CHAPTER 19

With the exception of the dresser jammed up against the door obstructing it and the mess his uncle had made, they were able to remove enough of the glass to climb through the window and discover the space tidy as if the maid had just done the cleaning.

Shaking his head, Darien reasoned that the intruder had come seeking for the identical piece of evidence as he was. The lace-covered canopy bed, the space underneath it, the dressers and bedside tables, the closet, and the tiny bathroom were all investigated by him and Sheridan, but they came up empty-handed. Nothing, not a toothbrush, comb, bag, garment, or anything else.

Darien then noticed a tiny rise in the mattress on the right side of the bed. He approached the bed with a swagger and pulled up the coverlet. In one particular area, the mattress rode high. He discovered the grip of a revolver by shoving his hand between the mattress and box spring. His heart beat more vigorously. He took the 9mm out, examined the safety, then took t