Page 94 of 56 Days
“At least by omission,” she continues. “Because why would she assume it’s a suicide? We don’t know what he did yet, but for allsheknows he’s lying downstairs in a pool of blood with a knife in his heart.”
“Or suspended from the ceiling in a gimp suit,” Karl offers.
“You know, I think I’ve had more than enough of your sex games for today—”
“—is a sentenceI’venever heard before,” he finishes, grinning.
“Karl,” she says warningly.
“All right, all right.” He folds his arms. “So, what? You think she’s been inside?”
“I know she has. I mean, does she really expect us to believe that she does thissuper-sleuthing, reconnaissance crap, tracks this guy like a bloodhound back to his apartment, and then can’t be arsed going from one side of the building to the other when there isn’t sight nor sound of him for two weeks?Andignores the smell in the lobby that’s coming from his side?” Lee scoffs. “There’s something she’s not telling us. This puzzle is missing a big piece. She says she’s doing this for the radio show, and that, yeah okay, she might get something out of it in the future, but who’s funding this fishing expedition in the meantime? Who’s paying to put her in a place like this, indefinitely, when she lives half an hour away? And why is shestillhere, when she hasn’t seen him for two weeks?”
Karl frowns. “Whyisshe still here?”
“For afront-rowseat to this would be my guess. Which is why she talked to us. I bet we just secured ourselves two starring roles in her ‘definitive account,’ available soon from a bargain bin near you.”
“Suits me,” Karl says. “One step closer toCrimecall.”
“They’re never going to let you on there, Karly. Let it go.”
“But I’ve a face for it.”
“For narration, is it? Because that’s all they let our lowly ranks do on there: talk the public through the CCTV images.”
“Well, a boy can dream, can’t he?”
“The problem is—”
“I’mtoogood-lookingso I’d just distract from it? Beautyisa curse.”
“—if she did go in there and take photos, what can we even do about it? You can’t interfere with a crime scene before it’s designated a crime scene, so we don’t have her on that. It’s not trespassing without intent, so we don’t have her on burglary unless she took something of his when she left, which maybe she did, but...” Lee sighs. “Maybe obstruction. She didn’t tell anybody about the body and she just lied to us.”
“What about impeding the apprehension of an offender?” Karl suggests. “No warrant required. My favorite.”
“They’re definitely never going to let you onCrimecallif you go around saying shit like that, Karl. And who’s the offender? We don’t have a crime yet, remember?”
“What if wedo?”
“Then we haul her in. But until then... Maybe I could convince the Super to get this place designated a secondary crime scene. Then we could search it, at least.”
“Andannoy her.”
“Two good reasons.”
“In the meantime,” Karl says, “I have some good news for you.”
“And you waited untilnowto bring it up?”
“I spoke with the managing director of KB Studios, Kenneth Balfe. You can see what he did there. But get this: his son, also Kenneth but goes by Ken, is BFFs with Richard St Ledger, Oliver’s older brother. They’ve been friends since school; the families would’ve known each other. Richard lives in Australia now and Ken is in Toronto. Kenneth—stay with me here—knows the whole story, orthinkshe does, because he was going on about what a good guy Oliver is and how he just made a mistake and he was only a child, yada, yada, yada. Said it was just ‘kids being kids.’ What kind offucked-upkids doesheknow? Anyway—”
“So itishim, then?” Lee interrupts. “TheOliver St Ledger?”
“The guy who was living in that apartment was, yeah.”
“Did you get a—”
“Yes, I got a number for the brother.”
