Karen Rose - I Can See You

She took the copy she’d printed of Martha’s death article from her notebook. “This was subject 92.” Keeping her hand perfectly steady, she handed it to him over his desk.

He stared at the page, then grabbed it. His face darkened and Eve’s throat closed. This was it. He’d throw her out of the program. Cancel her research.

“I think that if we’d tested her more often, we might have been able to get her help,” she said. “Her death is on my head, Dr. Donner. I don’t want any more suicides.”

Deliberately he dropped the sheet onto his shredder and hit the switch. Instantly the page was gone and with it any minute respect she’d held for Donald Donner.

“I never saw that,” he said. “ You never saw it. Are we clear, Miss Wilson?”

Eve’s knees were shaking, but she’d be damned before she’d let him see it. “Crystal.”

For a long time she sat at her desk, staring at nothing, trying to figure out what to do.

What would Dana do? Dana Dupinsky Buchanan, one of the women who’d all but raised her in Hanover House, a Chicago shelter. Dana, who’d risked her freedom and her life helping battered women find hope and safety. Helping runaways like me .

Dana would do whatever was necessary to keep those people safe. So should I.

Maybe no more bad things would happen. But if they did… I’ll do what I need to do. She knew where every one of her subjects resided in Shadowland. Now she’d seek them out in the real world, right here in Minneapolis. Starting with Christy Lewis.

If Donner found out, she’d be finished. But I’d rather forfeit it all and be able to look in the mirror. She’d do what she needed to do, but smartly. If I’m lucky, nobody will ever know. Her subjects would be safe and Donner would get his precious published study.

Then she’d get a new advisor. But first, Christy. She’d watched Christy’s Gwenivere for weeks in the virtual world. It was time to set Christy straight in the real one.

Monday, February 22, 2:10 p.m.

Noah had expected Mrs. Kobrecki to look meaner. So when a sweet little old lady answered his knock, he had to swiftly control his surprise. “Mrs. Kobrecki?”

“You must be the detectives.” She opened the door wide. “Please, sit down.”

“Thank you,” Jack said with an engaging smile. “You’re a hard woman to reach.”

“My cellular phone battery was dead. I was away for the weekend and returned just this morning. I called you all as soon as I saw the crime scene tape. Poor Martha.”

“How long had you known Ms. Brisbane, ma’am?” Noah asked.

“Eight years. We had our differences, but I never dreamed she’d do this.”

“What kind of differences?” Noah probed with a sympathetic smile.

“Her apartment,” Mrs. Kobrecki said archly, as if it were obvious. “Not to speak ill of the dead, but that woman lived in total filth.”

Noah thought of Martha’s spotless apartment. “When did you last see her?”

“Week ago, Saturday. She was going out, which was odd. She didn’t go out often.”

“Did she say where she was going?” Jack asked.

“No.” Mrs. Kobrecki’s lips thinned.

“Did you have an argument, Mrs. Kobrecki?” Noah asked.

“Yes. I told her that if she didn’t clean her place, I’d evict her. She just ignored me. That woman made me so mad.” Then she sighed. “But I never would have wanted this.”

“Of course not,” Noah said soothingly. “Did you see when Martha returned home?”

“No. I would have been too angry to talk to her anyway.” Her eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“It’s routine, ma’am. We’re trying to establish a time of death. For her family.”

“Her mother probably won’t care what time Martha died.”

Noah feigned surprised concern. “Martha didn’t get along with her mother?”

“No, and I don’t know why. I once went up to yell at Martha about the mess. I heard her through the door, on the phone, yelling at her mother. She came to the door crying.”

“Did you hear what they were saying to each other?” Jack asked.

“Not really. I did hear Martha tell her mother she was doing it for her. I assumed she meant that was why she worked all the time and never visited her.”

“Was it normal for a week to pass without seeing her?” Noah asked.

“Sometimes I’d go a month without seeing her. I hadn’t planned to see her that night. I just ran into her at the door. I’d already decided to evict her before that last argument but my lawyer had told me to give her one more warning, and if she didn’t listen, then get photos of the mess. Her going out gave me the opportunity to do that.”

“Did you get the pictures?” Jack asked.

“Yes, after Martha left that evening. I don’t normally intrude on my tenants’ privacy, but I knew I needed to get her out or my whole place would be infested with roaches.”

Noah felt a spurt of triumph. “Can we get a copy of those pictures? For our files.”

Mrs. Kobrecki got them from her desk. “Oh, and I suppose you should take her mail, too. The postman gave me that on Friday as I was leaving for my weekend trip. Martha’s mailbox was full. He couldn’t stuff any more in there, so I cleaned it out.”

“You didn’t think it unusual that she didn’t go to her mailbox?” Noah asked.

“She’d go weeks without checking her mail, like she was in her own little world.”

“Did she pay her rent on time?” Noah asked.

“She’d never missed a payment until a year ago. She said she’d gotten wrapped up in a project and lost track of time. After that she did automatic payment from the bank.”

Jack began sorting the mail, Noah the pictures. Wow . The kitchen sink was filled with dishes, the garbage can overflowing with paper plates. Her desk was covered with trash, coffee cups, and stacks of paper. In the living room were stacks of newspapers, so many the wall was totally obscured. Someone had done a very thorough cleanup.

Jack cleared his throat. “Mrs. Kobrecki, we’d like to have a last look around the apartment before we close this case. Can you unlock it for us?”

“Of course. I’ll get my keys. They’re in the back.”

CSU had sealed the scene. Jack didn’t need Kobrecki’s keys. “What did you find?”

“Something that looks like a paycheck,” Jack murmured, “plus a bank statement. Why don’t you chat with Mrs. Kobrecki and I’ll go to the car and check this out.”

The two stood when Mrs. Kobrecki came back into the room. “Let’s go,” she said.

“I have to start wrapping up,” Jack said. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Kobrecki.”

Noah followed Mrs. Kobrecki upstairs. “I apologize. My partner and I forgot that CSU sealed the scene with our lock. We’ll put your lock back when the case is closed.”

“I didn’t realize a suicide was a case,” Mrs. Kobrecki said, suddenly suspicious.

“It’s procedure, ma’am. Who lives in the apartment next to Miss Brisbane?”

“Nobody. The Smiths lived there, but they got transferred about three months ago.”

The hair rose on the back of Noah’s neck. “You mean this apartment was empty?”

“Yes. I won’t rent either of them for months after this.”

“Could you open it for me? The empty unit?”

Mrs. Kobrecki stiffened. “I don’t have the key to that unit on this key ring.”

Oh, really. “I thought you had a master.”

“I do, but it only works on the doorknob and the last tenants installed a deadbolt. Could you hurry, please? I’d like to get this over with.”

“Of course.” Noah opened the door, waited for her reaction. She didn’t disappoint.