While Chase smoothed over the woman’s concerns by explaining that since he was assisting in a federal case, he was forced to follow the standard checklists, Tate wandered around Bell’s office. It wasn’t a big space, but it was neat and orderly and as spotlessly clean as an operating room. There were framed pictures mounted on the walls, everything from landscapes and wilderness photos to smiling people dressed up in fancy clothes. Oddly enough, there weren’t any framed degrees on the wall. Every doctor he’d ever encountered proudly displayed them.
Tate looked around again, thinking he must have missed them. Nope, there wasn’t a single degree in the entire place. Bell’s decision to leave his sheepskins in the closet made Tate’s mouth edge up. That said something about the guy. Something good.
He wandered over to the big oak desk by the window. While most people would have positioned their desk to face the door, Bell had turned his around so he could look out over the carefully landscaped lawn. The foliage on the trees was an explosion of orange and yellow with a bit of green thrown in here and there from the firs. Tate had never thought of himself as a nature lover, but even he had to admit this scene was breathtaking.
Yet another thing to like about the man.
Tate forced his gaze away from the brilliant display of colors outside the window and studied the desk. It was just as neat and orderly as the rest of the space, the handwriting on the desk calendar so legible, it almost looked like it had been printed. In addition to the computer, there was also one of those fancy pen sets mounted on a polished hardwood base. Kendra had already remotely accessed the computer, copied everything last night, and found absolutely nothing of interest, so there was no point in wasting time doing it again. Bell didn’t even have any suspicious-looking emails worth reading. From the looks of it, the man hadn’t used his work computer for anything personal.
Tate started to open one of the desk drawers but stopped as the engraving on one of Bell’s fancy pens caught his eye. Tate picked it up, turning it toward the window and the late afternoon light.
The engraving read Hearts Lost but then Found.
Tate was a guy, and even he recognized romantic crap when he saw it. Obviously, Dr. Bell had a girlfriend out there. The fact that the pen set was positioned strategically front and center on the desk so the man could see the inscription every time he looked up told Tate this secret someone must have been a pretty big deal to him.
“Was Dr. Bell in a relationship with anyone that you know of?” he asked Abby, putting the pen back in its holder.
The fact that nothing about a relationship had shown up in the DCO’s background scrub had Tate curious. The only way that happened was if Bell had gone out of his way to hide it.
Abby looked at Tate. “I don’t think so. If he was, he never mentioned it to me. You could talk to his clinical research assistant, Joanne Harvey. They worked together for years and were good friends. If anyone would know if he was seeing anyone, it’d be her.”
Tate glanced at Chase, but he shook his head. Apparently, the deputy didn’t know anything about Joanne Harvey either. “I wasn’t aware that the doctor had an assistant.”
Abby waved her hand. “That’s because, technically, she wasn’t McKinley’s assistant. On all the HR paperwork, she’s a general researcher, but that’s just a formality. She’s worked exclusively for him for the past five years.”
Another quick look in Chase’s direction told him the deputy was thinking the same thing he was. If anyone knew what the doctor had gotten himself into, it would probably be Joanne Harvey. Hell, she might even be the finder of lost hearts mentioned in the engraving.
“Is Ms. Harvey here now?” Chase asked Abby. “We’d like to talk to her.”
The woman shook her head sadly. “Joanne didn’t come in today. In fact, she’s been out since we learned of McKinley’s death.”
Huh. Okay, the chances of Joanne Harvey being in a relationship with Bell just increased. “We’ll need to get her home address from you,” Tate said.
Abby nodded. “Of course. Follow me.”
Tate was halfway to the door when the photo in one of the frames caught his attention, bringing him to a standstill so fast, Chase almost ran him over. He ignored the deputy and moved closer to the photo. Damn. He wasn’t seeing things. It was Mahsood in the picture with Bell. The two men were standing with several other people, and all of them except Mahsood were proudly holding some kind of award plaque.
“Excuse me, Ms. Warner,” he said, keenly aware that Chase had taken an interest in what had caught his attention. “Do you know when this picture was taken?”
The woman slipped her reading glasses on and leaned closer. “Ah, yes. That was the award banquet last December in Portland. McKinley and his team had just won the Allan Lasker Genetic Research Award. It was the highlight of the entire evening.”
Tate pointed at Mahsood. “Was this man part of the team?”
“Dr. Mahsood? Technically, he wasn’t, and his name didn’t officially appear on the award, but he’d mentored all the doctors on the team at one time or another over the years, so they insisted he join them for the photo.” Abby’s lips curved. “He’s very respected in this part of the country for his innovative work in the field of genetic engineering. As I remember it, he’d been out of the country for some time just prior to the banquet,
