“What happens now? Do you go talk to Ray Ramsey?” Henry asked. “He probably knows who all have keys to the building, including any maintenance people.”
Kai wanted to speak with Ramsey, but ideally, Lulu should be there as well.
“After we talk to Ramsey, you can go to dinner with us.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Henry replied. “Can I vote for pizza? Is there a vote being taken?”
“Pizza is fine with me. We’ll see what Lulu wants.”
The buzzing of Henry’s phone interrupted their dinner planning.
“It’s Lulu,” he said. “I’ll put her on speaker. Hey, Lu. It’s me and Kai here.”
“I got your message,” Lulu said. “I had to make a trip to the Perry ranch today. They’re having problems with ATV riders on their land. What’s up? What did you find?”
“Henry found it,” Kai clarified. “He was just telling me about it.”
“I found out the person who owns Allie’s building,” Henry explained. “It’s Ray Ramsey. From what I can see, he owns several houses and a few apartment buildings in town. He would know everyone who has keys to the building.”
“That’s great,” Lulu said. “I can ask him for the names so we can check them out. I’m headed back to town now, and I’m planning to stop at the ranch on the way to change clothes. I feel grubby after my shift. I can try and stop by his office afterward and ask him.”
“Are you sure? We can do it,” Kai offered. “It sounds like you’ve had a busy day, and we only need to get a list of names from him.”
“I’m not going to argue with you. I’m exhausted and just want a shower. The sports bar is just two doors down from his office, though. How about we meet there for dinner?”
Kai gave Henry a questioning look as to whether the sports bar was okay. He’d been the one wanting pizza, after all.
Plus, Lisa worked there. Had she and Henry worked things out?
“A cheeseburger might hit the spot,” Henry said with a nod. “We can do pizza tomorrow night.”
“We wanted pizza?” Lulu asked. “Oh wait. Lisa. We can go somewhere else, Henry.”
“Lisa isn’t working tonight,” Henry replied with a shake of his head. “It’s fine. Even if she was working tonight, we’re both in a small town. We’re going to see one another now and then. We can have pizza another night. Kai?”
“I’m starving and not picky,” Kai declared. “We’ll see you soon then.”
Hopefully, this meeting would help move the investigation forward. Was Allie Baker innocent, guilty, or one-half of a criminal pair?
It was time to find out for sure.
All Kai wanted wasto have some dinner and then curl up next to Lulu for the rest of the night. It had been a long day, and he was ready to relax a bit.
But that relaxation would have to wait a bit. He needed to stop by Ray Ramsey’s real estate office and see if he could give him a list of who might have a key to Allie Baker’s apartment.
That shouldn’t take long, right? How many people could it be? Two or three?
“There’s something about this guy that gives me the creeps,” Henry remarked as they approached the building. “I don’t know what it is or why. He just does. Maybe it’s just me.”
“No, I get what you’re saying,” Kai admitted. “I think it’s because we know that Ramsey wants something from us. He wants us to buy or sell a house. I think he sees relationships mostly transactional in nature.”
“That’s a sad way to live.”
Kai couldn’t argue the sentiment. It was a sad way to live. He’d seen it in others, and it never led anywhere good in the long run.
He parked on the street in front of the building and walked into the deserted reception area. It was already after six, and the employees might have already left for the day. There was a hallway behind the reception desk, and at the far end, it looked like an office door was open and the light was on.
The front door had been unlocked, and he had seen Ray Ramsey’s sedan parked behind the small brick building.