Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Lily and Sheldon were coming through the lobby doors as we came off the elevator.
“Good timing,” I told them. “We just finished upstairs.”
Lily Jacobs was a couple of inches shy of six feet, with dark hair pulled up in a high ponytail and eyes so blue they looked like contacts.
I learned on TikTok that in beauty circles she’s a witch archetype.
Like Dakota Johnson or Rooney Mara. I’ve had a lot of time on my hands since the funeral home blew up.
Lily had modeled in high school and college, and the gene pool had been extremely generous.
She was frighteningly competent and a literal genius, and for whatever reason, she’d picked pathology as her degree of choice instead of choosing neurosurgery or other big bucks specialties.
Someday I’d get her to tell me her reason.
So far, she hadn’t given me too much insight even though we’d become friends.
Sheldon Durkus came in right behind her, slightly out of breath, his glasses fogged from stepping into the morning heat.
He was several inches shorter than Lily and soft around the middle, with sandy hair that was losing its battle with his forehead.
He had a habit of sharing whatever fact crossed his mind regardless of timing or relevance.
“Sorry we’re late,” Lily said. “Suburban needed gas.”
“It always needs gas,” Sheldon said. He looked at me through the fogged lenses.
“It’s really hot outside. Did you know gasoline evaporates faster on hot days?
A tank filled on a ninety-degree day contains measurably less energy than the same tank filled in January.
We’re technically getting less fuel for our money all summer. ”
“Even Mother Nature is out to scam us,” I said dryly. “Victim is on the fourth floor. Condo 403. Check in with Daniels.”
Lily headed for the elevator with the gurney, and Sheldon ran to catch up with her long stride.
“I didn’t know that about the gas,” I told Jack.
The front lobby was empty except for a man in his early thirties behind the concierge desk.
He wore a white polo shirt with The Windsor logo on the chest and watched the monitors while glancing occasionally through the front windows.
He was in good shape and sported a mustache that seemed like an unfortunate fashion trend among men my age and younger.
He wore a gold band on his ring finger and a tactical watch.
“Are you the concierge?” Jack asked.
“Yes, sir,” he said, shaking Jack’s hand and then nodding at me. “Brett Callum.”
“I’m Sheriff Lawson and this is Dr. Graves. We’re investigating the homicide in 403.”
“Wade Rivers,” he said automatically. “I can’t believe it. This is a safe building. Nothing like that has ever happened before. I’ve been getting calls all morning from the other residents. Mrs. Ashford-St. Claire in 206 won’t even come out of her condo.”
“We’ll be out of everyone’s way before too much longer,” Jack said. “Were you on shift last night?”
“Yes, sir. Seven to seven. I’m working two twelves in a row because I’ve got to work on July fourth. I’m a firefighter, so that’s a mandatory work holiday.”
“Nice,” Jack said. “Where are you stationed out of?”
“King George Proper,” he said. “I actually live over there, but this job was too good to pass up, and it works well with my schedule. I work a twenty-four at the station and then have forty-eight off. So I’ll work a twelve here twice a week, and I’ll pick up shifts when I can if the other guys need PTO or vacation.
My wife and I just found out we’re going to have our first kid, so every little bit helps. ”
“Congratulations,” Jack told him. “How far along is she?”
“Just a few weeks,” he said. “She’s not even sick or anything yet. Said she’s never felt better.”
“Maybe she’s one of the lucky ones,” I said.
“You get to know all the residents pretty well?”
“Oh, yeah,” he said, rolling his eyes and relaxing a bit. “We offer a full concierge service and the condos here aren’t cheap. We also stand in as security if needed, but we try to keep that low-key. The people here just want to feel safe. They don’t want to know how it’s achieved.”
He grinned and I couldn’t help but smile back. He was personable and likable and I could see why he’d be a welcome sight to residents. Brett was the kind of guy who’d ask about your day and remember everything you told him.
“Are y’all at full occupancy?” Jack asked.
“Oh, yeah,” he said, and then frowned. “Though I guess we’ll have an opening soon.
I still can’t wrap my head around it.” He shook his head and continued.
“We’ve got a two-year waiting list, and even then there’s a selection process.
Just because you’re next on the list and you can afford it doesn’t mean you’ll get the place.
The residents get to vote on anyone coming in. It’s kind of like a country club.”
“Wow,” I said. “That sounds horrible.”
