Dell Shannon - Exploit of Death

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," said Robert Dobbs woodenly.

They asked the airlines and got confirmation of David Dobbs two flights to Paris. They heard from a garrulous friend of Gaylene Dobbs' that her name had been Hoffman before she married Robert, and she'd always hated her real first name, Ruth, used her middle name. So that was where the Social Security card had originated; but Mendoza had overlooked one small point about that. The original card, unlike the replica, would have have borne the date of issue; and that card had probably been issued to Ruth Hoffman when Juliette was hardly more than a baby. But when they got the search warrant for the Robert Dobbs' million-dollar house in Bel Air, they hit a jackpot. At the bottom of a carved wooden jewel case in the bedroom, among all the other expensive jewelry, they found Juliette Martin's engagement ring. The unique ring designed and made by M. Dupres in the Rue Lafayette twenty-six years ago.

And with the only display of emotion Mendoza was ever to see Robert Dobbs display, before that or during the trial, he rounded on his wife with a string of vicious obscenities.

"I told you to throw that damn thing down the john-"

"But, Bob," she said stupidly, "it's a valuable ring, it's worth a lot of money."

Mendoza got home late that night. It had suddenly turned much cooler and up on the hill above Burbank a strong breeze was blowing. It was nearly dark, but he could see the vague white forms of the Five Graces huddled in the pasture. At the house, the garage light was left on for him and he went in the back door, past Cedric slurping water from his bowl in the service porch.

"Well, you are late and all," said Mairi. "I kept your dinner warm in the oven-"

"Never mind, I had something downtown." He went down the hall to the living room. The twins and the baby would be in bed. Alison was reading in her armchair, surrounded by cats. "Well, querido, you finally remembered you have a home?"

Mendoza bent to kiss her. "Things should quiet down a little now that the heat wave's ending." Now they just had the latest homicide and two heists to work, and could hope that not too many new calls would go down. "You get on with your book, carina. I want to write a letter to Rambeau."

He went back to the kitchen for a drink first, and El Senor was waiting for him on the counter below the relevant cupboard.