She turned and went over to the desk, looking down at several sheets of music scores tossed hurriedly, carelessly, over the carved surface as if Dee had just pushed away from the desk and left them. There was another pile of scores set neatly in a box on the corner. Which were the rejects?
She picked up one of the sheets on the desk. Scrawled at the top was a title. “Sun Song.”
She spent a lot of time in the garden.
Jessie smiled as she put down the sheet. Music written with boldness and passion as if Dee couldn’t wait to put down the words and music. Not that neat pile she’d stacked to consider at a later date.
“Sun Song.”
She suddenly stiffened as she gazed down at the title.
She spent a lot of time in the garden…
Then she was running out of the room and down the staircase. “Laura!”
She found her on the patio. “Laura, I was just thinking about something you said. Or maybe it was the way you said it. Anyway, it struck me and I had to ask you.”
“What are talking about?” She frowned. “Was it something you found in Dee’s room?”
“Yes. Not really. It was that new music. ‘Sun Song.’ You were talking about Dee spending time in the garden. I was asking you about strangers and you told me how careful you were about accepting new hires or construction.” Laura was nodding, and Jessie held up her hand. “But then you said something else and it didn’t occur to me it sounded odd until just now. You said, ‘And I didn’t do it this time, either.’ Why did you say it like that? Did someone ask you to accept a new hire or a different construction company during that period?”
Her eyes widened. “Not during that time, maybe a week or so before. Miguel Santiago, the gardener. He said he had a friend from the orphanage where he grew up who needed a job. I told him what I tell everyone—that I was sorry, but they’d have to go through the same checks and references as any other applicant. No exceptions. Miguel dropped it immediately.” She frowned. “You know he’s a good guy, Jessie. That was why I didn’t even think of mentioning it. It was a nonissue.”
“Maybe. I need to talk to him. Where can I find him?”
“The rose garden. Do you want me to go with you?”
“No, thanks, Laura.” She was already out the French doors and striding down the paths toward the roses. She could see Santiago working in the garden near the fountain. He was a young man in his early twenties.
He looked up with a wary expression. “Hello, Jessie. Have you heard anything about Dee?”
She shook her head. “I just came to ask you about the man you asked Laura to consider hiring a few weeks ago. What do you know about him?”
“Not much.” He moistened his lips. “I didn’t remember him from the home, but that’s not unusual. There were so many of us there. He seemed like a nice guy. Some of the other guys at the orphanage had told him about my cushy job here with Dee and he thought he’d try his luck. He told me that if I helped him get the job, I wouldn’t regret it. He even offered to pay me half of his first week’s salary.”
“How generous. What was his name?”
“Jack Caseman.”
She wrote it down in her notebook. “How long was he here with you?”
“About half a day. He helped me with the weeding. We worked and joked and shot the breeze about the teachers and people we knew at the home. I told him I wasn’t sure I could manage to get him the job, but he helped me anyway. Like I said, he was a nice guy.”
And while he was obligingly helping with the weeding, he could look around and find out about the staff and schedule. “And he left immediately after you checked with Laura and was told that he wasn’t going to be hired?”
He nodded. “He was disappointed, but he thanked me, shook my hand, and left.” He paused. “This isn’t about Dee, is it? He never asked anything about her. He only said it would be nice to work with someone famous. That’s what everyone says.”
“It might be about Dee. If you can think of anything else about this Jack Caseman, I’d like you to call me.”
He hesitated. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Only trusted someone you shouldn’t, but we all do that sometimes. Don’t worry. We’ll work this out. Since the kidnapping didn’t actually take place here, evidently Caseman’s visit was purely exploratory. You might have actually been a help, Miguel.”
She hoped she was telling the truth. She’d only know after she went over those tapes again.
She turned and ran down the path toward the library.
Twenty minutes later she shoved the tapes aside. Not as promising as she’d hoped, but then she hadn’t really expected them to be. She spent another thirty minutes on the phone checking out Jack Caseman’s credentials at the orphanage. Nonexistent. Still, that didn’t mean she’d necessarily come up with zeros; she just had to dig deeper.
But she had neither the time nor the authority to bring that search to a speedy conclusion. So find someone who did. Kelland? She didn’t want to take anyone away from the active job involved in bringing Dee home. She hesitated and then quickly punched in a number. “Metcalf? Jessie Mercado. I was told you were loaned to the L.A. FBI for the duration of the investigation. I bet it’s driving you crazy drifting around like a lost puppy.”
“You might say that,” Metcalf said warily. “Though I offered to go.”
“I think I’ve run across a lead that might turn into something important. But I can’t follow up and I need someone good, efficient, and very fast to get out here to Dee’s house and help me. Are you interested?”
“Definitely.” Metcalf gave a deep, profound sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
* * *
Los Angeles Regional FBI Office
“We’ll be there.” Kendra ended the call she’d just received from Jessie and turned to Lynch. “Jessie just pulled into the parking lot and wants us to meet her at the AV lab.”
“Why?”
“A lead.” She was already pushing her way through the crowd of agents in the hall outside Kelland’s office. “Something she ran across at Dee’s house. What difference does it make? We’re not getting anywhere standing here waiting for those bastards to contact us. It’s almost noon and they’re still playing their games.”
“Easy.” He took her elbow and nudged her toward the elevator. “I know you’re scared, but this stall doesn’t mean they’re not going to go through with it. It’s much more likely that you and Jessie were right about them being pissed off and trying to punish us for not obeying orders.”
“That sounded much more reasonable before we had to sit here all morning and wait to hear if Dee is alive or dead.” She made an impatient gesture. “Forget I said that. My optimism is sagging a bit right now. I’ll try to look on the bright side. Noah came through with the additional five million. We’re ready to deliver the ransom. Now Jessie has come up with something positive. That should prove it’s going to be a good day.”
“Exactly.” As they got on the elevator, he punched the button for the AV lab. “And Jessie would never lead us down a wrong path.”