The gate to the PlayHouse property was open. A sky heavy with marine fogbrowned the grass and deepened the house’s green siding to mustard.
Bradley Dowd stood in front of the garage. One of the barn doors was ajar.Dowd wore a black cashmere crewneck over fawn slacks and black sandals. The fogturned his white hair sooty.
No sign of his Porsche on the street. A red, split-windowed, sixtiesCorvette was parked up a bit. All the other vehicles in sight were as glamorousas oatmeal.
Dowd waved as we pulled to the curb. Something metallic glinted in his hand.When we reached the garage, he flung the door open. The structure’s agedexterior was deceiving. Inside were black cement floors polished to a gloss andcedar-plank walls adorned with racing posters. Halogen lights glinted from theceiling rafters.
Triple garage, all three spaces occupied.
To the left was an impeccably restored green Austin Healy, low-slung,waspishly aggressive. Next to that, another Vette, white, happily chromed.Softer body style than the one on the street. Nipple taillights. One of my gradschool profs had tooled around in a car like that. He’d bragged about it beinga ’53.
A dust filter hummed between the two sports cars. It hadn’t done much forthe dented brown Toyota Corolla in the right-hand slot.
Brad Dowd said, “I got here an hour ago, bringing my ’63 Sting Ray back fromvalve work.” The shiny thing in his grip was a combination padlock. “This pieceof crap was sitting where the Stinger’s supposed to go. The doors were unlockedso I checked the reg. It’s Meserve’s. There’s something on the front seat thatspooks me a little.”
Milo walked past him, circled the Corolla,squinted inside the car, returned.
“See it?” said Brad Dowd.
“Snow globe.”
“It’s the one I told you about. When Nora broke off with him she must’vegiven it back. Don’t you think it’s a little weird that he kept it in hisdamned heap? And parked the heap in my space?” Dowd’s jaw trembled. “I calledNora yesterday, no answer. Same thing today. She doesn’t have to inform me ofher comings and goings, but usually she returns calls. I’m going over to herhouse but first I wanted you to see this.”
Albert Beamish had spied Nora driving away four days ago. Milosaid nothing about that. “Meserve ever leave his car here before, Mr. Dowd?”
“Hell, no. Nora uses the main building for the school but the garage ismine. I’m always in a space crunch.”
“Lots of cars?”
“A few. Sometimes I set aside slots in my buildings, but it’s not alwaysenough. I used to keep a hangar at the airport, which was perfect because it’sright near the office. Then all the demand from the jet owners drove therentals up.”
He jiggled the padlock. “What bothers me is that only Nora and I know thecombination. I wanted her to have it in case of fire or some other disaster.She wouldn’t give it out to him. ”
“You’re sure of that,” said Milo.
“What do you mean?”
“Nora’s an adult, sir. Maybe she chose to disregard your advice.”
“About Meserve? No way, Nora agreed with me about that lowlife.” Bradlowered his hand and swung the padlock. “What if he forced her to open up?”
“Why would he do that, sir?”
“To hide that thing, ” said Dowd. He eyed the Toyota. “Leaving that stupid globe,there…there’s something off about it. What are you going to do about it?”
“Any idea how long the car’s been here?”
“No more than two weeks because that’s when I took the Stinger in for valvework.”
Milo circled the car again. “Doesn’t seemto be much in here other than the globe.”
“There isn’t,” said Dowd, wringing his hands. The padlock clicked. He hungit on the door hasp and returned, shaking his head. “I warned her about him.”
Milo said, “All we’ve got is his car.”
“I know, I know—think I’m overreacting?”
“It’s normal to worry about your sister but let’s not jump to conclusions.”
“What do I do with the heap?”
“We’ll have the heap towed to the police impound lot.”
“When?”
“I’ll phone right now.”
“Thanks.” Brad Dowd tapped his foot as Milomade the call.
“Within half an hour, Mr. Dowd.”
“Fine, fine—you know what else is bothering me? That girl—the Brand girl.She got mixed up with Meserve and look what happened to her. Nora’s too damnedtrusting, Lieutenant. What if he showed up and she let him in and he gotviolent?”
“We’ll check the car for signs of violence. Are you sure your sister andyourself are the only ones with the combination?”
“Damned sure.”
“No way Nora could’ve given it to Meserve? Back when she was stillinterested in him?”
“She was never interested in him—we’re talking a brief flirtation.” Dowdchewed his lip. “She’d never give him the combination. I explicitly forbade herto give it out. It’s not logical, anyway. If she wanted to open the garage, shecould do it herself. Which she wouldn’t, because she knew the Stinger would becoming back.”
“Did she know when?”
“That’s what I was calling her about yesterday. To tell her I’d be drivingit back. She didn’t answer.”
“So she didn’t know,” said Milo.
“Let me try her house again.” He produced a shiny black cell phone, puncheda two-digit speed-dial code. “Still no answer.”
“Could Reynold Peaty have learned the combination, sir? From working here?”
Dowd’s eyes widened. “Reynold? Why would he want it? Is there something youhaven’t told me about him?”
“Turns out he does drive. Has an unregistered vehicle.”
“What? Why the hell would he do that? I pay for a van pool to pick him upand take him to work.”
“He drove himself to a job in Pasadenatoday.” Milo read off the address from hispad.
“Yeah, that’s one of mine. Oh, Jesus—you’re sure—of course you are, you’veobviously been watching him.” Dowd ran a thumb through his white hair. Hisother hand clenched. “I asked you the first time if I should worry about him.Now you’re telling me I should.” Brad shaded his eyes with a shaky hand. “He’sbeen alone with my sister. This is a nightmare—I can’t tell Billy.”
“Where is Billy?”
“Waiting for me at the office—the key is to find Nora. What the hell are yougoing to do about that, Lieutenant?”
Milo eyed the PlayHouse. “Have you checkedin there?”
“There? No—oh, man!” Brad Dowd bolted toward the building, running aroundthe porch rails with long, smooth strides, fumbling in his pockets as hevaulted steps two at a time. Milo went after him and when Dowd turned the key, Milo stilled his hand.
“Me first, sir.”
Dowd stiffened, then backed away. “Fine. Go. Hurry.”
 
He positioned himself on the east end of the porch where he leaned on therail and stared at the garage. Sun peeked out from under the marine layer.Foliage was green again. Dowd’s red Corvette took on an orange sheen.
S............