“Can you tell me if anything in the house is missing?” An officer asked.
Colton and Jesse looked at each other. “Maybe, Ian was pretty systematic. We could tell you if something was out of place.” Colton finally said.
“If that’s the best you can do.” The man said.
“Neither of us lived here officer, but we’ve been around enough to know about the basics.” Jesse wanted to deck the guy for his attitude alone.
“Let’s start with the first floor.” Two officers led the father and son on a meticulous search of the house. The first floor looked as always expected, nothing out of place and not a speck of dust. You couldn’t have guessed there was a party earlier that day, let alone an event that had left one dead, so far.
Colton walked past Jesse on the stairway landing. As he past, Jesse touched his father’s shoulder. “Does something look different about this painting to you?”
He stepped to the swirls of color, examining it closely. “No.”
Jesse cocked his head. “Are you sure? Something about it just looks odd to me.” He reached to touch it.
“Don’t touch anything!” The cop standing with them bellowed. Jesse snatched his hand back quickly. “You say there’s something odd about it, other than the fact that it’s ugly?”
The officer was given a dirty look in reply. “It’s not worth a fortune Detective, but its worth more donuts than you’ll eat in a year.” Jesse told him.
“I hate donuts.” The man said.
“Yeah, right.” Jesse started to move on after directing the comment toward the man’s waist.
“Wait, son.” Colton stopped him. “What’s odd about it?”
Jesse shrugged. “I don’t know. Something about the light, it just seems different.”
“Looks the same to me.” His father said.
“Could just be I’ve never noticed it with the bright lights coming from upstairs. Ian usually just has the landing lights on.”
“Now that we’ve discussed the gallery design can we move upstairs, please?” The detective moaned.
“Sorry.” Jesse looked at the man. “What did you say your name was again?”
“Balouche.” The man rolled his eyes and grunted.
“I apologize Detective Balouche, but two good friends and my brother were almost murdered in this house tonight. I thought you wanted to know every detail we could come up with.” Jesse looked him in the eyes.
“You watch too much television kid. I doubt light refraction on a really bad paint by number will tell us why a man was shot to death trying to rip the place off.”
“What if this turns out to be what he was after?” Colton asked.
Balouche looked at him. “Unless he changed the position of a light bulb, it sounds like the painting itself hasn’t been touched.”
“Fine.” Jesse stomped up the remaining stairs, Colton and Balouche closely behind.
Balouche took a step in front of them. “Do not touch anything.” He reminded. “The forensics team is still working. Don’t even step on the broken glass. Try to look around and see if you see anything missing.”
“This is the only room you know for sure the guy was in?” Colton asked.
“According to the statement from Kellen Jackson. He saw the man now identified as Blue Richards step out of the closet over there and fire at Justyn from about here. He said Justyn walked over to the glass and waved at him. He saw the perp step from the closet toward the door there then turn around, aim and fire.”
“Can we look in the closet?” Jesse asked.
The detective shrugged. “Just don’t…”
“…touch anything…got it.” Jesse said taking a precarious step toward the open closet door. He turned to his father. “Dad?”
“Something missing?” Balouche asked, hopefully.
Colton turned his head from the position he had taken behind Jesse. “Not missing, but definitely askew.”
Balouche pushed the men aside and looked in the closet, eyes scanning top to bottom. He saw a walk in closet that looked like it had just been cleaned and straightened. He turned to the men. “Blue Richards cleaned the man’s closet then tried to kill him?”
Jesse smiled. “No but it’s definitely been rifled through.” Colton nodded his head.
“You’re kidding?” Balouche said.
Colton pointed to a bureau drawer. “Detective, open that drawer.”
“Why?”
“Just open it. It will prove a point.”
He shook his head grabbed a pen out of his pocket and slowly pulled a drawer open on the chest. The contents of the drawer were perfect; every sock, every pair of underwear was folded as though still on the store shelf and fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Balouche whistled and slid the drawer shut with the pen.
Walking back to the closet, he scanned it again nodding his head. Boxes were piled neatly, but not perfectly. Clothes were hung but not even, and the shoes were matched but looked like they’d just been tossed side by side in a line.
Balouche turned to the men working in the bedroom. “Dust everything in that closet for prints.”
“Especially that.” Jesse pointed.
That got the man’s attention. “What is it?”
“A jewelry box that belonged to Ian’s Aunt.” Colton said.
“Her jewels were in there?” Balouche’s ears perked up.
Colton laughed. “Nothing expensive. She was an old black woman who raised him. She passed away. I don’t know what the man would want in there, but he definitely has gone through it.”
“I’d say it was what he was going through just before he realized Ian was home.” Jesse added.
“Why?” Balouche got out his notebook.
“Look at it.” Jesse said. “There’s stuff sticking out of it, and it’s not anywhere near where Ian kept it.”
“You’re sure?”
“I watched Ian take it down before he went out.” Jesse recalled. “He got something out of it that he wanted to give to Saxon…”
“Saxon Allen?” Balouche clarified.
“Yeah. They went bowling this evening. He told me there was something he wanted her to have.”
“And he got it out of that box?”
“Yes. He took it off the top rack there, put it on the bed, got what he wanted and I put it right back for him.” Jesse pointed to the rack above the suits. “See there’s the place where it fits exactly.”
“Have you boys taken shots of the closet?” Balouche asked one of the men. When the man confirmed. “We take this box out and examine the contents then?”
When the man nodded, Balouche put on some gloves he was handed. He carefully stepped in the closet and lifted the box taking it over to the bed and opening the lid. “Can you tell me if you notice anything missing?”
Jesse peered into the top. “He didn’t open the top. There’s a little compartment to the back. Push the back of it toward the bottom…” He instructed.
Balouche fumbled a minute, but finally a little bottom panel slid open.
“There. Ian got something wrapped in tissue paper from there. He said his Aunt Hil put it there years ago. He remembered just as he was leaving. He was excited it was still there.”
“It’s empty.” Balouche turned to him. “Must have been all that was in there.”
“No.” Jesse was sure. “I personally picked up some envelopes that were in there. I remember the look on his face. He turned to me and smiled, but Saxon was waiting on him downstairs. He went running and I put everything back for him.”
“You’re positive he put them back in this cubby hole?” Balouche asked.
“No Detective, I put the envelopes back. I shut the drawer myself and put the whole box back on the rack where it belongs.” Jesse smirked.
“Any idea what was in the envelopes?”
“No. Just that Ian was excited about finding the little gift for Saxon that was in there. He said it was something he gave to his Aunt for safe keeping years ago.”
Colton looked at his son. “Detective, do you think this could be connected with what happened in Lost Mountain?”
“Lost Mountain?” Balouche said. “What happened in Lost Mountain?”
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