9. Chapter Nine
Chapter Nine
Theo Neville January 2025 Thursday — 9:49 am
Theo pushed open the doors of the prestigious country club, grateful for the warmth that greeted him inside. Despite his brown leather jacket and matching gloves, the biting cold had managed to seep into the fabric during the short walk from the parking lot to the entrance. He noticed a valet attendant returning to his station from parking a vehicle, but Theo had opted to park his Jeep himself when he saw an open spot near the front entrance.
The gleaming marble floors reflected the ornate chandeliers suspended above, casting a warm golden glow with its subdued lighting. A low hum of conversation and the clattering of utensils could be heard from the dining room, while a faint scent of chlorine hinted at the presence of an indoor pool somewhere within the lavish one-story structure.
He scanned the large foyer, spotting Detective Kitsis at the coat check-in counter almost immediately. The man was already engaged in conversation with one of the staff members. Theo moved toward them, the soles of his boots almost silent against the white marble. Kitsis excused himself before meeting Theo halfway.
“How did it go at the gun range?” Detective Kitsis asked as he shoved his gloves into the pocket of his coat. There was no reason to check their outerwear with the attendant seeing as they wouldn’t be on the premises for long. “I had an officer take statements from the staff earlier this week. As far as any of them are concerned, Jordan and Mara Miles signed in on Sunday morning at eleven o’clock before clocking out at one.”
“That’s pretty much what I gathered from the statements, as well.” Theo didn’t take offense to the woman behind the counter. She had taken an interest in his eye patch, but she was far too polite to stare for long. “Look, I know you still believe that Miles murdered his wife, but there are some loose ends that can’t be tied yet.”
“I didn’t say that I was one hundred percent convinced,” Detective Kitsis replied as he reached into the interior pocket of his black coat. He pulled out a piece of paper, along with a key still in an evidence bag. “I’m here, aren’t I?”
Theo understood that they were on site for completely different reasons. Kitsis was cementing the case for the prosecutor. Nothing more, nothing less.
“Oh, and I trust that I’ll receive some type of record from the interviews being conducted at Miles Therapeutics today?”
“I like you, Kitsis,” Theo surmised with a smile. The man didn’t miss a thing. “And yes, Brook intends to hand over the statements.”
“Why don’t you ask where the women’s locker room is while I speak with some servers?” Kitsis suggested as he shifted his stance to gesture toward the dining room. “Miles gave us the waiter’s name who served them breakfast on Sunday morning—Caleb Witt. He’s here today, and he has agreed to give me a more in-depth statement than he gave to my officer.”
Theo removed his leather gloves and folded them in half before tucking them into the pocket of his jacket. He then took the warrant and the key from Kitsis, noticing the number twenty-three engraved on the bow.
“Are you in a hurry or something?” Theo asked skeptically before Kitsis could walk away. “Shouldn’t you be the one serving this warrant?”
“It’s my wife’s birthday, and I might have put off picking up her gift,” Kitsis revealed, reaching out and slapping Theo on the arm. “Seeing as I’m meeting her for lunch—and you’ve already pointed out that the prosecutor believes this case is a slam dunk—there is no reason why we can’t divide and conquer.”
Kitsis made his way into the dining room, much to the dismay of the woman at the coat check-in counter. She was in the process of reaching for the phone unit on the wall when Theo approached her. She went by Beth according to her nametag.
“Hi, Beth.” Theo held the items in his left hand so that he could pull out his credentials. “My name is Theo Neville. I’m with S&E Investigations, and we are investigating the circumstances surrounding Mara Miles’ death. I take it that you’ve already met Detective Kitsis?”
“Yes, but he really shouldn’t be entering the dining room without first speaking with the manager,” Beth warned as she held the phone away from her face. She wore the club’s uniform, which consisted of black slacks and a crisp white blouse. “Would you please tell him to—”
It was too late for anyone to stop Kitsis from entering the dining room seeing as he had already disappeared from view. Beth quickly lifted the receiver to her mouth.
“Mr. Daulton, two police officers are here with a warrant to access Mara Miles’ locker. One of them just entered the dining room, and—” Beth nodded her understanding at whatever was being said over the phone. Theo didn’t bother to correct her regarding his title. “Yes, sir. Yes. I will. Thank you.”
Beth set the receiver back on the phone base. Her gaze drifted toward the dining room’s entrance before focusing on Theo. She gave him a strained smile, as if she were afraid of the trouble she might be in for not preventing Kitsis from accessing the club’s clientele.
