The Trouble With Murder (14 page)

I was surprised by the compliment. It
took me a full minute to recover. “Thanks,” I said as I opened the front door
and stepped outside. I saw the curb where I’d docked the Lincoln a few hours
before was now occupied by Ellmann’s Charger. “That little shit.”

“Problem?”

“How do you feel about giving me a
ride?” I asked. “And can we stop for coffee? I’ll buy you a cup.”

_______________

Ellmann pulled into the Safeway parking lot, and my heart
sank as I saw the shiny copper of the Lincoln glinting in the morning sun like
a beacon for distant and weary travelers. There was no sign of Zach’s truck.
Cussing a blue streak under my breath, I thanked Ellmann for the ride, grabbed
my coffee, and got out. I stood for a moment, staring at the wonderment of
automotive engineering, before I realized Ellmann hadn’t moved.

“You don’t have to wait,” I said,
turning back to him.

He was leaning against the open
driver’s side window. “It seems like the right thing to do,” he said with a
shrug. “And I can’t help it; I worry about you.”

I don’t think of myself as being so
pitiful. And I didn’t really like that Ellmann did.

I walked to the passenger side of
the Lincoln and dropped to a knee beside the rear wheel. I’d already checked my
bag; the Lincoln keys were gone. Zach had taken them from me, not gotten an
extra pair from Donald. And Donald had been gone by the time Ellmann and I had
left the house. I reached up under the skirt and dragged my fingertips along
the wheel well.

Donald had once talked about how
forgetful his mother had become in her old age. She was always losing her keys
and locking herself out. He was concerned about his own memory, feeling it,
too, was beginning to slip, and he had asked me about hiding a house key
somewhere on the porch. He’d already hidden a key to his car in one of the
wheel wells. He’d told me these were the same things he’d done for his mother
when she began locking herself out.

Finding nothing, I stood and went
to the front wheel. I could only hope the hidden key was still on the car. It
seemed like a long shot, given that the car had been parked at Donald’s curb
for quite some time, but it was the best I had going for me.

“Wanna call a locksmith?”

I looked up at Ellmann as I stood.
I could get the door open; that wasn’t the problem. I could even hotwire the
car, but that wasn’t a good long-term solution, and I didn’t think Donald would
be too understanding. In any case, I didn’t want to explain how I could do
either of those things, to Donald or to Ellmann.

“If I can’t find a key,” I said,
moving to the last wheel, “I’ll need to call a cab.”

“Good thing I waited, then,” he
said. “And lucky for you I’ve got a stack of paperwork on my desk I’m
avoiding.”

I’d just about given up hope when
my arm brushed against something sharp. I reached for it with my hand. There,
toward the front, was a small rectangular box that didn’t belong. Gripping it,
I gave it a tug. It budged slightly but held strong. Shifting my weight, I
grabbed the thing and pulled for all I was worth. Finally the damn thing broke
free.

My hand was filthy. The small box
was unrecognizable under years of dirt and road grime. Still kneeling, I
knocked the box against the asphalt, breaking loose some of the caked-on dirt.
When I could see enough of the box, I worked to pry the pieces apart. After
some sweating and a lot of swearing, I got the lid back far enough to get the
key out. I held it up to Ellmann.

“Victory.”

“Congratulations. It was close
there for a second.”

I stood and dusted off the knees of
my jeans. “I always win.”

“I’m sensing that. Stay out of
trouble.”

He pulled his head and arm inside
then buzzed the window up as he drove out of the lot.

I walked to the door, hoping the
key in my hand was in fact a car key and not the old woman’s house key. With my
fingers crossed, I slid it in the lock. A breath seeped out of me when it
turned and I saw the lock pop up through the glass.

That afternoon, I pulled out my
laptop. I’d been thinking about White’s offer since I’d left his office. It was
a good one, but the bottom line was, I’d been doing property management for a
long time now. I’d gotten into it as a means to an end, and I’d stayed in it
out of spite. It was a constant reminder of my foolishness and subsequent
heartache. White was probably never going to stop pushing to promote me. I was
probably never going to want a promotion.

