Berman looked at his watch. By his reckoning, it was eleven P.M. in Colorado, and Paul Caldwell would be due to come off his shift. How long before he raised the alarm? Berman wondered.

Chapter 48

48.

PIA GRAZDANI’S APARTMENT, BOULDER, COLORADO

TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2013, 1:12 A.M. MST

Paul Caldwell had stayed at work at the hospital for more than an hour after his shift was due to end. He was exhausted, and gripped with anxiety about Pia, but there were hospital cases he couldn’t abandon, even under these circumstances. It had been twenty-two hours since Pia had left his sight without getting in touch with him, and by the time Paul drove back to Pia’s apartment, he was convinced something had happened to her.

Once more, he rang her bell, even banged on the door in frustration, and called her name. As he waited, a door down the hall opened a sliver and an elderly woman’s voice called out.

“Do you mind, young man? It’s very late.”

“Excuse me, I apologize. May I have a word?” Paul walked toward the voice, and heard the chain going on the door. “I’m a doctor.”

“I can see that,” said the woman. She had mostly closed the door, exposing only a three-inch vertical slice of her face and one eye. “It’s the coat. It’s the only reason I haven’t shut the door. What do you want with that young woman? I think I have seen you before. Is she your girlfriend?”

“She’s a friend. I’m worried about her. I haven’t seen her in a couple of days.”

“I have seen you here before. You’re only the third man I’ve seen visit her. Another one tried to visit her, but she wouldn’t let him. I was about to call the police. She doesn’t know I’ve seen people, but I have. I mean, I don’t see everybody, but I see a lot.”

“Look, madam, may I come in?”

“You may not. I saw her last night around this time. I don’t sleep too well at night, and I hear things like with you coming here now. She came home just about this time, and she was carrying her clothes.”

“Excuse me?” Paul said. He wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly. “She was carrying her clothes. You mean she was naked?” That seemed hard to believe.

“No, she wasn’t naked. For some reason she had on her undergarments and was holding her clothes. And a camera, I think. I saw her, but she didn’t see me. I don’t know if I should be telling you this or not.”

“I’m glad you are. Did you see her again last night?”