The drive to Robert’s apartment was almost six miles away, a half hour with traffic. We left Cliff’s house at five fifteen with that in mind. When we arrived, I pressed the buzzer for the manager, Ted Sorensen, and waited.
Seconds later, a gruff voice answered. “This is a no-solicitation apartment complex.”
“Good to know,” Frank said. “It’s the Chicago police, and we need to speak to you face-to-face.”
We waited a few seconds, then the door buzzer sounded. I grabbed the handle and pulled. Twenty steps in was apartment 1-1, the manager’s. Frank gave the door two hard knocks, and we heard steps heading our way. The sound stopped, and I expected the knob to turn. Instead, we continued to wait. I figured he was sizing us up from his side of the peephole. I lifted my badge and held it out so he could see it and also to cause a little embarrassment on his end. The door immediately opened.
“You can never be too careful, you know.” He gave us another once-over.
“Ted Sorensen?” Frank used a no-nonsense tone.
“Yeah, that’s me. What did someone accuse me of now?”
We ignored his question. “May we come in?” I asked. “It’s about one of your tenants.”
He turned and looked at the mess behind him then huffed. “I guess. Wasn’t expecting company, and I just got home from work.”
“Not a problem. We need to know everything you can tell us about Robert Smith from apartment 1-9 in the building next door.”
“Robert?” Ted shrugged. “He’s a non-issue kind of guy, and I barely know him. I don’t interact much with the tenants unless there’s a complaint against them or they’re late on the rent. He doesn’t gripe about the apartment, but there’s really nothing to complain about. All of the apartments in that building were remodeled last year.” Ted chuckled. “I take him as a loner, but I wouldn’t know that for a fact. It’s just my assumption. I’m at work Monday through Friday, nine to five, and unless there’s a community event, I never see him.”
I took notes as Frank continued on.
“When was the last time you did see him?”
Ted rubbed his chin. “Probably at our Labor Day party on the rooftop of this building. Is he in some kind of trouble?”
“You could say that. How about guests? Did he have anyone with him at that party, or did you see him talking mainly to one person?”
Ted swatted the air. “Nah. With a few hundred people up there—besides the catering crew—you barely notice anyone in particular. I just happened to be grabbing a beer at the same time he was and said hi, that’s all.”
“We’ll need to see Robert’s rental application,” I said.
Ted crinkled his nose. “Yeah, you’d probably want to get his okay first. I don’t think I can legally do that without his permission.”
Frank got right to the point. “We’re giving you permission.”
Ted shook his head and smiled. “I don’t know—”
“Ted, Robert is dead. Do you want to cooperate with our investigation into his death or not?”
Ted’s eyes bulged. “Investigation? That could only mean foul play. I know that since I watch a lot of crime shows on ID.”
I held up my hand. “Then as someone who’s an expert in the field, you know we can’t discuss the case with you. Now if we can have a look at his application.”
“Oh, sure, give me a minute to pull it from my file cabinet.” Ted jerked his head toward a couch that had blankets strewn across it. “Have a seat.”
He left, and we remained standing. I spoke in a low voice while Ted was gone. “What’s your take? I doubt if anyone here at the apartment was responsible.”
Frank nodded. “If he was a loner, maybe he was looking online for companionship too.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
Ted was back in a matter of minutes. “I printed out a copy for you. Want to do my part to help the PD, you know.”
“Appreciate it.” I gave it a quick look before we left. The paperwork showed Robert had moved in only two months prior. “Looks like he was a new resident.”
“Yep, hadn’t lived here long.”
I continued down the application. “Ever say why he moved to Chicago?”
“Not that I recall.”
“The previous address section shows he lived in Oakland, California, from 2009 until 2016. Where has he been since then?”
Ted shrugged. “He said he’d been traveling.”
“Uh-huh. And no references listed? That didn’t raise a flag with you?”
“Nope. I pulled a background check, it came up good, and he paid the first month in advance. That was all I needed. He said he had a lifelong pension from the shipyards that would easily cover his rent.”
“Sure.” I handed my card to Ted, and we thanked him and left. I called Henry as Frank drove. “How’s it going on your end? Any progress with the safe?”
“Nope. Tech says we should contact a safe company that’s familiar with that brand. They’d probably be able to drill it open.”
“Find anything more at the house? An address book, calendar, that sort of thing?”
“Nah. He must have kept everything on his phone, computer, or in that safe. Forensics didn’t see anything that would lead them to think a crime had taken place here. They even sprayed Luminol in the usual places. Nothing lit up.”
“Okay, so Tech will take the laptop back to the precinct, and then we’re waiting on somebody that’ll pop the safe?”
“That’s about it, and the safe company won’t be out until tomorrow. It’s already after hours.”
“Damn it. Okay, we’re heading back in.”
“We’re wrapping it up too. See you there.”
I couldn’t wait to get home, where I could research both Robert and Cliff on my own computer. Although it was probably a long shot, Robert might be a member of singlechicagoprofessionals.com too. Either way, I would go through every male profile on that site, starting with In-Demand.