"How about the living and dining room?" Leif asked. "Did you find anything in there?"
"Just tens of thousands of dollars of equipment, all of it topnotch. He had a couple hundred DVDs. No porn. Everything from old John Wayne movies to the latest thrillers. Nearly all of them feature one man up against the odds and fighting for justice."
It was an interesting insight, reminding Nic that even Heath occasionally had something useful to say.
Rod said, "There wasn't much of interest in the bathroom. The only drugs had prescription labels on them. It looks like Fate had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Oh, and in one of the drawers I found a box of condoms. A few of them were gone."
Karl said, "Lots of books, but that's about it."
A frown creased Leif's face. "This whole place is more conspicuous for what it doesn't have than for what it does. No photos of family or friends. No cards. And it's all very clean. Like it's going to be photographed for a magazine shoot. It feels ... impersonal."
"It feels lonely," Nic said quietly, and Leif shot her a surprised look. She had kind of surprised herself.
"Maybe this was the place where he went to retreat from the world," Karl said.
"Maybe," Nic agreed. But part of her wondered if Jim had felt more at home sitting behind his mike and watching the phone lines light up, knowing that thousands of people were hanging on his every word.
When the team left, an older woman with hair dyed a purple-black was standing in the hallway. All of her clothes were shades of lavender, violet, and magenta. She eyed them with interest.
"Hello, officers. Are you here about my erstwhile neighbor, Mr. Fate?"
"Yes, ma'am," Leif said.
"I wanted to impart to you that I saw something the morning that Mr. Fate was killed. Or rather, I saw someone."
"What did you see?"
She paused, obviously enjoying the fact that she had the team's full attention.
"I saw a woman depart his apartment."
Leif's voice sharpened. "Did she leave with him?"
"He had left four hours prior. This young woman looked like those movie stars you see in the tabloids. The ones who are pretending that they don't want anyone to recognize them."
"What do you mean?"
"She had a black coat, blonde hair, and big, black sunglasses. Who wears sunglasses in Oregon in February? Indoors, no less."
"Have you seen her before?" Nic asked.
She started to shake her head, and then hesitated. "Well, that might not be true. Something about her was familiar. I know I haven't seen her in this building before. But it seems to me that I have seen her. Maybe at church or at the supermarket or at the Multnomah Athletic Club."
"Would you recognize her if you saw her again?" Leif asked. "I might."
"You said you haven't seen her leave Jim's condo before," Nic said, thinking of the condoms and the woman's earring. "But have you seen other women leave here before?"
She gave them a coy look. "A few. Not as many as you might speculate."
Nic thought of half-Japanese Victoria Hanawa. "And were they all blonde? All white?"
Jim's neighbor shook her head. "Mr. Fate," she said, "had eclectic tastes!'
Chapter 21
McCormick & Schmick's Harborside Restaurant
While they waited for their table, Allison was quickly moving from hunger to nausea, a continuum that her pregnancy had shortened considerably. Swallowing hard, she pressed her fingers against her lips.
"Here." Cassidy put something in Allison's other hand. "Eat this."
It was a granola bar studded with nuts and chocolate chips. Her stomach rumbled, but she hesitated."Isn't it kind of rude to eat something they didn't sell you?"
Nicole shook her head. "Girl, you could starve to death before we got anyone's attention:' She shot a rare grin at Cassidy. "Did that come out of your magic bag?"
Cassidy hefted her huge, black leather tote. "You know it. If I ever get stranded on a desert island, I'll be fine as long as I have my purse."
It was a standing joke that Cassidy's purse held everything anyone might need: safety pins, sewing kit, makeup, food, bus tickets, greeting cards, and of course, food. Allison wouldn't be surprised if there were a small tent and a ham radio in there as well.
Surreptitiously unwrapping the granola bar, she scanned the room. People were five deep at the bar, laughing, shouting, flirting, and, by the looks of things, drinking hard. Everyone was giddy. Only the day before, so many had been convinced that they were dying. But only a dozen people had been hospitalized, injured in the mad panic.
And now Portland, having so narrowly escaped disaster, was more than ready to party.
As Allison remembered how people had collapsed all around her, a wave of relief washed over her. Thank You, Lord, for watching over us. She grinned at her two friends.
"What?" Cassidy shouted above the noise.