“Did you catch that?” Kate asked after the call with Detective Sanchez.
“Most of it. They found another safe at Eastwick’s office, got into it, and found a lot of money.”
“They found almost half a million dollars and some paperwork related to the Satori licenses.”
“Sanchez gave you a number that you wrote down.”
“Yes. She thinks that the combination for the San Francisco safe will work for the safe here. She wants us to check it out and then take a look at Greg’s car.”
“Let’s do it,” I said.
“After lunch. I’m starving.”
We got the key for Eastwick’s cottage and walked north on the Satori grounds until we came to the semi-secluded location, about a hundred yards above the old conference center. The modern wood building was built on a point overlooking the ocean.
Kate put down her backpack and put on gloves. Then she unlocked the door and swung it open. “Oh my god! Someone trashed this place.”
The living room was in shambles; books were strewn on the floor and the furniture had been turned over and cut open.
“Stay back, Tom. This is a crime scene, and I don’t want to contaminate it.”
I backed off. “What are you going to do?”
“I didn’t bring booties. I’m trying to get into the front room, and open the safe, in a way that doesn’t contaminate the scene.” Kate looked around and spotted a pile of old newspapers on the cottage porch. “This should work.”
Kate laid down a path of newspapers between the front door and the location of the wall safe. She walked carefully on the newspapers, swung open the picture that hid the wall safe, and removed her note from a pocket. Kate turned the dial with her right gloved hand. There was an audible click and Kate swung open the steel door. “Empty.”
Kate looked around the front room and turned to me, “Did you bring your iPhone with you?”
“Yes.” I took it out of my pocked and handed it to her.
Kate snapped several pictures, backed out, and locked the front door. As she handed me back my iPhone, she said, “Someone had Eastwick’s front room under surveillance. I spotted a spy camera between some books on his shelf.”
“So, there would be a record of whoever broke in?”
“I think so,” Kate said. “I’ll tell Laura and she can ask her smart investigator, Bruno, to trace the camera.”
Kate and I walked farther north until we came to Greg Tanaka’s black Mercedes sedan, California license 6TR244.
“I’m going to treat this as a crime scene,” Kate said. “I need you to stand back from Greg’s car.” She walked around the gravel area, where the car was parked. “There appear to be footprints by the trunk, so we need to not step on them.” Kate reached into her backpack and took out a large flashlight. After turning it on, she peered through the Mercedes’ windows. “Nothing in the front seat except for the car-rental agreement. His luggage is in the back seat. Now I will check the trunk.”
Kate put the flashlight back into her backpack and removed a small crowbar. “One of my dad’s tools,” she said with a smile. “When I pop the trunk, I may trigger the car alarm so don’t be startled.”
She inserted the crowbar into the side of the trunk lid and forced it open. There was no sound.
Kate dropped the crowbar into her backpack, took out the flashlight and turned it on. “No body, but some physical evidence. There’s a dark stain that is probably dried urine. And on the trunk lock there’s a piece a fabric and possibly skin.”
“So, you think Greg’s body was in the trunk and then pulled out?” I asked.
“That’s my working assumption.” Kate lowered the trunk lid but did not lock it. She used some duct tape to secure the lid.
Kate scanned the area between the side of the Mercedes and the edge of a bluff about twenty-five yards distant. “Here’s the track.” She focused on a deep furrow the proceeded from the car towards the bluff edge. “The assailant probably loaded Greg’s body into a wheelbarrow and wheeled it across this meadow to the cliff.”
We followed the furrow across the sandy clay field until it reached the cliff edge. Kate illuminated the furrow termination. “Here’s where the wheelbarrow was tipped up and Greg’s body pitched out.” Kate walked five yards north of the suspect area and looked down on the cliff face. “There’s a plant dislodged, possibly by the impact of Greg’s body. And there’s another sliver of fabric.” She shown the light all the way down to the waves surging into the cove. “If the water conditions were similar to what they are now, we’ll never find Greg’s body.”
Kate stepped back from the edge. “We don’t have the equipment needed to belay down the cliff and go into the sea cave and look for the body.” She smiled. “Besides, I have to get ready for a hot date this evening.”
“This is a job for Bruno and his guys,” I said.
Kate took my hand. “We’ve done all we can do here. Let’s walk back to the office and I’ll call Laura Sanchez.”