He laughed and said, “I know, right? I wouldn’t even be able to swing a one-bedroom here on my salary. It’s nuts.”
“So what does a concierge / security guard do?”
“Basically everything and anything. My job is to acquire whatever a resident needs, within legal reason of course. Concert tickets, grocery delivery, escort service.” His brows rose high on his forehead. “Believe me, I’ve seen and heard it all.”
“We hope so,” Jack said. “Did you happen to see Wade Rivers come in yesterday evening?”
“Around quarter to seven,” Brett said immediately. “He was carrying a few grocery bags from the market down the street.”
“He come in with anyone?”
“Not this time,” he said. “I hadn’t seen Paige in a couple days, so I figured she was on a trip or something. Jessica was closing up the office when he came in, and they rode up in the elevator together. They live on the same floor.”
“Jessica Contreras?” Jack asked. “The building manager?”
“Right.”
“What time does Jessica usually close her office?” Jack asked.
“She’s on eight to five,” he said. “But yesterday was the first of the month, so that can get busy with rent payments coming due.”
“Did you notice anything off with Wade? Did he seem upset about anything?”
“Wade never got upset,” Brett said. “He didn’t allow drama to affect him at all. Just rolled right off his shoulders.”
“And he had a lot of drama?” I asked.
“A guy like Wade swims in drama,” he said. “When you’re juggling that many women you can’t help it. But no, he seemed fine. He was in a good mood.”
“He juggle any women the last couple of days with Paige gone?”
“I wouldn’t put it past him,” Brett said, shaking his head.
“But not while I was on duty. He came home from work about the same time the last couple of days, and then I left to go off shift. Paige is a good girl. Works hard. And sometimes long hours. He took advantage of it. Let’s just say I can see why his private lessons were so popular. His condo was a revolving door.”
“You think he was using his studio to meet women?” I asked.
“I don’t know about that, but he was always with a woman. Different women. I have no idea how Paige lasted four months living with him.”
“Couldn’t they just be students?” I asked.
“Some could,” he said. “But Wade wasn’t very mindful of the cameras. I know I and at least another of the concierge team has gotten an eyeful.”
“What can you tell me about Paige?” Jack asked.
“Like I said, sweet girl. Gorgeous. In great shape. Definitely Wade’s type. But she didn’t seem like one of his usuals. More na?ve. Tell you the truth I worried about her. Maybe that she didn’t really understand what she was getting into. But it wasn’t my place to say.”
“We found some scrubs upstairs,” I said. “She work at a hospital?”
“I think she works at one of the fancy spas downtown. She’s a nurse. Does Botox and stuff like that.”
“They seem happy?”
He shrugged. “As far as I could tell. I never saw them fight or anything like that. But there were plenty of times she just looked sad. Like maybe she really knew what kind of guy he was and wasn’t ready to face it yet.”
“That’s a pretty deep read on someone you don’t know all that well.”
“You get to read people pretty well in this job,” he said. “Learning to anticipate needs or make suggestions they didn’t know they needed brings excellent tips when it comes to Christmastime.”
“You know any of the other women he brought in? Either for sex or for private lessons?”
“Can’t say I do,” he said. “He never introduced them. And I was usually heading out when he was letting them in.”
“What about before Paige moved in? Was the pattern the same?”
“For the most part. He’d have an overnight guest two or three times a week.”
“Different women?”
“Often,” he said. “I would occasionally see the same faces from time to time. Some I never saw again.”
“You haven’t seen Paige the last couple of days, you said?”
“Just this morning when she stumbled in,” he said, shaking his head.
“Drunk as a skunk at eight thirty in the morning. She was with her friend, Becca. She’s visited several times before.
I told them good morning and you’d have thought I told a joke.
They laughed the whole way to the elevator.
Then about twenty minutes later the cops show up and tell me a dead body was called in. ”
“Thanks,” Jack said. “You’ve been a big help. You know where Paige and Becca are?”
“In the community room,” he said.
We crossed the lobby toward the hallway to the left of the elevator. It ran along the back of the building, past a glass door that looked out on a small shaded courtyard and then a separate pool area.
“How do people live in places like this?” I asked Jack.
“Convenience,” he said. “And some people like it.”
“In the middle of everything, with people you don’t know all up in your business.”
“It’s the condo version of living in a small town. Sounds just like Bloody Mary to me. They just have less space and no place to escape to like we do.”
I grunted and figured he was probably right. It was hard to escape people. I’d spent years trying.