you like to serve them?â Buddy said, somewhat snippily. âSpaghetti and meatballs?â
âNo, butâ¦â Carella started.
âOr maybe you should just take them over to McDonaldâs,â Buddy snapped.
âMaybe so,â Carella said, and rose abruptly. âLetâs go, hon,â he told Teddy, who had stood up at almost the same moment.
âWe also make a nice risotto,â Buddy offered as they went out the door.
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âA NYBODY COMING IN the building has to talk to me first,â the doorman told them. âHas to state his business with me,â he said. âI clear all visitors with the tenant. Thatâs the rule here. No exceptions.â
âSo if anyone had come here for Ms. Stanfordâ¦â
âThatâs right.â
ââ¦on Memorial Dayâ¦â
âCorrect.â
ââ¦heâdâve had to talk to you.â
âWhich is what I just told you,â the doorman said, âdinât I?â
âSo howâd he get in her apartment?â Eileen asked.
âI got no idea,â the doorman said.
âIs there a service entrance?â
âYes, there is a service entrance.â
âWhereâs that?â
âAround the back of the building. On Eleventh. But the man taking deliveries there has to call up to the tenant, same as me. Before he lets anything or anyone go upstairs. So you can save yourselves a walk around there.â
âIs there a door to the roof?â Willis asked.
âOf course thereâs a door to the roof.â
âIs it kept locked?â
âAll the time.â
âMind if we take a look up there?â
The doorman looked at them, and then wagged his head as if to say there was no accounting for people who wished to waste their time. âLet me get the super to take you up,â he said, and yanked a wall phone off its hook.
T HE BUILDING SUPERINTENDENT seemed surprised.
âLooks like somebody smashed the lock,â he said, studying the door to the roof.
âLooks that way, doesnât it?â Willis said.
âSure does.â
âWhenâs the last time you were up here?â
âCanât recall.â
âTry,â Eileen said.
âMustâve been last week sometime. Water tank was leaking. Had to bring a plumber up.â
âWhen last week would that have been?â
âFriday, mustâve been. Had a tough time getting a plumber cause the long weekend was coming up. Well, itâs always tough getting a plumber. Plumbers are the divas of the building trade, you know. Guys fixing toilets, can you imagine? Divas!â
Eileen had already taken out her pocket calendar.
âSo this wouldâve been Friday, May twenty-eighth, is that right?â she said. âWhen you last came up here?â
âIf thatâs what it says,â he said, and leaned over to look at the calendar in her hand.
âAnd the lock was okay at that time?â Willis said.
âHad to use my key to open the door,â the super said.
âAnybody been up here since?â
âNot to my knowledge.â
âLetâs see whatâs on the other side,â Eileen said.
A doorknob was lying on the floor inside the door. The super poked a screwdriver into the hole the missing knob had left, angled it upward, and used it for leverage to pull open the door. They stepped out onto the roof.
There were times when this city took your breath away.
The day was sunny and bright, with wisps of white clouds scudding across an immaculate blue sky. At this time of day, the sun glinted on the gray-green waters of the River Harb below in the near distance, causing dancing sparkles of silver to glimmer on its surface. There was enough breeze to encourage the cityâs sailors; at least a dozen boats skimmed along the riverâs surface, bright sails billowing in the sunlight. Across the river in the next state, a
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