this baby so I’d carry it through the summer heat. I came in today—I’d intended to take the next several weeks off. But I came in because . . . I didn’t know what else I could do. Should do. Andrea worked here almost since I opened the place. She manages it with me, and was going to take over while I was on maternity.”
“She hasn’t been in to work for several days. Weren’t you concerned?”
“She was taking some leave now. She was actually due back today, when I’d planned to start mine. Oh God.” She rubbed at her face. “Usually she’d take advantage of our benefits and go somewhere, but she decided to house-sit for her friend and get her apartment painted, do some shopping, she said, hit a few of the spas and salons around town. I expected to hear from her yesterday or the day before, just to check in with me before we switched over. But I really didn’t think anything of it when I didn’t. I didn’t think at all, to be frank. Between this baby, my little girl at home, the business, my husband’s mother deciding now’s a dandy time to come stay with us, I’ve been distracted.”
“When’s the last time you did talk to her?”
“A couple of weeks. I’m . . . I was very fond of Andrea, and she was wonderful to work with. But we had very different lifestyles. She was single and loved to go out. I’m incredibly married and raising a three-year-old, having another child and running a business. So we didn’t see each other often outside of work, or talk often unless it was work-related.”
“Has anyone come in asking about her or for her specifically?”
“She has a regular customer base. Most of my girls do. Customers who ask for them specifically when they’re planning a trip.”
“She’d have a customer list.”
“Absolutely. There’s probably some legal thing I’m supposed to do before I agree to give that to you, but I’m not going to waste my time or yours. I have all my employees’ passcodes. I’ll give it to you. You can copy anything you feel might help off her work unit.”
“I appreciate your cooperation.”
“She was a delightful woman. She made me laugh, and she did a good job for me. I never knew her to hurt anyone. I’ll do whatever I can to help you find who did this to her. She was one of my girls, you know. She was one of mine.”
It took an hour to copy the files, search through and document the contents of the workstation and interview the other employees.
Every one of Andrea’s coworkers had gone out with her to clubs, bars, parties, with dates, without dates. There was a great deal of weeping but little new to be learned.
Eve could barely wait to get away from the scent of grief and lipdye.
“Start doing a standard run on the names on her customer base. I’m going to check in with Samantha Gannon and verbally smack this asshole ME around.”
“Morris?”
“No, Morris is tanning his fine self on some tropical beach. We caught Duluc. She’s slower than a one-legged snail. I’m going to warm up with her, then, if there’s time, drop-kick Dickhead,” she added, referring to the chief lab tech.
“Boy, that should round out the morning. Then maybe we can have lunch.”
“We’re dealing with the cleaning service before the morgue and lab. Didn’t you have breakfast a couple hours ago?”
“Yeah, but if I start nagging you about lunch now, you’ll cave before I get faint from hunger.”
“Detectives eat less often than aides.”
“I never heard that. You’re just saying that to scare me.” She trotted on her increasingly uncomfortable shoes after Eve. “Right?”
Chapter 4
Maid In New York was a pared-down, storefront operation that put all its focus and frills into the services. This was explained to Eve with some snippiness by the personnel manager, who reigned in an office even smaller and stingier than Eve’s at Central.
“We keep the overhead to a minimum,” Ms. Tesky of the sensible bun and shoes informed
“She hasn’t been in to work for several days. Weren’t you concerned?”
“She was taking some leave now. She was actually due back today, when I’d planned to start mine. Oh God.” She rubbed at her face. “Usually she’d take advantage of our benefits and go somewhere, but she decided to house-sit for her friend and get her apartment painted, do some shopping, she said, hit a few of the spas and salons around town. I expected to hear from her yesterday or the day before, just to check in with me before we switched over. But I really didn’t think anything of it when I didn’t. I didn’t think at all, to be frank. Between this baby, my little girl at home, the business, my husband’s mother deciding now’s a dandy time to come stay with us, I’ve been distracted.”
“When’s the last time you did talk to her?”
“A couple of weeks. I’m . . . I was very fond of Andrea, and she was wonderful to work with. But we had very different lifestyles. She was single and loved to go out. I’m incredibly married and raising a three-year-old, having another child and running a business. So we didn’t see each other often outside of work, or talk often unless it was work-related.”
“Has anyone come in asking about her or for her specifically?”
“She has a regular customer base. Most of my girls do. Customers who ask for them specifically when they’re planning a trip.”
“She’d have a customer list.”
“Absolutely. There’s probably some legal thing I’m supposed to do before I agree to give that to you, but I’m not going to waste my time or yours. I have all my employees’ passcodes. I’ll give it to you. You can copy anything you feel might help off her work unit.”
“I appreciate your cooperation.”
“She was a delightful woman. She made me laugh, and she did a good job for me. I never knew her to hurt anyone. I’ll do whatever I can to help you find who did this to her. She was one of my girls, you know. She was one of mine.”
It took an hour to copy the files, search through and document the contents of the workstation and interview the other employees.
Every one of Andrea’s coworkers had gone out with her to clubs, bars, parties, with dates, without dates. There was a great deal of weeping but little new to be learned.
Eve could barely wait to get away from the scent of grief and lipdye.
“Start doing a standard run on the names on her customer base. I’m going to check in with Samantha Gannon and verbally smack this asshole ME around.”
“Morris?”
“No, Morris is tanning his fine self on some tropical beach. We caught Duluc. She’s slower than a one-legged snail. I’m going to warm up with her, then, if there’s time, drop-kick Dickhead,” she added, referring to the chief lab tech.
“Boy, that should round out the morning. Then maybe we can have lunch.”
“We’re dealing with the cleaning service before the morgue and lab. Didn’t you have breakfast a couple hours ago?”
“Yeah, but if I start nagging you about lunch now, you’ll cave before I get faint from hunger.”
“Detectives eat less often than aides.”
“I never heard that. You’re just saying that to scare me.” She trotted on her increasingly uncomfortable shoes after Eve. “Right?”
Chapter 4
Maid In New York was a pared-down, storefront operation that put all its focus and frills into the services. This was explained to Eve with some snippiness by the personnel manager, who reigned in an office even smaller and stingier than Eve’s at Central.
“We keep the overhead to a minimum,” Ms. Tesky of the sensible bun and shoes informed
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