Page 37 of Pied Sniper

“Or you could just turn on the TV,” suggested Lily. “Or maybe take a look outside.”

“Is that why there are so many reporters camped on the sidewalk?” Terrance frowned so hard, I didn’t think another furrow could fit across his forehead.

“You didn’t think to ask?”

“I’ve been repairing a leak on the third floor,” he said as if that explained everything. “I figured someone had an accident on the street or something.”

“You must be very busy,” I commiserated with him. “Did Tiffany call you up here often?”

“No, she kept to herself. Plus, the apartment was fully renovated before she moved in and everything was in good shape. The only time I see her is when I have to bang on the door and remind her to pay rent. This really isn’t the kind of building where I have to remind the tenants. The owners prefer to rent exclusively to professionals.”

“Oh?”

“It’s turning co-op. Only four of the units are rented. Two of them are in the process of being purchased. This one and the other penthouse apartment are owned by the same firm and sublet through an agency when they don’t need them.”

“Where’s the firm based?”

“Hong Kong, I think, but the agency is downtown. I don’t recall ever meeting any of the big guys but their executives are polite and keep to themselves when they’re here. Except the last tenant. They were a pain in my butt.”

“You mentioned other tenants would complain about the noise. Were there any complaints last night? Specifically involving Tiffany?”

“None. No one’s complained about her since last week,” he said, seemingly pleased, as if she set a world record for the length of time.

“Last week? What happened then?”

“Her boyfriend came by. They had a loud argument and he stormed off. That happened three times apparently in the last week before I was told to speak to them.”

“Did you?”

“Yeah. I finally ran into Tiffany and the guy in the lobby. I told them to keep it down in the communal areas. Later on, I went to check on Tiffany in case it was something else, if you know what I mean, and she said she was fine and it wasn’t her fault.”

“What do you mean? Aboutsomething else?”

“Well, you never know if domestic abuse is going on, right? My sister said she was fine for a couple years before it became obvious that her asshole boyfriend was hitting her. She’d never admit to anything in front of him though, and I wanted to make sure it was nothing like that so I waited for him to leave before I asked. Tiffany laughed when I suggested it and said he was a jerk but a harmless one. I’m surprised he’s back though.”

“You’ve seen him?” Jonathan Brett was already on my ‘must talk to list’. If anyone knew personal details about her life, surely it would be him?

“Sure. Two days ago but Tiffany didn’t even let him in the front door. He asked me to open her apartment for him and I said no way. He threatened to bring in lawyers and said he’d get his stuff back before he stomped off. Listen, is she really missing?” Terrance asked, his face now concerned. “Should I have reported that guy?”

“I think you did everything right,” I told him, “and yes, she really is missing. Weren’t you here last night when the police were crawling all over the place?”

“I was out of town, visiting my parents. They’re elderly and not doing so good so I try to go every week to do any repairs and bring them groceries. I just got back this morning. One of the tenants told me he thought there was a burglary so I figured I had a good shot at catching Tiffany if she were tidying up or something.”

“A burglary?”

“Yeah. He messaged me and said the police were here when he got back from work but no one spoke to him. I thought that was strange because there hasn’t been a single burglary here since I took over the superintendent job three years ago. Our security is good.”

“Hmm,” I murmured, remaining non-committal. “I think you might want to talk to the tenants and owners about updating your security devices.”

He glanced over my head into the apartment, and for the first time, his eyes fixed on the blood. “Oh, jeez,” he said. “I better check on all the units and make sure everyone is okay.”

“I’m sure they’d appreciate that,” I said, reaching for my business cards and passing him one. “Thanks for your help. And I’d be very grateful if you could email me Tiffany’s rental information.”

“Will do. I guess I can catch up on the news channel but I’d like to know what happens too. I thought the tiger stuff was exciting but this is much more worrisome. Please. I hope you find her,” he added, giving us a wave before he stepped back. I pushed the door gently shut behind him and turned to Abigail and Lily. “Why would Tiffany lie about owning the apartment?” I asked, the first of several new things that puzzled me.

Abigail shrugged. “I have no idea. She told me she bought it.”

“She didn’t discuss the purchase with you? Did you see her formal offer and title on the property?”

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