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“Dawson?” said Decker. “Like in Caroline Dawson?”
“Yes. She has a condo there, I believe. And her father, Hugh, owns the Towers, along with about three-quarters of the businesses in London. This building here is one of the few he doesn’t own. Probably wouldn’t make enough money for him,” she added dismissively.
“So he’s the local business tycoon?” said Jamison.
“But a man named Stuart McClellan is even richer.”
“How so?” asked Decker.
Kelly answered. “He owns pretty much all of the oil and gas fracking operations in this area.”
“So do the two men get along?” asked Jamison.
It was Kelly again who answered. “They do business together. But I wouldn’t call them best friends.”
Simms said huffily. “They’re men, and rich men to boot, which means they’re in a lifelong pissing contest—pardon my French—to see who’s the bigger dog in the fight.” She shook her head. “Boys never really grow up, don’t care how much cash they have.”
“Did you know Ms. Cramer very well?” asked Jamison.
Simms said, “I guess as well as anyone in the building. She worked as a teacher out at the Brothers’ school.”
“So we heard. What can you tell us about her?”
“She was quiet. Kept to herself. I mean she was an attractive young woman, but she never had anyone over to her place, least that I know of.”
“Why’d she move here from Dawson Towers? Is it cheaper here?”
“Oh, yes, much cheaper. The Towers is far nicer, like I said. But our rooms are clean and we include trash service and cable TV.”
“Did you ever see her go out at night?”
“No. I get up very early and go to bed the same. If it was after nine o’clock I wouldn’t see her leaving.”
Jamison said, “Did she ever talk about her personal history? How she came to be here?”
Simms sat back and thought about this for a few moments. “Come to think, not really. For some reason I had the feeling that she was from the West Coast. But that’s just a guess.”
Decker looked out the window, where the rain was continuing to pour down. “Did she say why she had come to London in the first place? Did she have a job lined up?”
“Not that she ever said, no. But she did work at the Brothers’ as the teacher, like I said. So maybe that’s what brought her up here.”
Jamison added, “Or was she coming here to be with someone? Maybe followed a boyfriend?”
“Not that I know of.”
“When was the last time you saw her?” asked Kelly.
Simms looked pensive once more. “I believe it was a week ago today.”
Decker glanced at Kelly. “That tightens the coroner’s outside TOD from ten days to five, since her body was found two days ago.”
“But weren’t you concerned that you hadn’t seen her for a week?” asked Jamison.
“No, because she said she was going on a little vacation.”
“Vacation where?” asked Jamison, shooting a glance at Kelly, who looked equally surprised by this revelation.
“She didn’t tell me.”
