guesthouse, and gardens.
âOne of them was,â Manolo said. âIt was wide open, in a way it wouldnât ordinarily be. Normally, it would either be closed, or both doors would be latched open.â
âWhat happened next?â
âMrs. Calder came running into the hall with the maid; she was wearing a robe and dripping water.â
âWhat did she do or say?â
âShe yelled out, âVance!â and then she got closer and saw the wound, and she backed away from him. She was making this noise, sort of like a scream, but not as loud, and she said, âNo, no!â a couple of times. I told Isabel to take her into the bedroom, that I would see to Mr. Calder and that an ambulance was on the way.â
âManolo, when Mrs. Calder came in, did you smell anything?â
âWell, yessir, I guess she smelled real sweet, having just got out of the tub.â
Stone looked at the Saltillo tiles that formed the floor and saw a dark stain on the grout between the tiles.
âI couldnât get that out,â Manolo said. âI tried, but I couldnât.â
âWhat happened next, Manolo?â
âTwo uniformed police officers arrivedâthey rang the bell, and I let them in the gate. They looked at Mr. Calder and felt his pulse, but they didnât move him. One of them talked to somebody on a walkie-talkie. Not long after that, another police car arrived, this time, plainclothesmen. They went and talked to Mrs. Calder, and I followed them, but she wasnât making any sense; she was hysterical and didnât seem to know where she was or what had happened.â
âShow me where the master suite is, please.â
Manolo led him through the living room and through a set of double doors, then through a small foyer and into a large bedroom, which contained a king-size bed, a fireplace, and a sofa and chairs in front of a hearth. âMrs. Calderâs dressing room and bath are through here,â he said, leading the way through a door to one side of the bed. There was another foyer, and to the left, a very large room, filled with hanging clothes, cubicles for sweaters and blouses, shoe racks, and a three-way mirror. To the right was a large bathroom with a big tub and a dressing table. On top of the dressing table was a large perfume bottle, emblazoned with the name âChanel,â and next to that a bottle of bath oil with the same brand name. Stone smelled them both.
âNow, can I see Mr. Calderâs dressing room?â Stone asked.
âRight this way, sir.â
They walked back into the bedroom, around the bed, and through another door. The arrangement was the same but both the dressing room and bath were smaller and decorated in a more masculine style.
âWhere is Mr. Calderâs safe?â Stone asked.
Manolo went to a mirror over a chest of drawers, pressed it, and it swung open to reveal a steel safe door, approximately fifteen by twenty inches, a size that would fit between the structural studs. An electronic keypad, not a combination lock, was imbedded in the door.
âDo you know the combination?â Stone asked.
âYessir, itâs one-five-three-eight. You press the star key first, then the numbers, then the pound key, then turn that knob.â
Stone opened the safe, which was empty. âWhat did Mr. Calder keep in here?â he asked.
âHe kept his jewelry box and a gun,â Manolo said.
âDo you know what kind of gun it was?â
âI donât know the brand of it, but it was an automatic pistol. There was a box of ammunition, too, that said nine millimeter, but the police took that.â
âWhat was in the jewelry box?â
âWatches and other jewelry. Mr. Calder liked watches, and he had six or seven. There were some cuff links and studs, too; a nice selection.â
âWhat did the box look like?â
âIt was about a foot long by, I guess, eight inches wide, and maybe
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