaced with a large X of crime scene tape, but inside the bed was immaculately made and nothing was out of place. “The maid straightened up after Alice left the property on Friday morning,” Inspector Aragón explained. “This is the way I found it on Saturday afternoon.”
Lying on the bedside table was a novel by Ian McEwan. Gabriel opened it to the page marked and read the first line.Within the half hour Briony would commit her crime...He closed the book and returned it to its original place.
“Where are the rest of her things?”
She led him into the bathroom suite. Atop the vanity was a formidable array of cosmetics and creams and other beauty supplies. Gabriel unzipped a leather tote and found a small pharmacy of pain relievers, allergy medication, antidepressants, and sleeping tablets. In a matching jewelry case were two wristwatches, a double strand of pearls, diamond earrings, and a gold-and-diamond bracelet. In the drawers of the vanity were swimsuits, undergarments, pullovers, shorts, fitness attire, all bearing designer labels. The rest of her clothing was hanging in the walk-in closet. Displayed on the top shelf was a selection of hats. A broad-brimmed straw sun hat, a stylish fedora, a navy blue baseball-style cap by Prada.
“Why do you suppose she needed another one?” asked Gabriel.
“That one’s a Prada. It also happens to be blue.”
“And?”
“The hat she bought at Louis Vuitton was white.”
“How many baseball caps does one woman need?”
“I’m afraid you’re asking the wrong woman.” She led him out of the bedroom suite and locked the door behind them. Outside, they pulled off the gloves and shoe covers and climbed into the Citroën. “Have you cracked the case?”
“Not quite. But I’m getting there.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“The disappearance of Alice Winter had nothing at all to do with robbery.”
“What happened to her?”
“Perhaps it went something like this...”
