Page 42 of Mission: Possible

The only other thing of interest I found was the listing for their house. It had only two owners prior to the Takahashis' purchase. Originally stuck in a time warp of bright colors, loud wallpaper and dark furniture, the only things that suggested it had potential were its location and the attractive brick exterior. I figured the Takahashis had the same idea, given their extensive renovation project.

I had to start interviewing people close to Sophie. Austen told me she didn't work outside their home but she had ex-colleagues I could speak to. He also mentioned the theater was her big love so perhaps she had a theater group she visited from time to time? Of course the person that probably knew her best had to be her brother. I decided I should start with him.

I checked my watch. There was plenty of time to conduct some interviews before I met Maddox. Unfortunately, I had no idea where to find Zach Gallo and he hadn’t returned my previous call. Since I hadn’t left a message, that wasn’t a surprise. Much as I hated to disturb Austen, I had to call him.

"How's Sophie?" I asked when he answered the phone.

"No change. I'm sitting with her now. The doctor is coming by later to take her vital signs."

"Stay positive," I told him. "I'd like to speak to her brother. Do you know where I can find him?"

"I'll text you his details. Zach has an apartment in town and he works at an outdoor sports place outside of town, Sky Outdoors. If you think the name doesn't make sense, that’s because it doesn't."

"What kind of outdoor sports do they cater to?" I asked, curious.

"Climbing, rappelling, treetop walks, that sort of thing. They claim to create adventures for families, thrill seekers, and corporate events. When we first started dating, Sophie asked me to put them on the corporate list."

"But you didn't?" I guessed.

Austen hesitated. "I don't organize such things. I mentioned it to HR and let them make their own assessment of its suitability for the corporation."

That sounded like they didn't make a positive assessment of its suitability, only Austen was too polite to say. I hoped he would get a lot less polite and more direct the longer we spoke. "Have you ever embarked on one of their adventures?"

"Once. Sophie and I did the treetop rope walk. It was kind of fun but Sophie didn't like it too much. She isn’t comfortable with heights. And I think it embarrassed her to keep bringing up the corporate account because Zach insisted she mention it. Perhaps he got a commission or wanted to impress his boss. I don't know."

"Anything else I should know about Zach?"

"He's been by here to visit a couple of times since Sophie was admitted and I've heard him chewing out the doctors regarding her care. He's got a loud voice and a hot temper. I'm not sure how he'll react to your visit."

"Thanks for the heads-up. Once he realizes I'm just looking out for her interests, that should help," I said.

"I hope so. If he can look far enough beyond his own nose to see that. Can you update me later?"

"Sure. I'd also like to speak to your work crew, especially David. I'm told he was the man who discovered Sophie."

"Yes, I think so. If you call Manny, he'll tell you where to find David."

I thanked Austen and disconnected, redialing Manny's number. Manny told me to come by the house, adding they had resumed work in the kitchen.

I shot Solomon a text, telling him where I was going before I switched my heels for sneakers and jogged downstairs to pick up the pool car again.

On my way to the Takahashis' Westmount house, I thought some more about Sophie's fall. Austen said she avoided heights but I figured that probably didn't extend to the upper level of their house. However, it could signify her aversion to getting close enough to the edge that she could risk a fall. It was a weak assumption to make and I dismissed it as quickly as it popped into my head. I had to remain objective.

I pulled into the driveway, parking next to Manny's truck. As soon as I stepped out, I followed the sounds of power tools to the back of the house. I crossed a spacious patio area and knocked on the open door. Manny looked up and nodded at me before setting down his tools and pulling off his protective goggles.

"Come in," he said, waving to the man installing shelves. "This is David."

"Hey," said David, casting me a small smile. He put down the shelf he was working on and tucked a level into his belt before pulling off his gloves. Crossing to the door where I waited, he shook my hand, allowing me a moment to glance over him. Shorter than Manny, younger too, and stockier, but with a warm smile. "Manny said you wanted to talk to me. I'm not sure there’s anything new I can tell you."

"Let's step outside," I said, coughing at the amount of dust in the air.

Both men followed me and we sat on the small stone wall that bordered the patio. "Manny said he thought he heard someone scream. Why don't you start from there?"

"We were cutting the marble countertop," replied David. "It's a big job and we had to be very precise. Manny stopped the saw we were using and said he thought he heard a scream. We waited, I don't know, maybe thirty seconds? But we didn't hear anything else."

"Did you hear the scream too?"

David shook his head. "I was concentrating on the marble. I never cut it before and I didn't want to get it wrong."