know she has a warrant so it will be a complete search, not just coverage of the break-in.”
Ah. The source of his aggravation. Carter and his team had been pushed out.
Tiffany just nodded, still pale and looking like a child more than an adult.
Casey must have heard her name because she stepped outside and gave Tiffany the once-over. “If you’re up to it, I’d like for you to do a walk-around and let me know if anything is missing.”
She looked back at me and asked, “Is it okay if she comes with me?”
I was a little surprised but Casey gave her a nod and motioned us inside. I followed Tiffany and we stopped in the living room as she checked a couple drawers and inside a television cabinet.
“I don’t see anything gone,” she said. “But then, there was nothing really valuable in here.”
Casey walked over to a table, removed a putty knife from a stack of books, and picked one up. I glanced at the titles and realized they were books on art.
“What about that painting?” Casey asked and pointed to the heinous Jesus playing poker mess. “Is it worth anything?”
“Good Lord, no,” Tiffany said. “That thing is horrible. Gil got all interested in art some months back and started reading up on things. Apparently, they’re using a painting like that on the set of the play. He took pictures and had an artist paint him one. I told him it was beyond offensive and tacky but he said that the artist’s style had merit—whatever that was supposed to mean—and he was using the painting to get into character. I didn’t bother to argue after that. It’s not like anyone came to visit us anyway.”
“Was that a common thing for him to do?” Casey asked. “That getting into character thing?”
“Oh yeah,” Tiffany said. “Ask me about the time he was playing a scuba diver and almost drowned in our garden tub because he forgot to turn his tank on.”
Casey stared for a couple seconds, then nodded. “Then let’s check the kitchen.”
We went through all the rooms, with Tiffany looking in drawers, cabinets, and other storage spots, but she couldn’t think of a single thing that was missing. And several reasonably valuable items were right out on display.
“I don’t understand,” Tiffany said. “Why aren’t things missing? They even left the cash.”
Casey frowned, glancing around Gil’s office, the last room we’d checked. “Did Gil have anything sensitive that someone might want?”
“Sensitive how?” Tiffany asked. “I mean, I guess he has information on a lot of people that he’s sold insurance to.”
“I meant the kind of information that wouldn’t be on a form,” Casey said.
Tiffany stared at her, confused for a moment, then her eyes widened. “You think Gil had dirt on someone doing something bad? Is that what you’re saying?”
Casey shrugged. “I’ve seen it before. Your husband knew a lot of people from his business and the acting. Could be he ran across things people didn’t want him to know and really didn’t want him to tell.”
“And you think—what—that he had pictures or video?” Tiffany asked.
“Anything is possible,” Casey said. “I’ll have the team take his laptop in to search it. Do you have a computer?”
Tiffany shook her head. “I just used Gil’s if I needed one but most things I can do on my iPad. Do you need that?”
Casey nodded. “I’ll need all electronics, including your phone. I have a spare I can issue you until tech has had a chance to check yours out. But since robbery wasn’t the motive and you appear to be a casualty of the break-in and not the target of it, I have to assume the perp was looking for something else.”
“I just don’t know what to say,” Tiffany said. “Except that I’m not staying here and none of you can make me. Not anymore.”
“I understand,” Casey said. “You’re free to leave. Just remain in the state and let me know where you’ll be staying when you land.”
“I need to pack some things,” Tiffany said.
“I’ll send an officer in to make a log of the things you remove and to get you that phone,” Casey said, and strode out of the room.
“They’re going to inventory my toothbrush and deodorant?” Tiffany asked.
“It’s standard procedure,” I said. And it wasn’t exactly untrue. If you felt someone was hiding things, it was absolutely standard procedure to make sure they didn’t leave the house with evidence. I just wasn’t telling Tiffany that. Mainly because I already knew she was