by J A Whiting
“Was anything bothering Grace?” Claire asked.
“She seemed fine. It didn’t seem like anything was bothering her. She didn’t mention anything like that. Detective Fuller asked the same question.”
Claire explained that their questioning would most likely overlap with what the detective had already asked.
“Was she handling her coursework okay?”
“Grace was super organized. She’s always been like that. She was on top of whatever had to be done. She had things done way before they were due. It was just her way.”
“Was Grace seeing anyone?” Nicole watched the man’s face and noticed something quickly flit over his features.
“I don’t think so. It was an awkward topic so I don’t really think she would have brought it up with me.”
“Have you started seeing other people?”
“Me? No. Not yet. Grace and I had just decided to end our relationship. And then this happened.” Harry shook his head. “It will be a while before I ask anyone out. I don’t have the energy.”
“You know Grace’s roommate? Jenny Harrington?”
“Sure. Jenny and Grace knew each other since they were little.”
“Did you and Jenny get along?” Nicole questioned.
“Yeah, we did. I thought Jenny could be a pain sometimes. She has a lot of opinions. But yeah, we got along fine. Once in a while, I wished Grace had her own place. I would have liked the privacy.”
Claire took a sip from her glass of seltzer. “Did you and Grace ever talk about sharing an apartment?”
“It came up, but when we started dating we both were living in the dorms. Then I graduated and started my pharmacy program and moved in with a couple of buddies. Grace and I were always at different points in our leases so we never made the move to live together.” Harry’s eyes watered. “Maybe we should have. Maybe if we had, we wouldn’t have broken up. If we were living together, maybe she’d still be here.”
“You have roommates now?”
“Two. We’ve been sharing an apartment for about three years.”
Claire asked for their names. “Are they pharmacists, too?”
“No. George is a software engineer and Jared is an analyst for one of the Boston sports teams.”
“Did your roommates get along with Grace?”
“Sure, they did. They’re easy-going guys and Grace was always friendly and nice.” Harry’s voice broke for a second.
“Where were you the night Grace was killed?” Claire didn’t like asking the question, but it had to be done.
Harry’s shoulders slumped. “I worked until 9pm that night. I was tired and wanted to go home, but a friend asked me to meet her for a drink in the North End so I went.”
“Did you happen to see Grace before you went to meet your friend?”
“I didn’t.”
“Who did you meet that night?”
“Linda Moore. It wasn’t a date,” Harry said defensively. “We went to pharmacy school together. She’s married, has two kids, twins. I had a quick drink, then headed home.”
“Do you have a car?” Claire asked.
“I have an old Honda. Mostly it stays parked on the street near my apartment. It’s kind of dumb to have a car in the city. It’s too costly. Why do you ask?”
Nicole smiled sweetly. “Just gathering information. It’s a standard question.”
“Do you know Grace’s parents well?” Claire ordered another drink when the waiter came by to top off Harry’s coffee.
“Sure. They live in Newton. That’s where Grace grew up. We’d go there for dinner once in a while. They’re nice people.”
“Have you spoken with them?”
Harry’s cheek muscle tensed. “We spoke by phone. It wasn’t an easy conversation to have. Grace was their only child.”
“Do Mr. or Mrs. Dylan have any suspicions about what happened to their daughter?” Claire asked.
“They don’t. They have no idea. They’re as baffled as I am.”
“Grace took yoga classes. The studio wasn’t that far from the Granary.”
Harry winced.
“Did she walk that way to get to the yoga studio?”
“I think sometimes she did. It all depended where she was coming from and where she was going. She didn’t walk that way every time she went to yoga.”
While Nicole was asking a few questions, Claire’s phone vibrated with an incoming text and she glanced to read it, and when she saw the message, a shot of adrenaline ran through her veins.
“Harry.” Keeping her voice even, Claire made eye contact with the young man. “Phone records indicate that you and Grace communicated the night she was killed.”
Harry’s eyes widened. “Briefly.”
“Did Grace text you?” Claire knew from Ian’s message that Grace had indeed texted Harry.
“Yeah.” Harry’s cheeks reddened. “She told me someone had been buzzing her door from the panel near the front entrance. It was making her nervous.”
“What did you say to her?”
“I told her not to let anyone in. That it was just some jerk who was trying to bother people. I said if it didn’t stop then she should call the police. I asked if she wanted me to come by, but she said no.”
Nicole’s eyes flashed. “Why didn’t you tell us this before?”
Harry’s tone was sheepish. “I was afraid to. I worried it might point a finger at me.”
“Why would it?”
“We’d broken up. It might seem odd to the police that Grace would text me.”
“So Grace was at home when she texted you?”
“Yes.”
“Where were you?”
“At the bar in the North End.”
“And what time was this?” Ian had told Claire when the call had been placed, but she wanted to see what Harry would say.
Harry moved around in his seat. “Um … maybe around 9:30pm. No, that’s not right. It must have been a little later. Maybe a little after 10pm?”
“If she was frightened by the buzzing at the door, why did Grace reach out to you? Why not someone else?”
