the door.”
Adele wasn’t quite certain of the legality of this. A fidgety, nervous doctor wasn’t cause for entry. Agent Carter would have to report to his superiors. Then again, they were on the path of a killer.
With trembling fingers, the doctor unlatched the security chain and opened the door a bit more. “We’re not hiding anything,” he said, quickly.
“Sounds like you’re hiding something,” John retorted.
The doctor squeaked and stepped back as John stepped into the dining room.
“Hey,” Agent Renee called out, suddenly, “stop!”
Adele followed his gaze, and she spotted the pretty wife, who’d also been sipping wine at the table, hurrying toward the top of the stairs curving past the dining room. By the looks of things, she had crept through the kitchen, around old, ornate furniture pieces stacked with potted plants, in order to reach the stairs without being seen from the door. Now, though, with John in the entry, she bolted, sprinting up the final steps to try to reach the top.
“Esther,” the doctor cried, “be careful!”
John snarled, and bolted after her.
Adele stepped in quickly. “Dr. Gardner, let me see your hands.”
The doctor stuck his hands in the air, protesting desperately and calling after his wife as Adele moved past, staring up the stairs. She heard John shouting, and the woman screaming. She heard the sound of clattering, which suggested they’d knocked over something in the hallway.
“John?” she called. “Are you all right?”
“We’re sorry,” Dr. Gardner was saying, shaking his head wildly, “it wasn’t on purpose. We just thought, we didn’t know—”
“Sir, I need you to be quiet.” She turned her attention back toward the stairs, looking up at the dark outline of the hall. She could no longer see her partner, or Mrs. Gardner.
A few seconds later, John returned. In one hand, by the scruff of the neck, he had a small, hairless cat. In the other, by the collar, he had Mrs. Gardner. Frowning, he was leading both of them back down the stairs.
“Unhand my wife!” the doctor shouted.
“Happily,” John growled back. “This is what you are trying to hide?” He wiggled the small, hairless cat.
“What is that?” Adele asked.
“A naked sphinx cat,” the doctor said, his voice shaking. “Look, we didn’t know that it was illegal to bring back. We wouldn’t have bought it. There was a street vendor, they were very convincing, and I’ve never broken the law before in my life, neither has she, and please, it wasn’t on purpose.”
Adele stared. She looked at John, then back to Mr. Gardner. “You’re joking. You thought we were here for that stupid rat?”
Mrs. Gardner protested with a small little gasp. “It is a cat,” she said.
John lowered his hand and said, “It looks like a rat.”
Adele puffed a breath. “Mr. Gardner, I don’t care that you smuggled in a cat. It’s not my department. We’re here about a murder.”
Mr. Gardner looked shocked. His wife stared, and then both of them looked at the other, their eyes laden with unspoken words: “What did you do?”
The expressions were matching, the surprise palpable.
“Murder?” Mr. Gardner said, stammering. “We only just got back.”
His wife nodded quickly. “What did he do?”
Mr. Gardner squeaked. “What did I do? What did you do?”
Adele breathed heavily, trying to calm herself. “You got back earlier this morning. Your flight landed two hours before someone died only half an hour from here.”
The doctor stared. “Hang on,” he said, quickly. “We got back only an hour ago. Our flight was delayed. You can check. It was. We didn’t land till late.”
Now John and Adele both turned, looking at Agent Carter.
Sam winced and said, “Er, it’s possible. The search parameters were going off declared departure times from yesterday. There’s a chance they were delayed. I can check.”
Adele rubbed the bridge of her nose, glanced at the naked cat, at Mr. and Mrs. Gardner, then back at Agent Carter. “Yeah,” she said, testily, “maybe you should do that.”
Carter winced where he stood in front of the door on the stone slab steps. He was looking along the house for a moment, and said, his voice delicate, “That hauling van,” he said, softly, “it’s gray. Not white.”
More good news. Adele stomped past Mr. Gardner, whose hands were still jutting toward the chandelier above the staircase. She approached Carter and looked toward the driveway. Her eyes settled on the vehicle in the drive. Indeed, it had been difficult to spot in the excitement, and the spectacle through the windows, but beneath the gray clouds, it was clear, the paint on