And in Detective Hubert’s opinion, none of the staff seemed like people who would pull off a job of this magnitude. Her instincts were most often correct about these things.
“It could be an insurance scam,” Amy noted. “Perhaps the owner of this manor needs money for whatever reason and he staged it.”
Edward gestured around. “Doesn’t seem like these people need money.”
“Yes, we’ll have to inquire further. Things aren’t always as they appear.”
They finished their walk around the premises where they discussed theories and potential routes of entry, and concluded that this was puzzling. It was too clean. Amy’s instincts leaned towards an inside job.
Speaking of which, a man in his 40’s named Carlyle approached them. She had already interviewed him inside the manor and he seemed a bit suspicious, like he was hiding something.
“May I have a word, detective?” Carlyle asked.
“Yes, of course. Let’s keep it out here if you want privacy.”
Detective Hubert could tell that there was something this man wanted to get off his chest, but it wasn’t something that she could truly prepare for.
“This is going to sound strange,” Carlyle said. “You’ll probably think I’m crazy.”
“You can tell me anything,” she replied. “It’ll be off the record if you want.”
Carlyle nodded. “Off the record will be great. But I don’t know how to say this.”
“I’ve heard it all. Edward is my trainee. Whatever you say will remain confidential, with certain exceptions, of course.”
The man gave an uncomfortable wince. “I’m assuming you found no evidence of any break-in.”
“None so far. I have a great team and they’re still doing a thorough inspection.”
“I think you might not find anything,” Carlyle managed to speak.
“Why is that? Did someone in the manor do it? Were you involved?”
She looked at him with gentle eyes, allowing the man to confess whatever needed to be confessed. Unlike her male colleagues, Amy often settled for a softer approach when dealing with people.
“Detective Hubert, there have long been rumors that the manor is haunted. There. I said it. That’s why I think you won’t find anything.”
“Haunted?” she asked rhetorically. “As in, ghosts?”
“As crazy as that sounds, yes.”
“I’m keeping an open mind. What makes you say this?”
“Sometimes things go missing or move around. It’s been that way for as long as I’ve lived here. My family and the staff talk about it sometimes, but never at length.”
Detective Hubert nodded. “Have you ever personally witnessed anything?”
“No, never. This is completely hearsay. But I just wanted to give you a heads up about this.”
“I appreciate the notice. Is there anything else you can tell me?”
“Only that we’re honest people,” Carlyle replied. “There’s a belief that strange things occasionally happen, so it should be considered. I honestly don’t want you to think that we’re wasting your time or committing fraud.”
“That hadn’t crossed my mind,” she politely smiled.
He breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad.”
*
Amy and her son went back inside the manor for another look. None of the interviews produced anything useful and the forensics team found nothing of value. In her experience, when dead ends arise, it’s best to keep looking at points of entry to figure out how a criminal would think.