Page 55 of Done Dirty

“We’re going to need the key log for the past thirty days,” Jack said. “And specifically whether anyone accessed Wade’s condo key Tuesday night.”

She turned to her computer and pulled it up and sent it to the printer on the credenza. “No one signed it out Tuesday night,” she said, handing the pages to Jack.

Jack turned and looked at the monitor on the wall behind her. The camera feeds were all running—lobby, elevator, courtyard, pool. “The building cameras went offline at ten o’clock Tuesday night,” he said. “Did you know that?”

She shifted in her chair. “I received an alert on my phone, but I didn’t see it until morning. By the time I did see it everything was back up and running.”

“What did you do about it?”

“I checked the app. The system showed it had restarted. I assumed it was a software issue.” She paused. “I didn’t think it warranted a call at that hour.”

“Do you have the ability to shut the cameras down yourself?” Jack asked.

“I have administrative access, yes. For maintenance purposes.”

“Who else?”

“The security company. Corporate office.”

“What about the concierge team?”

“They can view the feeds remotely. They don’t have administrative access.”

“I’m struggling with your alibi, Ms. Contreras,” Jack said. “You go up the elevator with the victim, making you one of the last people to see him alive. You live on the same floor he does. You have access to the cameras and a master key to his condo. Your alibi of being home alone doesn’t help you much.”

“I didn’t kill Wade!” she yelled, the emotion bubbling up inside her for the first time. “I could never kill him. I loved him.”

“A lot of jealous people kill for love.”

Tears leaked from her eyes and tracked down her cheeks, smearing her eye makeup.

“I saw the camera footage,” she said, reaching for a Kleenex and blotting her eyes. “I was visiting my mom last weekend, and when I came back to work Monday morning Brett showed me the footage of Wade and Paige at the pool.” Her face crumpled and the tears fell faster. “He lied to me. He told me Paige was just a roommate. But that bitch was sleeping with him the whole time.”

“That must have made you pretty angry,” Jack said.

She laughed, a harsh sound that came from the gut. “Yeah, pretty angry. But the joke was on her, I guess, considering all the other women he was cheating on her with. But I’d had enough. I was going to issue him a final warning with the threat of turning him in to the police.”

“So what did you really do the night Wade was murdered?”

“I ordered Chinese takeout around nine o’clock, opened a bottle of wine, and I logged into this dating site I’ve been on for a couple of months and messaged with a guy named Derek until my wine ran out and I went to bed. We’re supposed to hook up tomorrow.”

“I hope you’re telling the truth,” Jack said. “I’m going to send my tech guy with a warrant to pick up your electronics. Do you have Derek’s last name?”

She wiped at her eyes aggressively, smearing her mascara even more.

“Brummel,” she said, anger taking over the tears.

“You have his number?”

“We only communicate through the dating site for now. Like I said, we’re supposed to meet tomorrow. I’m done now. If you want to talk again I want a lawyer present.”

“Fair enough,” Jack said, getting to his feet. “We’ll be back with that warrant soon.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

We were almost back to Bloody Mary when Doug called on speaker.

“Hey,” he said. “Oscar and I are on our way to the sheriff’s office. Derby’s been working the burner phone and he’s hit the self-destruct layer. He needs Margot to help him get through it without blowing the whole thing up.”