I thought the best plan for my
two-week vacation would be to line up alternative employment. I really hated to
leave White and White Real Estate, but I thought it might be best for him, all
things considered, and I knew it was probably best for me. It was also nice to
know I had a good job waiting for me if I couldn’t put anything together in
time.

I spent some time updating and
polishing my resume then went onto the King Soopers website and completed an
application for a management position. While shopping last night, I’d learned
the company was hiring. King Soopers wouldn’t be my dream job, but it was a
place to start. For good measure, I hit a couple other websites and submitted a
handful of other applications.

I had a couple hours to kill before
dinner with Pezzani, so I climbed aboard the Lincoln and floated over to
Tyler’s mom’s house. Ellmann was probably right; Tyler was probably long gone.
That would be the smartest move. But I got the distinct impression Tyler was
hanging around for some reason. Maybe that reason had something to do with
Stacy Karnes. Whatever else Tyler was or had done, his feelings for Stacy were
genuine. I had seen real pain in him when I’d spoken to him the day before.

As I sat and stared at the house,
my mind wandered. I thought back to the day before and my meeting with Tyler.
He and his crew had been keeping a pretty close eye on the street, it seemed.
They were being extra cautious. So why had Tyler come out and spoken to me? Had
he sensed I wasn’t a threat? For all he knew, I could have been a cop.

But if I’d been able to get to him,
how had the cops missed him? Had something about our conversation tipped Tyler
off that his location had been compromised? Or had he decided to move on simply
as a precaution, because he
had
exposed himself when he’d spoken to me?
I couldn’t decide which scenario I thought most likely, and my brain continued
to turn the problem over.

I was almost positive Tyler’s mom
would prove the best way to track Tyler down a second time. However, the lead
seemed like a dead end today. Maybe because it was too soon. Maybe because it
was Sunday. I didn’t know. I decided to bag it for the time being. On my way
home, I sailed past the other addresses I had linked to Tyler Jay, just in case
he happened to be sitting on the front porch or an Escalade was parked in the
driveway. Of course, neither of these was the case.

As I drove, my mind drifted back to
Stacy. Ellmann had said she’d gone into cardiac arrest this morning and was
back in critical condition. I was pretty certain that meant something bad. I
was scared it meant she would die.

This train of thought naturally led
me back to the lobby of Elizabeth Tower and the night she was stabbed. I
wondered again what would have happened had I been on time. And I wondered why
Stacy had been there at all. Why was she looking for a new place to live? Why
did she want to break her lease and move?

On impulse, I hit the blinker and
hung a left, heading back to Stacy’s house. I’d already spoken to Tina
Shuemaker, but Stacy lived with two other girls. I could only hope one of them
might have some insight into Stacy’s life.

Today the house was shut up and the
curtains drawn. There were two cars in the driveway and several more parked at
the curb, so I suspected someone was home. I had no way of knowing if any of
the vehicles belonged to Tina, but I crossed my fingers she wasn’t there. I’d
hate for her to report me to Ellmann a second time.

I docked the Lincoln and went to
Stacy’s door. Two minutes later, a tall, athletic brunette opened it and peered
out. She smiled as she pushed the screen door open.

“Hi,” she said.

I smiled and handed her a card I
pulled from my pocket. “Hi. My name is Zoe Grey. I’m a leasing agent for White
Real Estate and Property Management. Stacy Karnes applied for a lease a couple
days ago, and I’m just doing a bit of background. Are you her roommate?”

The girl stepped back and waved me
in. “Come in. Yeah, I’m Kelsey. I’ve lived with Stacy since freshman year. I
didn’t know she’d found a place.” The girl studied the card for a beat. I hoped
she wouldn’t ask why I was working on a Sunday. Or dropping by in person. That
would be awkward.

Kelsey shut the door behind me, and
I could feel the difference in temperature; the house was pleasantly cool. I
followed her into the same living room and took up the same chair as my last
visit. She settled in the same place Tina had. She set the card on the table
then smiled at me.

“So, how can I help?”

“As part of the application process,
I just need to ask a few questions of Stacy’s roommates. You’ve known Stacy
quite a while. Did you know she was planning to move?”

