“I’m just wondering if someone might have gained access to the apartment without the key. Could they have jimmied the lock easily, do you think?”
“I don’t know,” Maggie said. “There were just two keys in all, not counting the mailbox key—one to the lobby of the building and another to his apartment door. They were easy to use. Then again…”
She paused, thinking.
“What?” Lake urged.
“He had a different lock this time,” Maggie said. “And it was a little tight. He said I’d need to jiggle the key a little.”
“Wait,” Lake said. “You’re saying that since you were there in March, Dr. Keaton had his lock changed?”
“Yes.”
Maybe Keaton had been far more concerned about the light in the bathroom than he’d let on and had his lock changed because of it. But Maggie seemed oblivious to this connection.
“You need to mention that to the police,” Lake said.
“You think it means something?”
“It’s just good for them to have every piece of info,” Lake said, not wanting to say more.
“Oh, okay.” Maggie smiled at Lake. “It’s great that you’re so concerned about this.”
“Well, of course,” Lake said, trying not to sound defensive. “I care about the clinic—and the people there.”
“You just seem to care more than some of the others. Like Dr. Hoss. She’s just charging around as if everything’s absolutely normal. You’ve only worked here for a few weeks and you’re way more concerned than she is.”
Let it drop, Lake thought. The last thing she wanted was for Maggie to tell everyone how involved she was with the murder.
“I better let you go,” Lake said. “Take care, now—and let me know if I can help in any way.”
As Maggie walked away, Lake turned and headed north on Lexington. The heat normally would have been an incentive to take a cab, but she needed to walk and think. She felt stunned by what she had learned—about Keaton changing his locks, about the light left on in his bathroom once before. Had someone actually been after Keaton for a while? Maybe it was all connected to the gambling problem—a light left on by the intruder as a warning to pay up or else. Keaton may have instantly known what it meant and that’s why he’d had his lock changed.
She wondered if there really had been a gambling problem. What if Levin had made that up as a form of misdirection? Which led her back to the clinic. It was entirely possible that someone had overheard Keaton’s conversation with Maggie, swiped the keys, had copies made overnight, and returned them to the desk drawer first thing the next morning.
Lake had to figure out why Keaton had changed his mind about joining the clinic. If only she could talk to Kit Archer.
She tried his line again but again got voice mail. She considered he might be someone who screened all his calls. She tossed her phone in her bag in frustration. When she looked up she saw that she was almost face-to-face with Steve Salman and his wife, Hilary. They were headed south, in the direction of the clinic, their expressions blank, as if they’d been walking without talking to each other. Hilary, always pretty and bubbly, seemed undone by the heat today. Her cheeks were blotchy and her shoulder-length brunette hair looked as if it had frizzed and then been beaten into some kind of chunky submission.
“Oh, hi,” Steve said, spotting her. “Are you done for the day? Someone said they thought you’d left.”
“Yes, I’m done for now,” Lake said. “Hello, Hilary. Were you guys having lunch together?”
“Lunch?” Hilary said, sounding mildly annoyed. “Please—we all know doctors don’t have time for lunch.”
“We were doing some quick tile shopping,” Steve said. “For a new master bath we’re putting in. I was looking for you earlier, by the way. Everything okay?”
“What do you mean?” Lake asked. Why was he always putting her on the defensive?
“I heard you were behind closed doors with Levin.”
“Actually, he did throw me a bit of a curveball,” she admitted. “He asked me to give my presentation this week instead of next. Maybe you could reason with him. It’s not so much that I need the extra time. I just don’t think it’s such a great idea to launch any kind of marketing and PR blitz right now. We should wait until the clinic is out of the eye of the storm.”
“Let me see what I can do,” Steve said. “I’m running late right now, but