Page 69 of Night Moves
“She’d just started as a makeup consultant at a department store. Not sure which one.” Faye shook her head. “It’s weird that she worked at all. Her family’s loaded. They’re the Zimmer behind the Zimmer Corp. Ever heard of them?”
“Real estate mogul, right?” Drake asked. “The one who bought nearly a ton of coastal properties and rents them out for a fortune.”
Faye nodded.
“Maybe they didn’t support her,” Drake said.
“Yeah, maybe. I don’t know. She paid the rent on time, and that was all I cared about.”
“How long did you live together?” Natalie asked.
“Only three months.”
“Do you have any idea who might’ve wanted to kill her?” Drake asked.
Faye shook her head. “Like I said, I didn’t know much about her. We lived together but didn’t socialize at all. Neither of us was looking for a friend. Just shared accommodations. Plus we worked opposite shifts. She’d be heading to work when I got home.”
Natalie glanced at the door. “Wasn’t it hard to stay here after she was murdered?”
“A little bit. But I have a lease, and the landlord said he wouldn’t be able to rent it out so I was on the hook for the money for the rest of the lease. I don’t have that kind of extra cash. Plus he offered me half price rent if I would stay. Said it was better than leaving the place empty.” She picked at a hangnail on her finger. “So I agreed and just pretend that room doesn’t exist.”
“And you’re not afraid this killer will come back?” Natalie asked.
“The police said they usually didn’t return to the same place, and that the crime was so violent it was likely personally motivated.”
“Did Laura’s family pick up her things?” Drake asked.
Faye shook her head. “They said to get rid of it. But I figured they might change their minds so I boxed it all up and left it in the room.”
“Can we take a look at it?” Drake asked.
“I suppose.” She jumped up, grabbed up a handful of popcorn, and padded in her stocking feet to the bedroom door, tossing kernels in her mouth as she moved. She paused for a moment and made the sign of a cross over her chest, the first indicator that Laura’s death might have impacted her.
She pushed the door open and swallowed her bite before stepping in. “I got rid of the bloody mattress.”
A queen-sized box spring sat in the middle of the room on a steel frame without a headboard. A small white nightstand that looked like an inexpensive flatpack piece of furniture sat next to the bed. It held a silver lamp with a gray shade. Faye had put three cardboard boxes on the box spring and stacked the bedding next to it.
“As you can see, she didn’t have much.” Faye swept her arm out to encompass the room. “Something else I found odd when she came from money.”
“Maybe the police took some of it for evidence,” Drake suggested.
“They took her phone and computer. The only electronics they left were a webcam and microphone, but I don’t remember them taking much else.”
“Can we look in the boxes?” Drake asked.
“Sure.” Faye opened the top box. “This one is mostly makeup. Cosmetics and clothing were the only things she spent money on.”
Natalie looked into the box. “Wow, she really did like makeup.”
“She was always perfectly put together. Makeup, hair, and clothes. A fashion icon at all times. I met her family once. They’re very pretentious. Figured she got that from them, though she seemed a little bit more down to earth than they did.”
Natalie pointed at a lipstick tube. “Dion Holistic. That’s a pretty pricey brand.”
“You’re familiar with it?” Faye asked. “Laura was always getting packages from them so I asked about it. She said it was an invitation only makeup club of some sort and only members could buy their products.”
“My sister used Dion too,” Natalie said, thinking of all the money her sister threw away on the latest and greatest makeup products when they came out from the many cosmetic companies.
“A waste of time and money as far as I’m concerned,” Faye said. “So opposite of me. Never touch the stuff. Give me an all-natural shampoo, conditioner, and deodorant, and I’m good to go. Either a guy likes me for who I am or he doesn’t. Guess since I’m still single at my age, they don’t.” Faye huffed a laugh and set the makeup box aside to open the next one. “The last few boxes are all clothing. Designer and pricey. I saw a lot of Nordstrom and Macy’s bags come in the door.”
