FATAL FORTY-EIGHT: A Kate Huntington Mystery (The Kate Huntington Mysteries Book 7) by Kassandra Lamb Read Free Book Online

police detectives and concerned ‘civilians’ edged past her one at a time. They spread out in the apartment and looked around.
    “Don’t move nothin’ if you can help it,” the manager said.
    Kate gave her a smile. “Thank you for showing us the place. It could be a big help.”
    Her husband caught her eye and flashed a quick grin. It was something he’d mentioned often, how a smile and a friendly thank you could do wonders to gain a witness’s cooperation.
    Yes, sweetheart, I do listen when you talk about your work.
    “You said the man paced up and down,” Tim Cornelius said. “Where was that?”
    The woman walked to one side of the large living room. “Right about here.” She waved a thick arm back and forth. “Then he opened that closet door, stared into it for a minute, and then asked where the other bathroom was. I told him there weren’t but one full bath, off the hall to the bedrooms.”
    She planted her feet and put her hands on her ample hips. “He got kinda mad then and says, ‘But you said on the phone it had one and a half baths.’ I pointed over there.” She swung her arm out toward the other side of the living room. “Powder room’s that little door next to the hallway entrance.”
    “Then what did he do, ma’am?” SA Wallace asked.
    “He muttered somethin’ like ‘That’ll never do,’ and acted all pissy like I’d misled him on the phone. Didn’t even thank me for showin’ him the place.”
    Kate stepped back to the doorway and surveyed the entire living room. The area where their suspect had paced back and forth was to her left. There was no window on that wall, just the closet door, about four feet from the corner. She walked over and touched the wall next to the closet. “What’s on the other side of this?”
    “Back of the closet of the apartment next door,” the manager answered.
    Kate nodded once. She scanned the room again. Across from her was the hallway to the bedrooms down which Judith Anderson, Rose and Mac had disappeared. On the side of it closest to the entrance door was the powder room. Skip stood in that doorway, examining the tiny space. On the other side of the hallway was the open doorway into the kitchen. The current occupants were using that corner of the living room as a dining area.
    “Do you have anything that shows the layout of the apartments?” Kate asked the manager.
    “Sure do.” The woman swung a small backpack off her shoulder. She rummaged through it and pulled out a handful of glossy brochures.
    Kate took one from her and opened it. Yup, that’s what she’d thought. “Hey Tim, come look at this.”
    Skip glanced up. She gestured for him to come over too.
    When the two men had joined her, she pointed to one of the layout diagrams. SA Wallace cleared her throat loudly, from behind Skip. A small smile twitched briefly across his face. He stepped aside to let her join the circle.
    The layout Kate was pointing to was the mirror image of the apartment they were standing in. The small closet was to the right of the entrance door, rather than the left. The powder room and kitchen were also reversed, with the latter nearest the entrance and the powder room on the other side of the living room.
    “So?” SA Wallace said.
    “Did the man have one of these brochures?” Kate asked.
    “Don’t remember for sure,” the manager said. “But them diagrams is on the owner’s website about the buildings he owns.”
    “So?” Wallace repeated.
    “I don’t know.” Kate stabbed the diagram with her index finger. “I’ve just got a gut feeling that this is the apartment he was hoping to rent.”
    Wallace snorted. “We don’t need the gut feelings of civil–”
    A quelling look from Tim Cornelius cut her off.
    Kate stifled the desire to smirk. She glanced sideways at Skip. His expression was neutral. Too neutral. Both their professions had taught them well how to hide their emotions.
     
    Once they were out of the building, Judith said, “I’m