Saturday 6:37 P.M.
They glanced up and down the hall. Turner said, “We might as well start with the neighbors.”
Fenwick said, “We can see how they felt about our bishop buddies.”
They took off their gloves and booties.
There were only two other units on this floor. At the first, no one was home. Fenwick paused with his finger an inch from the doorbell of the second. “Only three condos per floor. You need real money to live in this place.”
“As opposed to fake money?”
“That’s my line.”
“Ring the damn bell.”
A short, bird like woman with skinny arms sticking out of a heavy housecoat answered the door. She blinked at them several times. “You must be the police,” she said. “I’m Loretta Eisenberg. Mr. Waldin called and said there might be officers in the building. What’s happened?”
“May we come in?” Turner asked.
She demanded their identification. They showed their IDs. Satisfied, she led them inside. Turner guessed she was in her seventies. The apartment ran heavily to pink: rugs, walls, and seat cushions. In contrast white Empress Style round doilies covered every headrest and chair arm. A solid white cat sat on top of a black grand piano. The over-fed creature gave them an indifferent look and shut its eyes.
They sat on a pink, velvet-covered settee. She offered tea. They declined.
She eased herself onto a comfy chair that matched the settee, pulled her knees up under her, tucked the ends of her pink housecoat around her legs, and asked, “What’s going on?”
Turner said, “We’re asking questions about your neighbors on this floor, Kappel and Tresca.”
She nodded. “The two bishops with one bed? None of us are supposed to know they’re clerics or that they live together. Or at least share this place. I’d say they’re here about half the time.”
“Where are they the rest of the time?”
“I don’t know.”
“They cause problems?”
“Very, very quiet. Rarely had visitors that I know of.”
“They never wore their Roman collars here?”
“Once in a great while.”
“How’d you know they were bishops with one bed?”
“I’m not stupid. My place is three times as big as theirs. I was one of the first tenants in the building. Been here for years. I knew the two gentlemen who used to live there. Good, quiet, sweet men. Andy was a wonderful cook. Had me over for excellent gourmet meals. His lover died quite a number of years ago. Andy followed some years later. They were older, in their eighties. When Andy died, he left the place to the church. He was a very devout Catholic. I’d been in their home. I know there’s only one bedroom.” She leaned forward. “Andy left the whole condo to the church including the furnishings. No one ever moved in a second bed.”
“Maybe you just weren’t here when it was delivered.”
“Oh, my, no. We all talk. We all tip the doormen well. We know.”
The detectives chose not to challenge her certainty. No need to risk turning a willingly chatting, nosy neighbor hostile.
She was continuing. “Andy had given all his clothes and personal things to relatives and charities before he died. But the Church got all the furniture.” The cat jumped onto her lap. She stroked its fur with a languid hand with pink-painted fingernails as she went on. “So the place was vacant a month or two and then those two started showing up.”
“When was this?” Turner asked.
“About a year after the new Cardinal was installed. I know. I went to the installation. Beautiful ceremony.”
Fenwick asked, “And this was?”
“Eight years ago.”
“How’d you know they were clergymen?”
“Well, when I hear elevators at three in the morning, I look out my security device in the front door. That’s when I’d see them in Roman collars.” She gave them what Turner thought she must think was a clever grin. “Plus, I checked their names on the Internet. You can’t be too careful these days.” She leaned forward with a frown. “What’s happened? Why are you asking all these questions?”
Fenwick said, “Bishop Kappel was found murdered.”
She gasped. “No.” Her hand flew to her mouth. The cat leapt off her lap.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Fenwick said.
“Was it here? In the condo? Are there killers on the loose in the building?”
“No, Ma’am,” Turner said. “The body wasn’t found here.”
“Well, something to be thankful for.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Turner said. “How well did you know them?”
“Not real well. We talked once in a while.”
“Did they have visitors?”
“Not often. I can hear the elevator. I like to check to make sure no one’s gotten up here who shouldn’t. I don’t think I’m supposed to tell, but the Cardinal has been here. It was such a thrill. Of course, I wasn’t introduced. I just saw him in the hall.”
“Was the Cardinal in cleric’s clothes?”
“No, he wasn’t.”
Fenwick asked, “Did the Cardinal stay the night?”
Mrs. Eisenberg frowned and looked at both of them before answering. “I can’t imagine he did.”
“Did Bishop Kappel have brothers or sisters, maybe his mother or father is still alive?”
“Not that they ever mentioned to me.”
“Did you ever see or hear Bishops Kappel and Tresca argue, fight?”
She said, “Listen.”
They did.
“Hear that?”
They shook their heads.
“Precisely. We don’t get city noise or tenants upstairs or downstairs or next door neighbor noise. This building is very solid. You don’t even hear Lake Shore Drive. The windows are very thick and the place is very well insulated. The only thing I ever hear is the elevator arriving on this floor because the shaft is right next to my bed. But when was it? Let me think. It must have been about a week ago.”
“What was that, Ma’am?”
“A large man, white.”
“As big as my partner?”
She eyed Fenwick. “Much bigger. I was frightened.”
“Why was that?”
“He was such a huge man. He kept banging on their door and shouting. I called downstairs. He left before help came. He was furtive.”
“How so?” Turner asked.
The cat was now snaking his way between Fenwick’s legs.
“He wore sunglasses in the building. I saw the man sitting in a parked car down the street a day or so later. He was there when I went out for groceries. He still had those big sunglasses on. He was there when I came back. I mentioned it to the doorman, but when he looked out, the car was gone.”
“Did you ask the bishops about him?”
“I never got the chance.”
“How’d he get into the building?”
“I asked the doorman. He said that large man must have had a key to the parking garage and got in and left that way.”
She knew no more.