A/N: Thank you, readers! You're making this "adventure" very beautiful.
Chapter 05: Steve Lortz
The doorman, whose name was Steve Lortz, was just a college student, working only part-time. Hearing about Buster's death made him shiver and almost collapse. He needed water and deep breaths to feel ready to answer Flack's questions.
"So you last saw the victim a week ago", Don was writing down on his memo-book.
"Yes"
"What time was it?"
"I... I don't know... last week I was working the afternoon shift, so... I guess... six or seven"
"Did you notice something weird?"
"Weird?"
"Like his behavior, his appearance..."
"Uhm... he was elusive, as usual, he greeted me fast, walking away... there was a strange thing though"
"Which was...?", Danny intervened. He couldn't understand why the kid was wasting so much time. Everybody knew how police questioning worked since every TV channel had its own cop show.
"His clothes"
Flack didn't comment, hoping that the young man would start talking without pushing. It worked.
"I haven't worked there for a long time, but I've always seen Mister Buster wearing... huh... very casual clothes. The other day, instead, he was very elegant. He had a tailored suit and also a pair of cufflinks"
"Do you know about fashion, don't you?"
"Well... I'd like to be a designer", he laughed nervously, looking away.
Flack finished writing.
"Didn't he have a suitcase, a bag, something else?"
"No"
"And when you haven't seen him anymore you thought it was quite normal"
"No... well, a little. I've tried to say something to miss Trudy, the landlady, but her only reply was that mister Buster liked better to be left alone, undisturbed"
"Because of his wife's death"
"I know no details, but I know her name was Melissa and she died in a car accident a year ago. If I had the story right, mister Buster was the one driving the car"
Flack and Danny looked at each other silently: He stated he knows nothing, but in reality...
"Well, it's enough for now. Of course, I'd like to have a chat with the landlady too..."
"She isn't there at the moment. She'll be there in the afternoon. She owns another building and spends her time between the two properties"
"So, we'll do it this way: I'll give you my card and you'll give me the address of the other building"
"Problem is I don't know the address...", Steve's eyes escaped the detective's glance.
"A phone number?"
"No"
"At what time will she arrive?"
"I don't know... past... five?"
"Are you asking me?"
Danny smirked. Steve blushed.
"Five, five-thirty"
"Good. Thank you for your cooperation, Steve"
They followed Lortz outside the building. The detectives reached their car. A few seconds before getting in it, Flack turned toward the doorman: "Steve, I'm sure that by the time you'll be back inside you'll miraculously find miss Trudy's phone number. Please, don't warn her. I just love the surprise effect"
The journey to the lab was relatively calm.
"Do you think he's hiding something?"
"Who? Project Runway's next contestant? He almost had a heart attack while talking about the landlady... probably she doesn't want people to look into her business"
"Illegal affairs?"
"Everything's possible. Point is: Can I have a case inside another case? And I don't want to think about Rodriguez; I can swear he's lying"
"This is what happened when you answer a call"
"Do I have any alternatives? If I don't pick up, it goes on ringing and ringing"
"Just imagine your honeymoon in Europe..."
"The Captain has already told us he's going to call every now and then to keep us informed about cases"
"Truthfully, I don't think you should complain. We'll be missing two homicide detectives for three long weeks"
"How are you going to cope?"
"I think we'd survive"
"Of course. Who's going to investigate otherwise?"
Danny shook his head, smiling: "Do you think the autopsy is going to tell us something more?"
"But you're still alive!", Flack laughed.
"Funny... Buster's autopsy"
"It'll have some meaning to you, you're a genial lab rat. I just need something about the murder weapon... a caliber, a bullet... we still don't have our crime scene... it's depressing"
"Well, we're here, so put a smile on your face. Mac's waiting for us"
Once the car was parked they headed to the lab. But at the last moment Flack turned right.
"What now?"
"I need to eat something. My sugar level is dangerously low"
"I'll go to see Mac"
"You want nothing?"
"Linds says that junk food will kill me in a long, painful way..."
Flack laughed, murmuring so whipped, and proceeded to buy something from the vending cart.