“Where is it?” asked Robin, who didn’t like a potential murderer being armed.
“In my room.”
“I’ll escort you upstairs and we’ll get it,” Ken said.
“Is there anything else in the house that can be used as a weapon?” Robin asked.
“I was in the Army in combat,” Max, the male caterer, said. “There are knives in the kitchen. I know how to use them.”
“Anyone else who knows how to use a weapon?” Ken asked.
No one spoke up.
“Mr. Rockwell, we’ll give your gun to Max, since he was in combat.”
“I don’t know,” Rockwell said.
“Have you ever killed someone?” Ken asked.
“I… no.”
Robin noticed that Rockwell had hesitated. She knew that Claire Winters had been stabbed to death, and Robin wondered if Rockwell had hesitated because he knew answering in the affirmative would have led to questions he’d rather not answer.
“Don’t you think it’s a good idea for a trained soldier to have a loaded weapon?” Ken asked the actor.
“Okay,” Rockwell said reluctantly.
“We have to find Justin,” Nelly said.
“I agree,” Robin said, “which means we have to search the house.”
“We should do it in teams,” Ken said. “We need someone in each team who knows Black Oaks inside and out and someone with a weapon, who knows how to use it.
“Robin, why don’t you, Luther, Milo, and Janet search the ground floor? I’ll take Mrs. Raskin, Mr. Rockwell, and Nelly and search the second floor.
“Max, Sheila can take you, Sandy, and Jose through the third floor. Does anyone have a problem with what I’ve proposed?”
No one said anything.
“Okay. Now listen up. We’re looking for Justin Trent, but a vicious killer with no conscience may be hiding in Black Oaks. It isn’t our job to capture or kill him. That’s a job for the authorities. Robin, Max, and I have guns, but we’re not going to shoot Zelko unless we have to protect one of you or ourselves. Stick together. If you spot Zelko, back off and give him a chance to escape. Understood?”
The group agreed.
“Okay. Let’s get going. Be alert at all times and don’t take chances.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“Okay, Luther,” Robin said. “I assume you know every inch of Black Oaks. Where should we look for Justin Trent on this floor?”
Luther thought about Robin’s question. She noticed that he didn’t seem nervous or panicky like some of the other residents and guests of Black Oaks. In fact, Robin could not remember him displaying any emotion.
“The kitchen or the dining hall are the largest areas on the main floor,” Luther answered with a voice that sounded like the words had been dragged across sandpaper. “There’s a closet in the entrance hall, but there’s no place he could be between the entrance hall and the stairs and elevator. That leaves the library, a bathroom, and several other closets.”
“We can see that Zelko isn’t in the dining room, so let’s start our search in the entrance hall and work toward the back of the house,” Robin said.
The search party walked to the entrance hall and looked inthe closet. Then Luther led the group to the library. After a thorough search of the library and the rest of the main floor, all that remained was the kitchen.
Most of this replica of the original Black Oaks was a duplicate of the English manor house, but Katherine Melville had made an exception in the kitchen, which was a spotless accumulation of glistening steel appliances; a spacious, smooth granite-topped island; and shiny pots, pans, and utensils. The one thing that did not fit in was the scarred wooden door in a dark corner of the large room. When Robin saw the door, something occurred to her.