I'll Walk Alone - Mary Higgins Clark [48]
“Would you happen to have kept yours from two years ago, and is it on hand?”
“Yes. It would be upstairs.” With an impatient sigh, Nina Aldrich got up, walked to the door of the room, and called the housekeeper. Glancing at her watch, a gesture Billy Collins was sure was intended for them, she directed Garcia to go to her desk, open the top drawer, and get the appointment book for the year before last.
While Nina Aldrich and the detectives waited, she said, “I do hope we’re not going to be involved in this situation beyond this meeting. My husband despises this sort of sensationalism, and he was not happy when the papers made so much of the fact that More-land’s meeting was with me that day.”
Billy did not deem it wise to tell her that if this came to trial, she would end up being a star witness. Instead he said quietly, “I’m sorry about the inconvenience.”
Maria Garcia returned, a small red leather book in her hand. She had already opened it to June 10.
“Thank you, Maria. Wait right here.” Nina Aldrich glanced at the page and handed the book to Billy. Next to the one P.M. slot was Alexandra Moreland’s name. “This doesn’t say where you were planning to meet her,” Billy observed. “If you were discussing decorating this house, why would you meet her at the other residence?”
“Ms. Moreland had taken extensive pictures of all the rooms here. We had no furniture other than a card table and a couple of chairs in the entire house. Why would I not make my choices in comfort? But since, as I said, I was planning to meet friends at the Carlyle for cocktails at five, I told Ms. Moreland to wait for me instead of coming down to Beekman Place.”
“I see. Then you weren’t here long before we called her?” Jennifer asked.
“Little more than a half hour.”
“When you arrived here, how would you describe Ms. More-land’s demeanor?”
“Flurried. Apologetic. Anxious.”
“I see. And how big is this house, Mrs. Aldrich?”
“It’s five stories high and forty feet wide, which as you can see makes it one of the larger town houses in the area. The top floor is now an enclosed garden. We have eleven rooms.” There was no mistaking the pleasure Nina Aldrich displayed in disclosing the dimensions of her town house.
“What about the basement?” Billy asked.
“It has a second kitchen, a wine cellar, and a very large finished room, which my husband’s grandchildren enjoy when they are visiting. Also a storage area.”
“You say there were only a few chairs and a card table here the day Matthew disappeared and you met Ms. Moreland here?”
“Yes. The architectural renovation had been done by the previous owners. Because of sudden financial problems, the house went on the market and we bought it. For the most part we were very satisfied with the architect’s work and wanted no part of long delays by starting any further renovations. The interior decorating had not begun and that was when Alexandra Moreland was recommended to me.”
“I see.” Billy looked at Jennifer and they both got up to go. “You say Ms. Moreland had a key to the house. Did she ever come back after Matthew disappeared?”
“I never saw her. I know that she did come back at some point for her briefcase, samples, and so forth. Frankly, I don’t remember if she ever did return the key, but of course we had all the locks changed when we moved in.”
“You did not have Ms. Moreland do the interior design work for you?”
“I thought it was quite obvious that she would be in no emotional condition to take on such a project, and I wouldn’t have expected it of her. And obviously I couldn’t take a chance that she wouldn’t have some kind of breakdown and leave me in a mess.”
“May I ask who decorated this house?”
“Bartley Longe. Perhaps you’ve heard of him. He’s quite brilliant.”
“I guess what I’m asking is, when did he come on the job?” Billy’s mind was racing. This house had been empty the day Matthew disappeared. Zan Moreland had access to it. Was it possible that she brought her child here and perhaps had hidden him in one of the rooms or in the basement? No one would have dreamt of looking for him here. She