Harry shrugged a shoulder. “I didn’t live that far away from her. She knew I often worked late at the hospital on that night. Jenny was away for a few days. Grace’s dad lives in Newton. Grace didn’t have a bunch of close male friends.”
“Did you hear from her again that night?”
“No.”
“Did you call or text her to see if the buzzing had stopped?”
Harry looked down at the table and answered softly. “No.”
“Why not?” Nicole couldn’t keep the annoyance out of her voice.
“I thought it was probably some kids bugging people by ringing their buzzers. I thought if anything was wrong, Grace would call me.” Harry rubbed at the side of his face. “And I was annoyed with Grace for dumping me.”
“You know,” Claire said, “that if you told us this it would have altered the investigators’ timeline. It would have told us Grace was at home around 10pm … that she wasn’t walking around the city. It would make a difference to the investigation. It might make a difference in finding her killer.”
A tear fell from Harry’s eye and he brushed at his face with both hands. His voice was choked when he said, “I’m sorry. I should have told you. I should have told Detective Fuller. I didn’t want anyone to think I refused to help Grace. I would have helped her if I thought she was in trouble. Do you think someone broke into her apartment? Please tell me no. I don’t think I can live with knowing someone broke in and I didn’t go over there to help her.”
7
“Ian told me they found a bullet lodged in the wall of Grace’s room,” Claire said. “They assume it was shot into the room from outside. It traveled through the wall near the dresser and hit the opposite wall of the bedroom. It didn’t seem to have blood on it so it didn’t hit Grace.”
Claire and Nicole walked the Corgis along the Charles River. A few crew teams rowed
past them on the water. It was a warm, sunny day and lots of walkers and joggers were out enjoying the spring weather.
“Were there other bullet holes in the wall?” Nicole asked. “Could there have been more than one shot?”
“It doesn’t seem like there were more than two. Ian and the other law enforcement officers are going to talk to the neighbors in case anyone saw or heard anything.”
“Haven’t they talked to the neighbors already?” Nicole stopped so that Lady could sniff the base of a tree.
“Yes.” Claire and Bear waited for Lady and Nicole. “No one claims to have heard anything. Nobody saw anything. The officers are going to ask again. This time focusing on whether someone might have heard a noise like a gunshot.”
“I don’t think they’ll get any help from the neighbors. Either they really don’t know anything or they don’t want to get involved.” The breeze blew a strand of Nicole’s long brown hair into her eyes and she pushed it away. “What do you think about the boyfriend, Harry Parker?”
“I got an uncomfortable feeling from him at start of the interview. He was giving off a vibe I didn’t like. It was probably because I sensed he was holding back some information.”
“Well, you were right.” Nicole watched some sailboats on the river. “He was holding back. What did Ian say about it?”
“He was angry. That was an important piece of information that the police should have had right away. Someone was continuously buzzing Grace’s apartment that night. She was concerned about it, was worried enough to call her former boyfriend. We know Grace was at home around 10pm. The police didn’t know that previously. It narrows the investigation to the area around her building and it condenses the timeline. Harry Parker really messed things up by not sharing those details with law enforcement.”
“Do you think the person who was buzzing the door is the one who shot through the wall?” Nicole looked at her friend out of the corner of her eye.
“It sure seems like a good bet.”
“Do you think Harry is telling the truth? He held back information,” Nicole said. “Can we trust what he told us last night?”
“I don’t trust him. He’s being very careful about what he tells us. He’s working hard to cover his butt to avoid any blame or criticism. I’ll take anything he says from now on with a grain of salt.” Claire narrowed her eyes. “We’ll need to talk to him again.”
The friends and the dogs completed their walk and the Corgis were dropped off at Tony’s Deli so they could hang out with the older man and play in the fenced-in section of the yard off of the market’s backroom, then Claire and Nicole headed to their meeting with Jenny Harrington.
Jenny buzzed them into the apartment and they sat in the living room near the windows.
Having just come from work, Jenny was dressed in a blue skirt and jacket and had on a pair of black high heels. Her hair was done in an upsweep and she looked professional and stylish. A black leather briefcase had been left on the table near the door. “I didn’t know anything about someone buzzing the door over and over again. Grace didn’t text me about it. Detective Fuller only told me about it today.”
“Did you text with Grace in the evening on the night she died?” Claire asked the young woman.
“No. I don’t think so. I think the last time was late in the afternoon.” Jenny’s face was scrunched up in thought. “I think that’s right.” She looked directly at Claire. “Did someone break into the building and come to our apartment door? Did he get inside here somehow? Did he kidnap Grace and shoot her? Is that what he did?” Tiny beads of perspiration showed on Jenny’s forehead.
“I don’t know. All we know is that someone was buzzing to get in.”
Jenny sat up straight. “And that someone shot through the wall of the building.” Her hand flew to her chest. “Was someone trying to shoot Grace from outside?”
“The police are looking into it.” Claire tried to use a reassuring tone. “Can we go have a look at Grace’s bedroom?”
The three women stood in the room. Jenny had been keeping the door closed and the room smelled slightly stale from being shut up all the time.
“The first time we were here,” Claire explained, “Grace’s dresser was pushed further into the corner. Was it always positioned like that?” She knew it couldn’t have been in that location since the bullet came in from the wall where the dresser was placed and then hit the opposite wall.
