“It wasn’t even fully closed. When I got inside, I went into the bedroom and found the husband asleep. I thought something was wrong with him. I had to shake him to wake him up. Turns out he was pretty messed up from whatever they were taking at that party.”

Claire nodded. “Security cameras on the property?”

“I don’t know, ma’am.”

“Landlord on premises?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Where are all the tenants now?”

“They’ve all gone back to their apartments,” he said.

“Okay, thanks,” she said before turning to walk away. She took two steps and then paused, looking back over her shoulder. “And nice job, by the way.”

The cop blinked and then nodded slightly. “Thanks.”

Claire walked back over to Greg, who was standing by the bottom of the staircase. “All right, let’s go see who’s awake,” she said.

Greg frowned, looking at his watch. “Really?” he asked. “At this time of night? You’re not going to let the dust settle a bit?”

Claire shook her head. “Nah. Let it settle, and people tend to find their footing. That’s exactly what we don’t want.” She turned and looked at the back door. “At least we know one thing for sure.”

“What’s that?”

Claire jogged down the short flight of steps that led to the back door and crouched on the concrete where the busted glass was scattered all around. With a gloved hand, she picked up one of the largest pieces and held it between her fingertips, her thumb pressed gently against one of the sharp edges. As she examined it, she spoke softly, more to herself than to anyone around her.

“We know this is complete and utter bullshit.”

Greg had reached the top of the short staircase, and he stared down at Claire’s crouched frame, a frown on his face. “What are you talking about?”

Claire didn’t say anything for a moment, just continued to press her finger against the glass as Greg slowly made his way down the steps to join her. She finally dropped it and stood up, turning to face him.

“This so-called break-in. Careless, sloppy, and almost insulting, to be honest.”

“What are you talking about?” Greg asked again, looking at the busted window and glass shards that surrounded their feet.

“It’s completely dry,” Claire said. “The floor, these stairs, not a drop of water. It’s been raining all night, and you mean to tell me that somebody managed to break that window, open the door, come inside, and walk to the front of the building without leaving a drop of water on this concrete floor?”

Greg followed her gaze and cursed softly.

“Somebody staged it,” he said.

Claire nodded. “And the only reason you’d do that is if—”

“You’re trying to hide the fact that the killer was already inside the building.”

Claire raised an eyebrow. “Still want to let that dust settle?”

Chapter 4

Paula