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in a fire escape from the second and third floors.”
    â€œHow do you know?” I asked.
    â€œWe were friends. She asked my advice. I recommended the firm that installed the safety equipment. Then I inspected the house after it was done. I can assure you that everything was installed properly.”
    â€œIs this an area you specialize in, Mr. Davies?” asked Sergeant Donovan.
    â€œIt is.”
    Donovan wrote something on the folder in front of him and handed it back to Luke. Luke passed another folder to the sergeant.
    â€œAnd now we come to the identity of the man in the basement,” said Donovan. “He has been tentatively identified as Fred Hancock. At the time of his death, he appeared to be living in Sergeant Montoya’s apartment. What can you tell us about him, Sergeant Montoya? Was he renting the apartment from you? Or was he a friend you were helping out?”
    â€œNeither one, sir,” I said. “But I had run into him in the course of my work. He did not have my permission to be in my apartment.”
    â€œWho was paying the rent?” asked the guy from CSI.
    â€œI had paid the rent until the end of December,” I said, trying to remember where I had put the receipt that Cheryl had given me.
    â€œHow long had he been living in the apartment?” asked Donovan, looking around.
    â€œI don’t know, sir,” I said. Long enough to pile up a sinkful of dishes. But I wasn’t going to bring that up.
    â€œI would say that he arrived sometime after Friday morning,” said Mark Davies. “Mrs. Vicars did not mention him on Friday. On Tuesday she was disturbed about a stranger living in the basement. Apparently he had changed the lock on the apartment.”
    â€œYou spoke to her on Tuesday?” Mark nodded. “Had she invited the stranger in?”
    â€œI don’t know,” said Mark. “She was a private sort of person.”
    â€œSergeant Montoya, did you know Mr. Hancock?” asked Donovan.
    Everyone in the room knew that I had known him. Except, maybe, Greg.
    I nodded. “He had been involved in an investigation that I was working on.”
    â€œWhen you say involved, what do you mean?” asked Donovan.
    â€œHe was an informant. He was prepared to testify against a person of interest to us. This person could have been charged with serious offenses,” I said carefully.
    â€œSo it is possible that the fire was started to dispose of Mr. Hancock, and that Mrs. Vicars’s death was an unfortunate coincidence. ‘Collateral Damage’ as they call it.”
    â€œIt is certainly possible, sir.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

TONY
    S ergeant Donovan left. We all spread out a bit and made statements. They were read, checked and signed.
    Susanna and Greg grabbed their coats and left without a word to anyone.
    I turned to Angela. “How about lunch?”
    â€œSorry,” she said, “I have to get back to work.” She opened her wallet and pulled out a card. “Your room key,” she added. “I borrowed it. Call me tonight.”
    I watched her walk out with Mark Davies, laughing about something.
    â€œTough luck,” said a voice behind me. A familiar voice.
    â€œHi, Tony,” I said.
    â€œQuit worrying about Angela and let’s get some lunch. We have a lot of stuff to talk about.”
    â€œGood idea,” I said.
    â€œShe quit, you know,” said Tony. “Right after you left town. She was upset. And a couple of the guys were making bad jokes about you being in trouble. She blew up and walked out.”
    â€œShe has a temper,” I said. “Let’s go.”
    * * *
    Tony’s favorite Italian restaurant was crowded. But the owner found us a table. They like him there.
    â€œHow’s Susanna?” asked Tony. “I wanted to talk to her too. But she took off like a scared rabbit with that overgrown kid, Greg. Is she okay?”
    â€œI don’t know,” I