Jenny put her hand against the side of her head. “I think it’s always been where it is now.”
“Not shoved into the corner?” Nicole asked.
“No. It would be awkward and unsymmetrical near the corner. Grace wouldn’t like how it looked. The dresser is in the right spot now. That’s how Grace had it.”
Jenny’s phone rang from the living room and she hurried away to answer it.
Claire moved closer to Nicole. “It makes sense. If the dresser was near the corner, the bullet would have hit it or lodged in it. The killer must have pushed the dresser over in order to cover the bullet hole in the wall.”
“Therefore,” Nicole said, “someone was in this room and moved the dresser after the gun was fired through the wall.”
Claire nodded. “And that same person may have killed Grace.”
“I guess Grace could have pushed the dresser to the corner. Maybe she heard the gunshot and saw the bullet come through the wall. She may have pushed the dresser to try to block any more shots.”
“I wondered about that. But why take the time to move a piece of furniture? Why not just get out of the room? Or get out of the apartment?”
Nicole said, “She may have been afraid to leave the building because that person had been buzzing her door. She was probably afraid to run right into him. Do you think the shooter and the buzzer are the same person?”
“I don’t know. It would be a weird coincidence to have someone harassing you by buzzing the door and then have someone else shoot a bullet through your bedroom wall.”
“This whole case is weird.” Nicole walked slowly around the bedroom and gave a shudder. “I’m not even psychic and I get a bad feeling being in here. Are there security cameras on this building?”
Claire nodded. “There’s one at the front door and one at the back of the building.”
Nicole’s face brightened before Claire could finish what she was saying.
“It’s not good news,” Claire told her. “The cameras weren’t working. They hadn’t been serviced for at least a year. The owner told Ian just having a camera there, even if it was broken, was a crime deterrent.”
Nicole shook her head. “Ian says that’s not true. Cameras don’t deter crime.”
“Right. But they can help find a criminal … if they’re working.”
“Too bad people are so nonchalant about security,” Nicole sighed.
Jenny came back to the room. “Sorry. It was a work call. I had to take it.”
Claire asked, “You told us you went to New Hampshire for a few days. You went with your boyfriend?”
“Yeah. We were away for three days.” Jenny stood stiffly near the doorway. “It was a last minute decision. I left Grace a note that we’d gone away.”
“Did you tell us your boyfriend’s name the last time we talked?”
“I don’t know. Why do you need to know his name?”
Nicole smiled. “It’s simply protocol to ask friends and relatives where they were and who they were with.” She waited for the man’s name and when Jenny wasn’t forthcoming, she asked, “What is his name?”
“Dr. Martin Gray.” Jenny looked annoyed. “Does he have to get dragged into this?”
“The police will probably speak with him,” Claire explained. “It’s investigative procedure, that’s all. Martin knew Grace, didn’t he?”
“Yes, but he doesn’t know anything more than I do.” Jenny’s mouth was tight.
“Were Martin and Grace friendly?” Nicole questioned.
“Sure. Sometimes Grace and
Harry and Martin and I went out for dinner together. Everybody got along. Everyone was friendly.” Jenny’s tone sounded slightly exasperated.
“We need to ask these questions.” Claire made eye contact with the young woman. “It can be difficult, but it has to be done. It’s part of the process in finding Grace’s killer. I’m sure we all want the same outcome.”
“Yes, of course, we do.” Jenny looked down and ran her hand over her face. “I’m just physically and mentally exhausted by the whole thing.”
“You’ve lost a friend,” Claire said gently, “in an unexpected and wrenching way. What you’re feeling isn’t unusual. It’s a very trying time.”
“I wish things could go back to the way they were.” Jenny rubbed at her forehead. “I need to move out of here. I asked the landlord about breaking the lease and he gave me permission to do so. I looked at a small studio in Downtown Crossing. I can’t stay here. I’m a nervous wreck when I’m in here. I can’t sleep, I can’t think, I can’t concentrate. I need to get out.”
“It sounds like the right thing to do,” Claire agreed.
“I’ll give Detective Fuller my new address when I know for sure we’re I’m going. I’m sure you or he will want to talk to me again.” Jenny turned abruptly and left the room with hunched shoulders.
8
It was nearly dark when they left Jenny at the apartment building.
“There’s something about Jenny that makes me uneasy.” Claire and Nicole walked through the financial district. “I can’t decide if her emotions are real or forced.”
Nicole glanced at her friend. “Oh, great. Another possible liar? Grace’s friend and her boyfriend aren’t to be trusted?”
“It might be me picking up on Jenny’s misery and anger over what’s happened to upend her life. She lost a friend to violent circumstances. The killer is on the loose. It feels like her life is spinning out of control.” Claire was quiet for a moment. “I sort of know how she’s feeling. I didn’t lose Teddy to a violent crime, but he died unexpectedly. He left me alone. We had plans. My life was upended. My world seemed unstable and insecure. He left me his company, and there was an attempt to push me out as the owner. People I trusted betrayed me. My life was out of control. Loss can be really hard.”