get vibes of different people...probably the cleaning crew,” Wyrick said.
“Let’s check it out,” Charlie said and moved from the foyer into the living room on the right. It was neat and spotless. “I don’t think she was even in here after she came home from work,” he said. “Nobody sat on the sofa or in any of the chairs, because the throw pillows don’t look as if they’ve been moved since they were fluffed.”
Wyrick smirked. “Fluffed?”
Charlie frowned. “Well, what the hell do you call it?”
“I think the most common phrase is ‘plumping up’ the pillows,” she said and walked back out into the hall.
“I never claimed interior decorating as part of my résumé,” he muttered and followed her as she moved up the hall.
Wyrick grinned, but only because he couldn’t see her face, and then paused at the junction. They could either go left or forward, so they chose to go forward, and wound up in the kitchen/dining area, with a visible utility area off the kitchen.
The table was bare, but Wyrick saw differently.
“There was food here...and an iPad. She was reading it. The police collected it for evidence, but it wasn’t breakfast food. It was from the night before...the night she went missing,” Wyrick said.
Wyrick touched the chairs at the table. “Something disturbed her meal. She got up and never came back.”
Charlie wandered into the utility room and lifted the lid on the washer, then the dryer, before walking back into the kitchen.
“There are clothes in the washer. They got washed, but never put in the dryer, and I’m also just realizing there’s no other exit out of this apartment but the one we came in. There’s a window overlooking part of the parking area, but no fire escape. Is this even up to code?”
Wyrick shrugged. “I saw signs over a door down the hall that said Fire Escape, so it’s like a hotel. I guess you have to get to the end of the hall to get to a separate stairwell other than the one at the entrance downstairs.”
“And according to Rachel’s sister, and Detective Floyd, they have her on camera going in and never coming out,” Charlie said.
Wyrick led the way out of the kitchen, and then pointed down the other hall.
“This is just a one-bedroom apartment, so let’s check that out next. Right now the only vibes I’m picking up on are hers. Like I’m seeing everything through her eyes, and nothing seems amiss,” Wyrick said.
“Millie Chriss told us the television was on when Dyer did the wellness check. He claims he didn’t touch anything, and it was still on when the police came. It’s not on now, so I’m guessing the team from the crime lab turned it off after dusting for prints,” Charlie said, and then turned the doorknob and walked in while Wyrick paused on the threshold.
“Bed wasn’t slept in,” Charlie said and walked into the bathroom. Clean towels were still folded on the rack and the shower door was spotless. “She didn’t shower after she got home,” he added.
Wyrick hadn’t moved, still looking at the setup, the furniture all in place. No signs of a struggle. The only strange thing she noticed was that the remote was lying beside the television, which was all the way across the room from the bed.
“Why would she turn on a television in here if she was eating her meal and reading in the kitchen?” Wyrick said. “And why is the remote all the way across the room, and not beside her bed, where you would expect it to be?”
“Maybe the cleaning crew did it,” Charlie said.
“If Rachel had left it on while she was getting dressed for work, she would have still heard it playing before she left and turned it off. Even if the cleaning crew turned it on to listen to while they worked, they would not have left it playing, either, and she would have not wanted it playing if she’s in another room, reading,” Wyrick said.
“Agreed,” Charlie said and then stepped into the big walk-in closet to look around, but everything was neatly hanging, or on shelving. “Are you picking up on anything in this room?” he asked as he exited.
Wyrick frowned. “I can see her in here, and then everything goes black. Whatever happened to her, I don’t think she saw it coming.”
“Dammit,” Charlie muttered.
“I’m getting a really bad headache,” Wyrick muttered. “I need air.”
“Then we’re done in here for now,” Charlie said. “You’re picking up on shit even you