Sergeant Young made some notes in his notebook. “What time did this happen?”
“I guess between eight and ten; that’s about when Holly and I were having dinner at the inn.”
“Anybody know you were going?”
“No. Seth and Mabel Hotchkiss were on the mainland last night. But we were in Dick’s old MG, which is a pretty recognizable car. Just about anyone who might have seen us would have known it.”
“Why do you think he took the whole safe?”
“I suppose because he tried to open it and failed. Probably wanted to work on it at his leisure.”
"Was it an expensive safe? Hard to open, I mean?“
“A friend of mine opened it in a few minutes, without the combination.”
“Would that have been Ms. Barker?”
“Yes.”
“You have any idea how the thief got into the house? I understand this place is supposed to be very secure.”
“We’re baffled. Our best guess is he had a key.”
“Who else has keys?”
“Seth and Mabel Hotchkiss. Caleb Stone had a key, but he gave it back to me. The locks are by a Swedish company called Assa. They’re just about impossible to pick, and you can only get a key or even a blank from the manufacturer through a dealer.”
“I’ve heard about those locks,” Young said. “Are you sure the Hotchkisses are the only people with keys?”
“I’ll find out,” Stone said. He picked up the phone, pressed the intercom button and tapped in Seth’s extension. “Seth, can you come to the study for a minute?” He listened, then hung up.
Seth was there in less than a minute. “What can I do for you, Stone?”
“You know Sergeant Young, don’t you?”
“Know of him.” Seth shook his hand.
“Seth, who else outside the family might have a key to the house?”
Seth shrugged. “Nobody that I can think of. Dick was very strict about not giving a key to anybody but family. Caleb has one.”
“He returned it to me awhile back,” Stone said.
“Then just me and Mabel.”
“No repairmen, workmen, maybe the contractor who built the house?”
“Nope. After the locks were installed, I always had to be here to open the door for anybody who came to fix anything. I fix most things myself.”
“Any questions, Sergeant?”
“What have you had to have fixed by somebody else?”
“That Viking stove in the kitchen needed some adjustment once. Mabel let the fellow in and stayed with him while he did it. The installer of the TV and audio stuff made several trips, but I was always with him.”
“Nobody else?”
“Not that I can think of.”