“Mr. Daulton will be with you shortly,” Beth responded as she rested both hands on the counter. She laced her fingers together while doing her best not to fixate on his eye patch. “He is very protective of our guests’ privacy.”
“No worries,” Theo replied, returning her smile. “We’re simply here to collect a few statements and Mrs. Miles’ belongings. It isn’t our intention to disturb your guests.”
Unlike Theo’s quiet stride, the same couldn’t be said of Mr. Daulton’s agitated steps. Beth couldn’t hide her wince when she spotted her supervisor bearing down on them, so Theo immediately stepped in front of Daulton before he could utter a word to his employee.
“Mr. Daulton, I presume.” Theo tucked his credentials in his pocket before offering his hand. “You have quite the loyal staff, I must say. Beth was adamant that we remain here in the lobby to meet with you first. However, Detective Kitsis is on a tight schedule. He’ll be discreet in taking Caleb Witt’s statement. In the meantime, would you mind showing me where the women’s locker room is located so that I can collect Mrs. Miles’ belongings? We won’t take any longer than necessary. You have my word.”
Theo offered the warrant to Daulton, who didn’t bother taking the piece of paper after the two of them shook hands. Instead, the manager appeared more concerned with Kitsis’ disappearance into the main dining room. Making a quick decision, Daulton lifted his arm and snapped his fingers at a young man in uniform crossing through the foyer. The employee stopped in his tracks, giving the manager his full attention.
“Sammy, would you please escort Officer Neville into the women’s locker room? Announce your presence before entering, please,” Mr. Daulton directed before stepping back. He had only given the credentials a cursory glance. Once Sammy had agreed to the task, Daulton nodded toward Theo. “Please let Sammy know if you need anything else. I’ll go make certain that the other officer has a place in private to speak with Caleb…not that I understand why such a second interview needs to happen. An officer was here already, and he was given full access to the staff.”
“I appreciate your cooperation, Mr. Daulton.” Theo might as well have been speaking to thin air. The manager had already made several strides toward the dining room, leaving Sammy to shift his weight with unease. Theo held up the key in a small, clear evidence bag. “It looks as if I’ll need access to locker twenty-three.”
“Right this way, sir.”
Theo followed the young man down a corridor attached to the large foyer. The walls were lined with framed photographs of celebrities who had passed through the place and taken the time to play a round of golf. There were also a few Olympic athletes who had used the tennis courts, signing their autographs to the pictures.
“Sammy, is it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“How long have you worked here?”
“Eight months,” Sammy replied as he nodded toward a woman exiting a restroom. “I started work here last May.”
“Do you know the Miles well, then?” Theo asked conversationally, seizing the opportunity to gather more information as they continued down the long hallway. “It’s my understanding that they frequently dined here, as well as utilized the golf course and fitness facilities.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Miles would come in at least three times a week.” Sammy slowed his pace once he had started to speak. “A lot of us are still in disbelief. We can’t wrap our minds around Mr. Miles being a killer. He goes out of his way to tip us well, and he isn’t like some of the other guests who think we’re nothing more than hired help. Mr. Miles even gave one of my friends an internship at Miles Therapeutics.”
“What about Mrs. Miles?” Theo asked as Sammy finally came to a stop in front of a heavy wooden door. “What was she like?”
“Mrs. Miles…well, I guess you could say she was reserved,” Sammy said without reaching for the door handle. “She kept to herself. I mean, she was nice and everything. But quiet, if you know what I mean.”
“Did you ever notice them fighting?”
“No, not at all,” Sammy replied before reaching for the handle. He pulled the door open, gesturing for Theo to follow him. “You can stay here while I make sure the coast is clear.”
Theo remained in a very exclusive lounge area with plush couches and matching chairs. He didn’t bother to take a seat. Instead, he took the additional time to tuck the warrant into the interior pocket of his jacket. Sammy was currently knocking on another door, presumably one that led to a private changing room. Once he had confirmed that the coast was clear, he called out to Theo.
“We’re not usually busy between nine and noon,” Sammy said before entering the locker room. He held the door open for Theo to pass through. “You said locker twenty-three? That should be the third row over.”
Theo’s idea of a locker room did not include polished mahogany wood structures with matching benches. Each locker had brass fasteners and locks, as well as nameplates engraved with the names of club members. According to locker number twenty-three, it most certainly belonged to Mara Miles.
He approached, taking note of the names engraved on the lockers on either side. He would make time to contact each individual to see if they had anything to add to Sammy’s impression of the Miles, as well as that of Caleb Witt.
