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“Oh.” I could tell she was surprised. “Thank you. There is a lot of time to knit while I watch the television. This way,” she said, leading us to a large walk-in closet.
The closet was the size of a small bedroom and just off the bathroom. A chandelier hung in the center over a round white cushioned bench. It was meticulously organized, and there were many pieces of clothing with the tags still on them. There were his and hers shoe shelves that had no empty spaces. I’d always wondered how people had that many shoes when there weren’t enough days in the year to wear them all.
All of Kateryna’s shoes had red soles and spiked heels. There were no tennis shoes or anything that looked remotely comfortable. Her clothes looked mostly formal or dressy, much like what she’d worn to the bar, and there was a small vanity area in the closet where several different wigs were displayed on head stands.
David Sowers’ side of the closet held an array of suits and crisply pressed button-down shirts. There was even a tuxedo in a clear hanging bag.
Kateryna pulled open one of the drawers and there was a small keypad. She typed in a code and the mirror on the wall swung open, revealing a safe.
“He did not think I knew the combination,” she said, bitterly. “But there were many times he had too much to drink. Americans do not hold their liquor well. It was not difficult to see the numbers while he was so clumsy.”
She opened the mirror fully and typed in the code on the safe.
“He must have been really worried what might be found in that safe to have this kind of protection,” Jack said. “Another good reason to keep you secret.”
Kateryna took a step back so Jack could look inside. And then he looked back at me. I still had my medical bag slung across my body and I reached inside for a pair of gloves and a couple of evidence bags.
“Looks like he’s got a couple of weeks stocked to feed his habit,” Jack said, pulling out a dozen or so vials identical to the one I’d found in Sowers’ pocket. “Do you know where he got these?”
Kateryna shook her head. “I do not know. He would sometimes come in with a bag and go straight to the closet. He always had some with him.”
“Several prescriptions,” Jack said, dumping them in the evidence bag and then handing it to me.
I looked at the labels. “Looks like he’s getting the scripts from different doctors. Vicodin. Muscle relaxers. More of the erectile dysfunction meds. None of these with the ED meds go well together. Usually you see a mix of Viagra and meth for the extra stimulation. But cocaine will counteract it, or can even cause cardiac arrest.”
“Speak of the devil,” Jack said, holding up a small plastic bag with white powder. “What are you willing to bet he needed the stimulant to counteract his cocaine use so the ED meds worked properly?”
“That’s a sucker’s bet,” I said. “It’s amazing this guy was still alive and functioning at the level he was at. I’ll know more once I get him on my table, but the body and brain could only sustain that kind of use for so long.”
Kateryna shifted back and forth from foot to foot, and clutched her robe. “The little bag of powder. He called it his Friday night special. When he would visit me during the week he would take the little blue pills. But on Friday night he would take the blue pill with the powder in the bag. I did not like Friday nights. Being with him was…different.”
“Yes, I can imagine,” I said, my anger fueling again.
“There’s a locked case in here,” Jack said. “Do you know the combination for it?”
Kateryna frowned and looked at the small black case Jack was holding. It was the size of a laptop and about six inches deep.
“I do not know that case,” she said. “I have not seen it before.”
“When was the last time David came in and went straight to the closet?” Jack asked.
“This morning,” she said. “Very early. I was not awake yet. He did not stay. He just let himself in, told me to wear red dress tonight, and then left.”
“Thank you for helping us,” Jack said. “This might help us find who killed David Sowers.”
Her mouth pressed into a thin line and then she said, “I would like to thank the man who did. Mr. David was not good man.”
“Do you have any money for food?” Jack asked.
She shook her head, looking terrified all of a sudden. The thought of truly being on her own a reality that was quickly setting in.
“I do not know what to do,” she said. “Do I have to leave this place?”
“Not right now,” Jack told her. “I’m going to send a nice woman over to bring you some money and other essentials. I’ll check with the building to see about the terms of the apartment lease. Do you have a phone?”
“Yes, but I do not know the number,” she said, pointing to the black cordless phone on the nightstand. “Mr. David was the only one who knew the number. I had to answer by three rings or he would come over.”
“Okay,” Jack said. “We’ll take care of that too.” He handed her a business card. “This is my name and number. Call if you need help or if you think of anything else you can tell us about who might want to hurt David Sowers.”
