Everything on both floors was covered with thick layers of dust. In what appeared to be the master bedroom, several drawers were half open and clothes hangers littered the floor of a still-full closet.
Isaacs seemed to have left in a hurry, indicating that his departure probably wasn’t planned in advance. Unless he’d been abducted and this was done to give the impression he’d left by choice.
They returned downstairs and Harry went to the locked door, remembering something he’d seen once before. A painting hung on each side of the door. “Was Isaacs right or left-handed?” Harry asked. They stared at him, puzzled. “Right or left? Do either of you know?” he repeated.
“Right,” Marty said. “He was right-handed.”
Harry looked at Spence, standing on the left side of the door. “Take down that painting beside your head.” Spence frowned, but did as he said.
Harry removed the string hanging behind it and unlocked the door with the attached key. As Spence replaced the painting, Harry pushed open the door and stepped inside. For a minute, they stared in silence.
The room was in total disarray and covered with dust. Filing cabinet drawers had been removed and emptied onto the floor. Books and other things had been pulled from shelves and scattered everywhere. The door of a built-in wall safe at one end of the room hung wide open, revealing an empty interior.
“Looks like Scrooge took the safe contents with him,” Shorty said.
“But why pull the books from the shelves?” Spence asked.
“To make it look like robbery,” Harry said. “Or perhaps it was robbery. Hard to say. I’ll see if Bruce can send someone out with a fingerprint kit – if they haven’t done it already.”
“Will that help?” Shorty asked.
“Depends on the results,” Harry said, “and it could take a while.” He looked at Spence. “I’ll give him your key if they don’t have one.” Spence held out the key and Harry put it in his pocket. “Okay, let’s get out of here.”
********************
Ten days later, Bruce walked into Harry’s office and placed an envelope on his desk. “This almost feels like old times. I hope it helps.”
Harry laughed. Thanks, I appreciate it. Got time for coffee?”
“Not today.” Bruce shook his head. “Meeting with the chief in fifteen minutes.”
“Okay, see you soon,” Harry replied as Bruce shut the door behind him. He opened the envelope, hoping for something useful. After briefly scanning the contents, he called the other three and asked them to be there at one-thirty.
When they were seated across from him, Harry held the key out to Spence. “It was in the envelope Bruce dropped off this morning.”
“Keep it.” Spence shook his head. “I don’t want it.”
“You might need to go back and check on something,” Shorty said.
“Not me,” Spence protested, “but Hogan might. What about the prints?”
Harry took a deep breath. “They covered everything in the room, especially things that had been disturbed. All prints were identical and belong to Isaacs.”
