Murder in Hell's Kitchen by Lee Harris

murdered.”
    â€œThat other man, Mr. Soderberg, yeah. He fell down the stairs. That poor lady on three, she found him when she came home from work.”
    â€œDid the police talk to you after that?”
    Derek looked scared. “The police? What they want to talk to me for?”
    â€œJust to find out what happened.”
    â€œWhat happened? That was a accident. He fell down the stairs.”
    â€œSeems a little funny to me,” Defino said, screwing his face into a look of skepticism or even disbelief. “He lived on two, didn’t he?”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œSo how come he fell down the stairs and landed on two? What would he have been doing one flight up from where he lived?”
    â€œHe was changin’ a lightbulb is what he was doin’.”
    â€œChanging a lightbulb?”
    â€œYeah. He was always complainin’ ’bout those missin’ lightbulbs. Someone was comin’ in offa the street and stealin’ them. He kep’ sayin’ it was dangerous, you didn’t have enough light.”
    â€œHow’d he reach the ceiling?”
    â€œHe had a little chair or somethin’. I don’t remember exactly what.”
    â€œIsn’t that your job, Derek? Changing lightbulbs?”
    â€œIt’s my job, sure, but I gotta see that lightbulb’s missin’. I can’t be everyplace at once.” He sounded very imposed upon, as though he were being asked to do more than his contract required.
    â€œWhere were you when it happened, Derek?” Jane asked.
    â€œMe? I was here. I was watchin’ TV.”
    â€œWho was the lady who found him?”
    â€œThat Miss Rawls. Nice lady. She about as scared as anyone I ever see. She called a ambulance. I heard it come and I went down to see what happened. They took him away.”
    â€œWhat happened to Miss Rawls?”
    â€œShe picked up and moved out. Left the same night.”
    â€œYou know where she went?” Defino asked.
    â€œYeah, she went to live with a friend. She give me the address.”
    â€œDo you still have it?”
    â€œNah. I threw it away. She come back a coupla days later, moved her stuff out. I never saw her again.”
    â€œI heard you moved out, too,” Defino said.
    â€œI was scared. Too many people die in that house. I went to stay with a friend but he threw me out after a few weeks. Mr. Stabile, he took me back. I been here ever since.”
    â€œDid you know Mr. Soderberg?” Jane asked.
    â€œI knew ’em all. They all nice people. They nice to me at Christmas.”
    â€œHow did Mr. Soderberg get along with the other people in the house?”
    Derek shrugged. “I couldn’t tell you that. I never heard no shoutin’ or nothin’.”
    â€œDo you remember Mrs. Best?”
    â€œThe lady on one? I remember her.”
    â€œDid she die in the house?”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œWho found her body?”
    Derek took a deep breath. “Somebody called. They didn’t see her for a while so Mr. Stabile asked me to open the door.”
    â€œThat must have been pretty awful,” Jane said.
    â€œI never wanna do that again, I can tell you.”
    â€œIt’s been rough on you, Derek.”
    â€œIt sure has.”
    â€œHow are the people who live in that building now? You get along with them?”
    He smiled, showing a couple of missing teeth. “I get along with everybody. Just ask Mr. Stabile.”

5
    THEY WENT DOWN the block to the building where Quill had lived and died. All seven apartments were occupied now, and they turned down Derek’s offer to go inside the apartments of their choice. They had no warrants, and there wasn’t much they could learn almost five years after the victim’s death. The file contained sketches of Quill’s apartment, but it was clear he had not been attacked there, nor had he died there.
    As they walked up to the fourth floor, Derek prattled away about