Page 76 of Lion & Lamb

“Trust you me, you don’t want to look.”

“I need to get back to my apartment. This totally sucks.”

“Anybody actually see her jump?”

Chapter79

Transcript of conversation between Janie Hall and Stephanie Weddle, captured using an ambient recording app on Hall’s personal phone

JANIE HALL: Oh my God. I can’t believe this. We were just with her yesterday…

VEENA LION: Before we let our imaginations run wild, let’s find out for sure.

HALL: Hang on. Oh, I know that cop over by the condo entrance. Let me see if she can tell us what’s going on. (Pause) Hey, Steph! It’s me, Janie Hall.

OFFICER STEPHANIE WEDDLE: Huh? Oh, hey, Janie. I didn’t know you were still on the beat. Thought you’d retired a few years ago when that rag of yours folded.

HALL: Wasn’tmyrag, thankfully. I just gave them words in exchange for money. And yeah, I’m still at it. Hey, what happened here? I was trying to make my way up Third when everything just ground to a halt.

WEDDLE: You don’t wanna know.

HALL: Come on, Steph. Of course I want to know.

WEDDLE: Heh-heh. Off the record?

HALL: As always.

WEDDLE: What about your friend over there, the elegant-looking lady you walked up with?

HALL: That’s Veena. She’s a lawyer, so we have that confidentiality thing going.

WEDDLE: Is that right?

HALL: That’s right.

WEDDLE: Okay, well…we don’t know if this is a suicide or something else. A resident on the top floor tumbled off the balcony and landed in the alley.

HALL: Oh God.

WEDDLE: Yeah, it’s a mess. And I mean that literally. The poor man who found her is having a real hard time of it.

HALL: Who is it?

WEDDLE: The man who found her?

HALL: No, the victim.

WEDDLE: I don’t know if I should tell you that. Even off the record—you understand.

HALL: Of course, Steph, I totally get it. But the thing is, we were headed over here, to this building, to visit a friend of Veena’s. She wasn’t feeling too good, and we were worried about her.

WEDDLE: I don’t know, Janie. I’d better ask someone…

HALL: Just give me a first name so my heart stops racing. Please?

WEDDLE: Damn it, Janie. (Lengthy pause) Okay, her first name is Rosalind. But the building super says everyone calls her Roz. Please tell me that’s not your friend’s friend.

HALL: Thank you, Steph. I really appreciate it. You’ve just put my mind at ease.

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