It was closing in on one o’clock by the time we reached Gina’s apartment. Calling her on the way, I said we had evidence to show her and needed to know if the items were anything she recognized.
Minutes later, Frank pulled to the curb. At the top of the steps, Gina was sitting on the stoop, waiting for us to arrive.
“Poor kid,” Frank said. “I wonder what she does all day.”
“And you said you sent her that information about courses to take?” I grabbed the door handle and stepped out of the car.
“Yep. Maybe I should walk her through some of that stuff.”
“Maybe, but just don’t get too attached.”
Frank’s forehead wrinkled. “Why not? I can be a big brother to her.”
“You aren’t registered in the system as a big brother, and I’m pretty sure she’s over the age limit for needing one.” I chuckled. “You’re just a big teddy bear, aren’t you?”
Frank waved away my comment as he walked ahead of me. “Hey, Gina. How ya doing, kiddo?”
She gave us a slight smile as she stood. “I’m lonesome, but I’m happy to see you guys. Come on upstairs. I just bought a twelve-pack of soda.”
I carried a brown paper sack that held the evidence bags and several pairs of gloves. We followed Gina upstairs, where we took seats at the kitchen table.
“Would you guys care for a soda, and do I need to address you as detectives?”
“Nope. Guys is fine,” Frank said, “and sure, we’ll take a couple of sodas.”
“Good.” She carried three to the table and passed them out. “Hope you like cola.”
“It’s perfect. Thanks.” I motioned to the vacant chair at Frank’s side. “Have a seat, Gina. There’s a few items we’d like you to look at.”
“Okay. They belonged to Leslie?”
“We’re hoping you can tell us that.” I opened the paper bag and pulled out the gloves. “You’ll have to put on a pair of these before you handle anything.”
She nodded, and her eyes began to tear up. It was obvious that she was in a lot of pain even though she tried to put on a brave face.
Frank and I stretched gloves over our hands, too, then I removed the purse from the bag. “Did this belong to Leslie?”
Gina sucked in a gulp of air. “It was her favorite purse since it was a real designer bag and not a knockoff. She was proud of it.”
Frank squeezed Gina’s shoulder. “I bet she was.”
I glanced at the ring on Gina’s finger and knew that seeing Leslie’s matching ring would be hard for her. I opened the zipper on the small plastic bag and dropped the ring into my palm. “This is Leslie’s, right?”
Tears slid down her cheeks as she took it from my hand. Her voice cracked when she confirmed that it was. “Can I keep it?”
“Yes, just not quite yet. Right now, everything that’s related to her murder has to stay with the documented evidence. I promise you, you’ll get all of Leslie’s things back soon.”
Gina let out a deep breath and regained her composure before continuing. “How do I access Leslie’s bank account, Detective Mills? You said my name was listed on it. Next month’s rent and the utility bills are coming due in a few days.”
“You’ll need to get copies of Leslie’s death certificate in order to switch bills over to your name. Can you be at our station at nine tomorrow morning? I’ll make sure our medical examiner has them ready for you.”
“Okay, I can do that.”
Frank stood and handed her his card. “Make sure to use a rideshare company and not the subway system.”
Gina wiped her eyes. “Thank you, Detectives.”
“Call me Frank, and call my number when you get to the front desk in the morning. Debra Blake, our desk sergeant, will page me, and then I’ll walk you to the medical examiner’s office.” Frank patted her shoulder. “Thanks for the soda, and stay safe.”
“I will.”
Frank and I headed to the precinct. We needed to find out if RailGears had any other felons working there who could be connected to Manny, and we also needed to have a word with Carlos Aragon. It was time for him to explain his lies.