Theo removed the small brass key from the evidence bag. He then carefully inserted the key into the slot and turned it until the lock snapped open. Being mindful of anything that might fall out, he opened the locker door slowly.
Taking out his phone, he took a few pictures for Detective Kitsis’ files. Theo wasn’t going to have this come back on him if something was discovered among Mara’s belongings that could exonerate her husband.
“Sammy? Do you mind coming over here?” Theo asked as he switched his camera to video. Once it began recording, he handed his phone over to the young man. “Please keep the video rolling throughout the search. I’ll let you know when to stop recording.”
Once Sammy was standing in a position that would allow the phone to capture the contents of the locker, Theo took his time to scan the contents. He methodically assessed every item as he retrieved a pair of latex gloves that he had brought with him. He then removed the white gym bag before placing it on the bench. He did the same with a beige towel, a water bottle, and a swim cap. Once everything had been laid out on the bench, he motioned for Sammy to lower the phone’s lens to the gym bag.
Theo took hold of the zipper and pulled it until the opening was wide enough for Sammy to get a good scan of the contents—a change of clothes, a makeup case, and a light pink planner that was at least eight by ten. With utmost care, Theo removed it before setting it on the bench. He slowly opened the cover. The previous tension at the possibility her planner might not be recovered slowly receded from his shoulders.
“Is that good?” Sammy asked as he went to lower the phone. Theo immediately stopped him from turning off the video. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I would just like for you to record some entries.” Theo turned a few pages, realizing the planner had monthly, weekly, and daily passages. He flipped through until he reached last week, not noticing anything out of the ordinary at first. “Zoom in, and then you can stop the recording.”
Once Theo had secured his phone, he switched the screen to still photos. He took additional pictures of the week and daily pages before uploading them to the software program utilized by the team. There was a set of initials that he hadn’t noticed in the online planner, and he took a moment to consider the implications—they had been entered on the same day as Mara’s run-ins with Derek Haze.
AM…scribbled in the hour following said lunches. Theo couldn’t recall anyone in Mara’s contact list with those initials. What he found most interesting was the notation at seven o’clock on the night of Mara’s death.
“You about ready in here?” Detective Kitsis called out as he entered the women’s locker room. “That Witt kid didn’t notice anything unusual while serving the Miles’ breakfast. As a matter of fact, he mentioned several times that they didn’t even seem to be speaking with one another. Maybe the DA’s investigator can dig up some dirt on their marriage. The two of them didn’t have a prenup, you know.”
Theo didn’t like keeping information from the lead detective when working in tandem with local police. Unfortunately, the team had agreed not to share specific details with Kitsis until they either had another suspect or agreed unanimously that Jordan Miles had indeed killed his wife.
Fortunately, Mara’s handwritten notation pointed to an entirely different scenario.
“Don’t do that,” Detective Kitsis said accusingly while pointing toward Theo. “Your eye patch raises a half inch when you’re about to tell me something I don’t want to hear. And there it goes. Son of a bitch. I’m not having lunch with my wife today, am I? I’ll blame you entirely if my ass ends up sleeping on the couch tonight.”
“Mara’s planner was in her gym bag,” Theo replied without answering Kitsis’ question. “There are a couple of entries in here that are not in her online planner.”
“That’s it?” Detective Kitsis put his hand on his chest, but he slowly straightened his shoulders after studying Theo a little longer. “Your eye patch isn’t lowering. Damn it, Neville. Spit it out.”
Not having the patience to hear Theo’s explanation, Kitsis closed the distance and peered down at the planner. He studied the entries, and it wasn’t difficult to determine the exact moment his mind registered the words in the seven o’clock slot on the night in question.
“Sammy boy, go wait outside.”
Sammy switched his focus between the detective and Theo a few times, as if he wasn’t sure which of them should have the last say. It wasn’t until Theo nodded his agreement with the directive that Sammy moved toward the exit.
“I’d love to know how you’re going to spin this one to the prosecutor,” Theo muttered as Kitsis leaned back against the wooden lockers. The man couldn’t tear his gaze away from the planner. “Mara Miles wrote herself a reminder to shut off the estate’s security system at exactly seven o'clock on the night in question…to meet with her brother.”
“That makes no sense, Neville. Jordan Miles had initially been scheduled to be home at seven o’clock. Why would the victim have her brother stop by the estate when she had already gone to such great lengths to cover up the latest payout to him?”
“I don’t know, but Queller was at the house that night, Kitsis. It looks as if we officially have ourselves another suspect.”