“I took a few days off to catch up on some things and rest up. I just finished a financial audit on a large public company. Worked four months straight, seven days a week. I was totally burned out.”
“Okay, go ahead.”
“I made a cup of tea, that took about two minutes. Then I sat down with my book. It’s a biography of Churchill.” He picked it up from the coffee table. “It’s fascinating, but a door stopper as you can see.”
Pine glanced at the thick book. “Right. What then?”
“I sat and drank my tea and read my book.”
“No sounds out in the hall? Doors opening or closing? Footsteps? Voices?”
“Most people on this floor don’t get home that early. Six, seven is the norm.”
“But not Clemmons?”
“No, not her. God, it’s so awful to think that someone killed her. Right here in this building.” His face paled and he again looked like he might be sick.
Pine said in a calming tone, “Take some deep breaths and relax. Just focus your mind and think back. We’ll wait. No rush. Just calm down and collect your thoughts. You’re an accountant, so you’re detail oriented. That’s what we want, details.”
Martin took some deep, regulated breaths, sat back on the couch, and tapped the arm of it. As his fingers drummed along, they grew slower and more rhythmic.
“You know, I did hear someone out in the hall. It was about thirty minutes later. A little before five.”
“Exactly what sounds did you hear?”
“Someone walking away, but before that, I heard…well, I heard a door opening and then closing. It was very slight, but I did hear it.”
“Did you get up to look?”
“Not because of the sounds, no. I mean, there’s nothing sinister about doors opening or people walking in a residential building. But my tea had gotten cold, and I was going to reheat it. Then I decided to just poke my head out and see who it was.” He looked embarrassed. “I thought it might be Beth. Spur-of-the-moment thing. I…I liked her. I liked talking to her.”
“I’m sure,” said Blum. “She was a very lovely young woman.”
“And did you see anyone?” asked Pine.
“Well, I looked toward the direction of the elevators initially. I mean, that’s the way someone would be going, right?”
“Right,” said Pine. “But?”
“But I didn’t see anyone. Then I looked the other way.”
“And?” said Pine a bit impatiently, when it appeared he was not going to continue.
“Well, I couldn’t swear to it, but I thought I saw the back of a shoe turn the corner. Obviously a shoe someone was wearing.”
“What’s in that direction?” asked Blum.
“Well, the freight elevators, for one.”
“Was it a man’s shoe?” asked Pine.
“Yes. I mean, it wasn’t a high heel or anything.”
“Could you see anything else?”
“Not, not really. Wait, I think he might have had gray pants on.”
“Gray pants. Like dress slacks?”
“No, not like that. I misspoke. It wasn’t pants, at least I don’t think so. It was like maybe overalls. And the shoe I saw looked like a work boot.”
Pine looked at Blum. “A workman heading to the freight elevators?”
“Could be.”
They asked Martin some more questions but got nothing else of use from him.
A minute later Pine headed to the freight elevators with Blum right behind.
They reached a pair of elevators after taking two turns, a right and a left. They were located at the end of the corridor.
Pine hit a button and they rode the car down. It opened into the underground parking lot for the building near the exit.
“Makes sense,” said Pine. “If you’re moving in or out, you pull your truck in here and use the elevator to bring your stuff in or out.” She looked around. “I don’t see any cameras in the vicinity. And there’s no gate, so anyone can just pull in or out of here.”
Pine looked at the door they’d just exited. She tried to tug it open. “But you need a key card to get in the door,” she noted, pointing to a card reader port.
“Presumably the workman had one.”
“We’ll need the local cops to check this out, talk to Martin, and then see if anybody else saw someone on that hall at around that time.”
“But Martin said he only heard a door open and close once. Wouldn’t he have heard it when the guy went in, and then again when he exited?”
Pine said, “Not if the guy was already in the apartment and waiting for Clemmons to come home. The bath was full. She was obviously going to get in