all.â
Franks blew a breath out of his nostrils. âWeâre going to want to have a look at his flat.â
âOf course,â she said. She gestured to the stairs on the far side of the room. âThe door should be unlocked.â
It made sense that it would be unlocked because he hadnât come back down through it, and while none of us said as much, I knew we were all thinking it.
The inspector called in a few people from the yard and they all disappeared up the stairs while Ariana and I were left to wait in the main room. A stiff breeze was blowing in through the open front door and I shivered, longing for the little bit of sunshine Iâd gotten earlier.
âDo you want me to call someone for you?â I asked. âYou could use my phone.â
âOh, thank you,â Ariana said. âIâd like to call my fiancé, but I donât think I should use the office phone. Mr. Russo didnât allow personal calls on the business line.â
âAnd youâd feel odd doing it now that heâs dead,â I said.
She nodded. I handed her my phone and she tapped in her fiancéâs number. She didnât appear to be getting an answer, and when she spoke rapidly into the phone, it was clear she was leaving a message.
I glanced away to give her an illusion of privacy because, really, in such a small room I could hear everything she was saying. She sounded weepy but she didnât cry. When she was done, I turned back to her and she handed me the phone.
âThank you,â she said.
âDo you think heâll come right here?â I asked.
âI donât know,â she said. âIf he gets the message, I suppose he will.â
I nodded. I wasnât sure how long I was supposed to stay. It felt awkward to leave her like this, but then again, it felt pretty darn awkward staying. I supposed I should ask Inspector Franks if he needed me any longer, but I couldnât help but feel as if I was abandoning Ariana if I left.
âMiss Jackson,â Inspector Franks said as he came down the stairs from the flat above. âIâll need you to come down to the station to file an official report.â
âWhat?â Ariana looked shocked. âLeave? But who will mind the office?â
âThe crime scene investigatorsââ he began but Ariana interrupted.
âCrime scene?â she asked. I wouldnât have thought she could get any paler but she did. âDo you think someone did this to him?â
She glanced around the room as if looking for a bad man to be lurking in a corner, and I found myself doing the same.
âWe canât determine that as yet,â Inspector Franks said. The look in his eyes was gentle as if he understood how terrifying this all was for her. âIt is highly unusual for a person to fall off the top of a three-story building, however, so our assignment will be to determine how he came to be on the roof and what caused him to pitch off of it. Perhaps he is a drinker?â
Ariana shook her head. âNot during work hours, at least, not so that I ever noticed.â
Inspector Franks nodded. âIf itâs not an accident, then we have to consider the likelihood of him being pushed, or whether he jumped.â
âMurder,â Ariana said. âOr suicide? I canât believe that. I just canât.â
âWell, as you say, he wasnât a drinker,â Inspector Franks said. âWeâll need to determine how it happened that he fell to his death. I think itâll be easier for you to make a formal statement at the station.â
Ariana glanced around the room, looking lost and uncertain.
âIâll go with you, if that helps,â I said.
The words were out of my mouth before my common sense had a chance to filter them. Darn it. The last thing I wanted to do was spend my day at the police station, but the poor girl looked so undone by everything that was happening
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