Chapter 24 #2
There were still two police cars in front of the building, a wrecker in the process of hooking up a vehicle that had its roof crushed in.
My feisty private dancer had seen the body. I could tell by the haunted look in her eyes. While I hadn’t been born a killer, my initial hope at becoming a doctor, the honorable profession had never been in the cards.
“Then we need to be expedient with getting in and getting out. Where is this place?” Given my observation skills, I’d noticed there were expensive cars located up and down the street.
While the location held a transitional appearance, mixed use with warehouse-style buildings, the number of trendy restaurants alone were a dead giveaway this wasn’t a low-income neighborhood.
“Morningstar. An up-and-coming area.”
“I’ll say,” I managed. “Any rental controls here?”
He snorted. “Try rentals in excess of fifteen grand a month. You gotta pay to play here.”
That ruled out all possibilities of the girl living here with a marketing salary.
Once again, we moved to the back of the building. Whether or not Tawny’s apartment had been visited would remain a mystery for a little while longer. This time, the door was locked.
I didn’t tell Roman to stand watch; he did so without hesitation while I pulled out the instruments I needed to pick the lock.
Doing so was easy, something anyone with any criminal skills could do. Once inside, we moved toward the elevators, keeping a careful eye on any activity. There was none.
The elevator ride was smooth, no one making an appearance.
There was also no noise of any kind. However, the police had done a shitty job of closing off her apartment.
There was still crime scene tape stretched across the door.
I had no interest in the police possibly coming and knocking on my door, pulling gloves from my pocket.
While most suicides wouldn’t have an additional police presence, it was possible detectives would arrive at some point depending on who her father was. That was the entire key as to how to proceed with this.
Her door was unlocked, the timing such that no one else would dare enter her apartment while the police remained.
Unlike when I’d walked into Saige’s apartment, noticing the feisty girl was frugal in her choices, Tawny didn’t need to be. Between the furniture and lamps, the girl had pricy tastes.
Or a father who could afford anything his daughter wanted.
Being here answered the question about whether her father was important enough to use his daughter as leverage. What if in doing so, he’d pissed off someone else?
We both moved through the apartment, careful not to disturb anything. There was nothing that appeared out of place or as if she’d been arguing with anyone. Which meant she’d either been lured to the roof or had already been there.
After a couple of additional minutes, I was finished with the search.
I wouldn’t know what I was looking for unless it was out in the open.
And it wasn’t. At least not that I could see.
The girl was more typical of someone her age, her bedroom and bathroom a cluttered mess while the rest of the apartment appeared pristine.
Her purse and keys were on the counter as if she’d just gotten home or had been ready to leave. Checking her purse, I searched for her phone. It was missing. As anticipated.
It was possible the police had taken it, but if I had to guess, I’d say the killer had it with him.
“Let’s head up to the roof.”
Fortunately, no one else was on the surface of the building, the area functioning as an outdoor space.
It was almost impossible to tell if anything was amiss. The space was large, only a portion used for recreation. I walked the perimeter while Roman searched for signs of anything that would matter. I moved to the edge directly overlooking where Tawny had fallen.
What struck me was that if she was afraid of heights as Saige had mentioned, she’d been forced to climb over one ledge to another. Most people would panic at that point.
However, someone of basic strength could certainly push her hard enough. When I backed away, the moonlight captured something a few feet away. Located in the corner that could be missed if every inch hadn’t been checked was a woman’s shoe. Just one. I turned and scanned the surface once again.
Only one.
I’d witnessed suicides before. Where it had landed could have been her removing her shoes, but only one? It was looking more and more as if someone had pushed her.
“Boss. I found a glass.”
He was standing on the opposite end and far away from any ledge. There were two chairs where he was standing.
As soon as I moved closer, I could tell why he’d called me over.
He’d found a broken wineglass. I pulled out my flashlight, shining it on the area. Red wine had been spilled. My light beam caught something else.
Crouching down, I picked it up. A gold chain. Like a man would wear. Interesting.
I pocketed the necklace, firmly convinced there’d been a fight. When I turned to face the path that would have been taken to the ledge, I noticed the furniture had been moved and haphazardly put back in position. How could I tell? Because of the marks that had been left.
At night, something the police had missed.
But I missed nothing.
“What now?” Roman asked.
“Now, we go home.”
Tawny had been murdered. I was convinced of it. However, leaving it as a suicide meant the act had been one of passion.
Now it was a matter of finding out by whom. Something about the gold chain bothered me, a tick of a memory.
And I knew exactly where I’d head tomorrow first.
If I had to guess, I’d say I knew the identity of the killer.
As usual, the question remained as to why.
* * *
“Jesus Christ, cuz. You’ve been busy.” Dimitri was none too happy to hear from me so early in the morning, but I doubted Mikhail was sleeping so why should we?
“Yeah, well, none of it was intentionally planned.”
“I always knew you had a thing for your assistant.”
“I suggest you not call Saige that in front of her. She’ll tell you the exact problem with your assumption.”
At least Dimitri laughed. “Then she’s perfect for you.”
“Yeah, but at what price?”
“I tell you the same thing Kazimir keeps telling me in his efforts to convince me to settle down. You deserve a damn private life.”
“Not until Mikhail is dead.”
“Now, I suggest you refrain from mentioning that to Kazimir. What are you thinking about the murder of this girl?”
“I think her father is a man of importance and he was in the process of selling her hand in marriage as part of an alliance. I have a feeling she knew Saige was in danger or had been placed in the middle of the proposed contract and was planning on warning Saige. Her phone is missing.”
“I’ll have our computer experts see if they can clean up the audio and run the fingerprints through the database, but you know the likelihood of finding the dead guy’s identity is likely low.”
“I’m aware but it’s worth checking. The last threat was sent to me directly. Likely since Saige is in my life. We can use it to lure him in.”
“Risky,” Dimitri insisted.
“Life is a risky proposition. Mikhail’s patience is waning. I have a feeling he wants to claim power and the best way to do that…”
“Is to manufacture an alliance of his own. With the use of the blackmail information you inadvertently provided. Or I should say your main squeeze.”
I gritted my teeth. “She’s trying to protect her family as we all are.”
His sigh was heavy like the weight on my chest. “I get it. However we play this, we have an alliance to keep in place and another syndicate on the cusp of becoming even more powerful. Fireworks in New York this time of year are unwanted.”
“You’re the bull in the china shop. Or did you forget?”
“I think you’ve gleaned a few of my methods.”
“To protect someone I care about.”
When he paused, I shook my head. “I’m glad you’re finally finding something that makes you happy. Who knows. Maybe one day I’ll find the right girl.”
“Only if you stop whoring around.”
“You’re such a bastard. However, I’ll head over to your house in the morning.”
As I stared at the front door to my house, I grinned. “Make it late. The night is still young.”
“You are a true dog in heat.”