You have to respect the landlord sometimes. They're just doing their job, and peoples privacy is important, even if that person has been dead for a week. Judy had no warrant, no association with the late Leopold, and no probable cause for the off-yet-on duty cop. So when the landlord wouldn't hand over the keys to Judy, she had no nice words to say, until Nick interrupted.
And this is where having a wily fox as a partner comes in handy. Despite the many streetwise skills acquired from a lifetime of hustling the most valuable of them all is Nick's gift for gab. A few well placed words here and a genuine comment there, and before you know it, the landlord's escorting the two off duty cops to the apartment herself.
"Once again I'm sorry for your loss. Let me know if you need anything else."
"Don't worry I'm just grateful that you let us in. Thank you for being so understanding. Leopold was a good friend and he will be missed."
The door is closed behind them. The place is all theirs. Now the work can begin. And with Judy's ears and nose pinging for a clue it wasn't long before it became clear, the place has been tampered. Someone was already here, someone who wanted to hide something from the law. Judy dug through the stacked newspapers and opened every drawer she could find, scavenging through Leopold's disorganized life. It was clear that the late leopard spent more time on the job than at home. And when Judy popped open a drawer holding a picture wrapped in the chain necklace of a wedding ring, she learned more about Leo than she wanted to, he had a wife and two kids. He never spoke about them to anyone, but this detective had a family that no one had heard about. Lonely Leo wasn't always so lonely. Could this be Judy too? The thought of being so buried in her own work that she would alienate someone like Nick, gave Judy's heart a window to make a getaway, pounding at her chest for an exit.
"Something the matter Carrots? You look like you're staring right through me."
"No. I'm just thinking."
"Well think about the case, not about dinner."
She holds up the frame, "Leopold had a wife and kids."
"Really? I didn't see them at the funeral."
"Is that a predator trait?"
Nick smiles and shakes his head. He's keeping his thoughts sealed, and whatever's inside he wasn't willing to pop the hatch open to share. Judy can take a hint, now's not the time to talk about it. This ain't the place after all, at a dead leopard's apartment. Her head sank a bit, something is on his mind, that's for sure. And there she saw it. Underneath the very desk holding a picture of Leopold's family, is a voice recorder.
"Nick, get a look at this."
"That's an ancient looking thing."
"This whole apartment is. Just look at all this dust."
"Your home is a collection of your memories, Judy. Sometimes we go back to them and wipe the dust off. Other times we leave it there on the shelf, never to touch it, letting all the dust gather."
"Is your home dusty Nick?"
"Yea. A little."
Now she's anxious, better not delve further though, this isn't the right place after all, "You know I was thinking about dinner for a bit. Why don't we grab ourselves a bite. We'll listen to the recording over there."
