"We're part of a new investigation,” Raj interrupted. “Certain information has come to our attention that leads us to believe your wife's case may be part of a larger pattern. Our purpose in being here is to collect whatever new details we can in the hope of drawing a clearer picture of the crime."
Sarah frowned up at him, but Edwards responded to the businesslike tone. He straightened visibly, sitting up in the chair and drawing in a stabilizing breath. He looked at Raj directly. “Of course,” he said, seeming alert for the first time since they'd arrived. “Although the police have been here several times already. I don't—"
"Fresh eyes, Dr. Edwards,” Raj said briskly. “And a new perspective. Just a few questions."
"Of course. I'm sorry. Would you like something to drink? I just made coffee."
The coffee sat cold and untouched, and Edwards still hadn't told them much more than they already knew. He claimed to know almost nothing about the vampire contact his wife was planning to meet, which Raj found unbelievable. If a woman he cared about had been off on a late night rendezvous with an unknown vampire, he sure as hell would have known whom she was meeting. Hell, he'd have been going with her.
"You didn't worry about your wife meeting someone, maybe even a vampire, so late at night?” Raj asked bluntly, which earned him a shocked look from Sarah.
Dr. Edwards seemed taken aback by the question as well. He didn't respond immediately, staring at Raj and then away, as if debating whether to answer. When he looked back, his eyes were full of loss, and something else—guilt.
"We were supposed to have dinner that night,” he said quietly. “It seems meaningless now, but at the time . . .” He drew a breath before continuing. “I'd scored something of a professional coup and we were going to celebrate. Estelle cancelled at the last minute. I was angry. She'd done this sort of thing so many times before, always putting her work before everything else. She left a phone message, canceling our plans and telling me about her meeting. I didn't even call her back."
"Does your wife keep a calendar? Anything that would list her appointments?"
Tears sparkled in Edwards's eyes and he swallowed hard before nodding. “On her computer, but the police already took that. I don't think they found anything."
"Does she have a secretary?” Sarah asked. “Someone who might have called her contact?"
Edwards shook his head. “Estelle was very careful about her work. Medical research is a highly competitive field, cutthroat some would say, and she'd been burned before by a colleague. She rarely shared any of the details beyond her lab, and even then her assistants know only what they're actively working on, very little of the larger project."
Raj stood to leave. This was useless. “Thank you, Dr. Edwards, for—"
Edwards stood also, interrupting him. “You must understand. We live well here, but it was not always so. It's difficult to see beneath her professional persona, but Estelle is very street smart. She told me she was meeting someone in the vampire community, someone high enough to ensure access to the blood samples she needed. I believed her, Mr. Gregor. And I believe whoever she met . . .” He drew a breath before continuing, “. . . whoever she met knows where she is."
Raj frowned and nodded sharply. “For what it's worth, I think you're right, Dr. Edwards.” He gestured at Sarah, indicating it was time to leave.
Sarah set her untasted coffee back on its delicate saucer and stood. She'd slipped out of her coat when she sat down and now gathered it up, getting ready to leave. Something caught her eye, and Raj saw her cross to a large sideboard against the entryway wall.
"Is this your wife?” she asked Edwards, touching a silver-framed photograph.
"Yes,” the doctor replied, seeming puzzled. “But I already gave the police a photograph."
"You did, sir,” Raj said quickly. “Dr. Stratton is new to the case. Thank you for agreeing to see us on such short notice. We'll be in touch,” he added and hustled Sarah out the door.
Chapter Twenty-six
Sarah waited until they were in Raj's car and back on the main road, before saying, “Remember when I told you Krystof was talking to some woman at that university reception?"
"Mmm,” Raj said absently.
"It was Estelle Edwards."
He glanced at her in disbelief. “Why didn't you say something before?” he demanded.
"I never saw her photograph before,” she replied calmly.
"But you met with Scavetti—"
"For five minutes, so he could tell me all the reasons I didn't belong on his precious case. I only know what Trish looks like because she was in the paper."
"Goddamn it."
"I don't get it, Raj."
"What don't you get?” he asked. He seemed angry suddenly, although not necessarily at her.