Kelsey seemed guarded, as if she
was taking extra time to choose her words. She involuntarily shot a look
through the open doorway that led to the rest of the house. I wondered again
who else was home.

“I knew she was thinking about it.
But I thought she might wait until the lease was up.”

“Do you know why she wants to move?
She didn’t indicate she’d gotten a new job or anything on her application.”

“No, it’s nothing like that.” Another
quick glance at the doorway. “It’s for personal reasons.”

“I understand there are four of you
here. Are any of Stacy’s other roommates here? I’d love to speak with them as
well.”

“Uh, sure. Well, I mean, Tina’s not
here, but Ashley is. I can go get her.”

“That’d be so helpful. Thank you. I
can try to talk to Tina some other time.”

Inwardly smiling at my good
fortune, I waited while Kelsey went to fetch the third roommate. There was a
brief silence followed by the sound of voices and associated footsteps growing
closer until Kelsey reappeared in the living room with a short, blonde girl
beside her. This new girl, Ashley, was blessed with blue bedroom eyes and pouty
lips, all natural along with her blonde hair. She also had curves in all the
right places. It was obviously she’d learned long ago how to exploit all her
assets. Trailing her were three puppy-eyed, college-aged boys, and it was
pretty clear what was on their minds.

“I’m Ashley,” she said, following
Kelsey to the sofa.

“Nice to meet you,” I said. I introduced
myself again then gave her the same bullshit line I’d given Kelsey about
completing Stacy’s application. “We were just talking about why Stacy’s looking
for a new place. Is she having any problems? We like to know about these kinds
of things before we sign anyone to a new lease, you understand.”

Ashley shrugged. “Tina’s a bitch.”

Whatever Kelsey had been tiptoeing
around was obviously of no concern to Ashley.

“Tina’s that way to all of us, but
she is worse to Stacy.
Been that way for a while now.”

The trio of boys bobbed their heads
up and down in confirmation. Even Kelsey was in agreement, though not quite so
openly. It seemed possible she feared Tina, feared even the idea of this
conversation getting back to Tina. Did one girl truly make their lives so
miserable?

“Honestly, we’ve all looked at
moving out at one time or another,” Ashley went on. “I guess Stacy can afford
it now. I know I can’t.”

“Stacy hadn’t told any of you she’d
found a place?” I asked.

There were headshakes all around
and a couple murmured nos.

“Who might have known? Who would
she have told?”

I didn’t think her attack had been
random, but I couldn’t explain why I felt that way. I guess I didn’t like the
idea of violence happening anywhere for no reason. But that was only part of it.

Ashley shrugged and looked to
Kelsey, whose face was slightly blank. I wondered if the girl was good at
whatever sport she played, because she seemed a little timid in the real world.
But who could tell; maybe she was the best soccer or volleyball player in
recent history.

“Stacy has a lot of friends,”
Ashley said. “And she’s close to her family. But I think if anyone knew, it was
her boyfriend, Tyler. She told him everything.”

“That’s true,” one of the boys
piped up. “They’re really tight.”

Great. The trail led me right back
to bad-guy Tyler Jay. How convenient. The only problem was the more I thought
about it, the more I doubted Tyler Jay had anything to do with Stacy’s attack.
In fact, it seemed more likely he didn’t know anything about it. I got the
feeling if he had, he’d have added another body to his resume, and Stacy would
be sitting here in her living room right now.

“Would she have told anyone else?
One of her friends maybe?”

“I would just be guessing,” Ashley
said. “I only ever see Stacy when we’re both here, and she hasn’t been spending
a lot of time here lately.”

She looked at Kelsey. Kelsey
shrugged.

“That’s pretty much true for me,
too,” she said. “I mean, we’d meet for coffee or lunch or something and talk,
but I think she was, you know, kind of afraid, or maybe worried, about stuff
she said getting back to Tina. Not that I would tell Tina anything, but still,
I think she’s been keeping a lot to herself.”

“Who are her closest friends?” I
asked.

“What does it matter?” Ashley
asked. “I mean, who cares if she told someone she was looking at places to
live?”

Ashley wasn’t just a pretty face.
Best not to push too hard.