The Silence That Speaks Read Online Free PDF

not the one with the concussion and broken ribs. Plus, I’m not bad in the kitchen. My wife is the cooking wizard, but I can certainly heat up a can of soup.”
    “I have no doubt. But honestly, I’m fine.” Madeline graciously declined his offer. “Thank you, though. It’s nice to know there are still some gentlemen out there. Your wife is a lucky woman.”
    Patrick chuckled. “There are times when she would challenge you on that.” As he spoke, he surveyed the room, focusing on specific areas of interest.
    Madeline followed the line of his scrutiny. “You’re eager to get started. Go ahead.”
    Nodding, Patrick noted that the apartment appeared to be pretty tidy, despite the gaping spaces where electronic equipment had once stood. “Clearly you did a thorough cleaning and rearranging since the break-in. I need to know not only what was taken, but where most of the ransacking took place. Once I get a handle on that, I’ll get started looking for what the intruder wanted.”
    “Okay.” Madeline nodded, her arm sweeping the room. “As you can see from the hollow spaces, all our...
my,
” she corrected herself, “electronic equipment was taken—a fifty-inch flat-screen TV, audio components, DVD player—you name it. The DVDs on the shelves had collapsed all over the floor, thanks to the fact that the intruders stole the statues that were holding them in place. The same applied to the matching statues and DVDs in the master bedroom. The kitchen drawers were emptied onto the floor. The credenza and the vitrine in the dining room were rifled.”
    “Did they take the silverware in the kitchen? Or any china or collectibles that were in the dining room?”
    “Neither. A few of the costlier sculptures from the dining room were gone, but all the paintings throughout the apartment were left on the walls.”
    “Some of those paintings are valuable,” Patrick noted, scanning the walls again. “Which is another indication that robbery wasn’t the real motive here. Keep talking. What other rooms were disturbed?”
    “The second bedroom was a disaster.”
    Patrick’s brows rose. “And that room is for...?”
    “I use it as a den. I have a futon, bookshelves filled with books, a small desk and some computer equipment. I also have a wall safe in there. I opened that right after the burglary. Obviously whoever broke in couldn’t figure out the combination because the safe was locked, and when I checked, none of my jewelry, personal papers or cash was taken. Oh, I also have some old file cabinets in the room. The intruder went through those, too.”
    “How do you know? Were the contents dumped? The files sticking out?”
    Madeline shook her head. “Everything looked perfectly in place—not a sheet of paper to be found. But I double-checked, anyway, just in case. I know my filing system, right down to my old recipes. Sure enough, the files were all out of order, as were the papers inside them. Somebody definitely went through the drawers and tried to make it look like they hadn’t. I have no idea if they found something or what that something was. Nothing jumped out at me as being missing.”
    “Either they didn’t find what they were looking for, or they found it and it made getting rid of you that much more urgent.” Patrick scowled. “Besides recipes, what kinds of files do you keep?”
    “My utility bills. My health records, lab results—that kind of thing. My receipts for items purchased. My medical insurance. The common charges for my condo.”
    “You’re one organized lady. Although I can’t imagine any of those things being of interest to our offender. Still, you never know. One restaurant receipt, one item purchased...” Patrick loosened his tie and rolled up his shirtsleeves. “Time for me to get started. Let’s see if we can figure out what you have that’s worth killing for.”
    * * *
    Marc gave Hero more exercise than the bloodhound was used to.
    During the extralong walk around Tribeca,