Part 15 (2/2)
Every parent's dream.
Jess pressed a hand to her waist. Parenting was hard work. She'd heard Lil say it often enough. Sometimes even children of good people, who had done everything right, turned out to be criminals or ended up dead way too young.
How did you know if you were doing it right? Her instincts worked pretty well when tracking down a murderer. But that didn't mean she'd be any good at guiding a child through life. Dan would be better at that than she would.
Another truckload of worry dumped on her, prompting a weary sigh. Whether they solved this case or not she had to find time to talk to him about this. Last night she had tried, she really had, but ultimately the point of a stakeout was to stay vigilant. Allowing that kind of distraction would have amounted to dereliction of duty.
They needed privacy and time.
Time, apparently, was her enemy. When she'd dressed this morning in her favorite red suit, she'd noticed the waistband of the skirt was a little tighter. Was that supposed to happen this early? G.o.d, she hoped not. If that was the route her body intended to take, she was doomed.
Her cell rang and she was glad for the reprieve. Lori's image flashed on her screen. Jess's pulse automatically s.h.i.+fted into a higher gear. ”Did you locate the sisters?”
”Not yet, but the detective in Paris called.”
Now there was a surprise. The French National Police rarely responded so quickly. ”Anything useful?” Jess reached for a pencil, ready to jot down a few notes.
”Ten years ago three students from one of the premiere art schools went missing about a month apart. Each body was found a few days after the victim's disappearance. All three had been brutally murdered, chests cracked open and hearts removed.”
Jess dropped the pencil back onto her desk. ”Did Ellis teach at this school?”
”He did, but he was never connected to the crimes in any way. The cases remain unsolved.”
”See if the detective will fax or email us the case reports,” Jess wanted to kick something, ”or anything that shows Ellis was a person of interest on that case. We need something tangible to put in front of a judge in the event we want to go into the gallery and his home.”
”There's more.”
Jess stilled. ”I'm listening.”
”Two years before the murders in Paris a couple of students disappeared from a small town in the Ukraine. And it doesn't end there. Two years prior to that, three students went missing in Hungary and before that one in Romania. There may even be more, those are just the ones he discovered long after Ellis had left Paris. But none of the missing students could be connected to Ellis and they all remain unsolved. The detective has been able to loosely connect travel by Ellis to the general area in those three cities, but nothing concrete.”
”Call the judge.” This was enough, Jess felt confident. ”Get me a warrant for the gallery and his residence, in case we need it. Lieutenant Hayes and I are heading to his home now.” The gallery wasn't open yet. Maybe they'd catch him at his house.
Jess ended the call and grabbed her bag.
Hayes was already waiting at the door. ”You have an address?”
”Clairmont Avenue. It's in Forest Park,” she told him.
Hayes opened the door as she reached him. ”I know the area well.”
Jess resisted the temptation to ask if he'd had clients in the wealthy neighborhood back when he was working his way through college.
Not nice, Jess. Maybe the detective had friends there. She knew from his personnel file that he didn't live in that posh neighborhood.
Clairmont Avenue, 9:15 a.m.
Hayes rang the bell again. There was a Jaguar, presumably Ellis's, in the driveway near the detached garage. If he was home, Jess wished he would come to the door already. It was hot as blazes out here and it wasn't even ten o'clock.
The impressive Tudor style home was quite beautiful and large. The house sat amid lush landscape facing Triangle Park. It didn't take a lot of imagination to know it would be equally grand inside.
”Did you hear something?” Since the noise sounded like footsteps, she hoped it was Ellis coming to the door.
”I did,” Hayes confirmed. ”Someone's coming.”
The door opened and Ellis looked from Jess to Hayes and back before offering a smile. ”Good morning, Chief Harris.” He glanced at Hayes again.
”Mr. Ellis.” She gave a nod. ”This is Lieutenant Hayes and we'd like to speak with you a moment if you have the time.” Since she didn't have a warrant yet, playing nice was the only way to go.
”Of course. Come in.” He drew the door open wide in welcome. ”I was just about to have one last cup of coffee before going to the gallery. Would you care to join me?”
Considering he was one of three suspects in her ongoing murder case, the answer to that would be a resounding no. ”Thank you but I've had way too much caffeine already this morning.”
Ellis s.h.i.+fted his attention to Hayes. ”Lieutenant?”
”No, thanks.”
”Join me in the parlor.” He led the way through the ostentatious entry hall with its own little gallery of artwork to a room on the right.
The interior was elegantly decorated. ”You have a lovely home.” Jess produced a big smile. ”You live here all by yourself?”
He gestured for her to have a seat then he and Hayes followed suit. He sat in a throne like chair, one leg crossed over the other. ”I do.”
”It must get lonely?” She'd bet her beloved Coach bag in which she carried the necessities of daily life, that he had at least one maid and a lawn service.
”I travel so frequently I rarely have time to be lonely.”
”Your work at the gallery and the school keeps you busy as well,” Hayes commented. ”I've spoken with a number of your students. They all idolize you.”
Jess gave the man high marks for joining the conversation rather than merely observing. He'd apparently hit a nerve since Ellis's jaw tightened noticeably. Clearly, he wasn't happy to learn that questions were being asked about him.
”I'm flattered. My greatest hope is that I can instill pa.s.sion. Art without pa.s.sion is dead.”
”Have any of your students mentioned Lisa Templeton's or Alisha Burgess's untimely deaths?” Jess found it odd that he hadn't asked how the investigation was going the moment they arrived.
”We haven't spoken of it.” He glanced at his untouched coffee waiting on the table next to his chair. ”I've been watching for updates on the investigation in the news. Do you have any leads?”
”We do.” Jess watched his face and eyes carefully as she spoke. ”We believe we've identified the murderers.”
His eyebrows reared up in surprise. The reaction wasn't reflected in his eyes. ”There's more than one?”
”Two. Females. They were caught on the security camera at the apartment where they brutally murdered their last victim. They're wanted for questioning.”
”That is good news.”
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