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Tuesday — 7:56am
December’sicybreathwhisperedthrough the air as Theo approached the slightly run-down building that housed Lauren Kim’s condo. The exterior walls displayed the age of the light brown paint, and the old elevator had groaned in mechanical protest as it passed each floor it had begrudgingly served over the years. Despite the imperfections, the building stood proudly overlooking the Chesapeake Bay and providing it occupants a view to behold.
Theo’s black eyepatch had been nothing but an irritation since he’d driven into Harbor. He figured it was due to the high level of humidity near the water, regardless that it was winter. The permanent accessory was just a reminder of his old life, not that he regretted one decision he had made during his time with the Bureau.
As he stepped off the elevator, he took time to remove his leather gloves. As he began to walk toward the door of Lauren Kim’s condo, he purposefully stretched his fingers to gain a bit of warmth. The outside temperature was having trouble making it into the forties, and the interior of the building couldn’t have been much warmer. He wasn’t sure if that was due to the structure of the building or if the owner just wanted to cut down costs. Either way, the residents were lucky that the pipes didn’t freeze in this place.
Theo rapped his knuckles against the faded stained door before taking his time to observe his surroundings. There didn’t seem to be any security cameras tucked in any of the corners, and he’d counted four condos per floor. The hallways wrapped around the entire building, which meant that the two units on the other side had quite the walk to reach their separate entrances.
The door swung open, revealing Lauren Kim in denim overalls that weren’t loose in the slightest. Her long-sleeved black t-shirt was splattered with dabs of paint. Her black hair was just like in the picture, and the long strands had been secured with a black band so that the majority of her hair draped over her right shoulder. There was a streak of black across her cheek like a misplaced battle scar, and she was wiping her hands on what appeared to be a dirty hand towel.
“Can I help you?”
Lauren’s voice was as dark and rich as the paint smeared across her skin. The lines around her eyes hinted at her irritation at being interrupted during what was obviously a painting session.
“My name is Theo Neville, and I work for a private investigations firm that is investigating the murder of Bella Kadel,” he said after he’d taken his credentials out and made sure they were in full view. “I take it that you are Lauren Kim?”
“That’s me.” Lauren didn’t seem inclined to invite him into her condo. As a matter of fact, she leaned against the doorway. “Let me guess. Bella’s rich sister hired you because she and her husband lost faith in the local police?”
“Care to expand on that?” Theo asked with a half-smile. He wouldn’t ignore the opening that she’d given him.
“I’m not familiar with too many people in Harbor,” Lauren said with a dismissive shrug. She finally finished wiping her hands, and she then tossed the small towel over her shoulder. “It’s too much like one of those afternoon soap operas. Anyway, once in a while I stop in at that café across from the art gallery. I might have overheard someone mention that the Jamesons are better friends with the chief than the detective.”
“The police didn’t interview you back then, did they?” Theo inquired, even though he would have preferred to ask his question inside.
“Why would they?” Lauren asked with a raised eyebrow. “I wasn’t friends with Bella. We were colleagues. Nothing more.”
“Wasn’t she the one who discovered you?”
“If it wasn’t her, it would have been someone else,” Lauren said with a sigh of resignation. “You aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, are you? Come on in.”
Theo thought back to the profile, and Lauren Kim certainly checked off the narcissistic trait. He wasn’t so sure about the materialistic characteristic, though. The entire condo was basically an art studio. Massive canvases leaned against some of the walls, and there were paint-splattered tarps everywhere. The only semblance of normalcy came in the form of a single couch and a small kitchen table with two mismatching chairs.
“Have a seat,” Lauren said, gesturing toward the table. She walked over to the sink and began to wash her hands. He, on the other hand, was having trouble dragging his gaze away from her current painting, which was directly in the middle of the condo underneath the large skylight in the ceiling. No wonder she’d opted for the top floor. “Well? Something isn’t quite right, and I have to finish by Thursday morning.”
“It’s…haunting.” Theo chose to use Sylvie’s adjective from this morning. There was no other way to describe what appeared to depict a body of dark water, although this one didn’t contain any shades of red that had been used in her previous paintings. Instead, this one was much richer in color and off to the side. He’d describe it more like a burgundy. Again, he found himself drawn to her art in a peculiar way. “You’re very talented, Ms. Kim.”
“Lauren. No need to be formal. And you can go ahead and say what you’re thinking, because my work usually elicits the same response. Only those who can see the deeper meaning can appreciate my paintings.”
“What can you tell me about Bella?” Theo asked, forcing himself to focus on the questions that he’d gone over in his head on the drive over. “We’ve established that she discovered you in Annapolis. If the two of you weren’t close, how would you describe your relationship?”
“Colleagues.” Lauren picked up a different hand towel and began to dry the water from her hands. “Nothing more, nothing less. I work odd hours of the day and night. I’m not one who needs a lot of friends. Bella was nice and all. She didn’t deserve to die like that.”
Theo waited for Lauren to say that no one should die in that manner, but she didn’t follow up with any such statement. She walked over to the refrigerator and opened the door, leaning down to get a better look at the contents. From what Theo could see of the shelves, the only thing she had stock of was several types of bottled water.
Lauren shut the refrigerator door and walked over to the table, setting one of the waters down in front of him. She then sat in the other chair as she waited for the next question.
“Is it true that the two of you got into an argument over the direction of your paintings?” Theo took the water and unscrewed the cap. “It’s my understanding that Bella cancelled an exhibit that was supposed to have taken place last year.”
“You heard right.” Lauren narrowed her eyes as she studied him. “I paint what I see, and I can’t change that. Bella thought it was too dark for the holidays. We disagreed, and it was her right to cancel the exhibit. I sold a lot of those pieces off to another gallery.”
“Yet Maxwell Vanderbilt has decided to host a solo exhibit of your art on Thursday evening,” Theo pointed out, monitoring Lauren closely for any sign that she knew Maxwell in a more intimate manner. “It was my understanding that he originally agreed with Bella’s opinion to cancel the first event. What changed his mind?”
“Maxwell goes where the money is, and he doesn’t have Bella to find new talent.” Lauren’s gaze kept sliding toward her current project, and it was clear that she was more preoccupied by her latest creation than she was this conversation. “Sophia is good, but she’s no Bella. I figured it was only a matter of time before Maxwell caved. I have a new series of paintings, and he needs the cash. It’s a win-win.”
Theo considered her words carefully, turning them over in his mind and looking for some hidden truth. There was something about the way she spoke, the hint of venom in her voice, that had him wondering if there wasn’t more than a financial agreement between the two.
“I’m sure you’ve heard about the second murder that took place last week.” Theo monitored Lauren’s reaction closely. “Piper Zimmer. Did you know her?”
