‘A woman rang Crime Stoppers last night,’ he said. ‘She’s in a building across the road from Prosilio, just come back from somewhere, she’s been away. Saw something.’
Villani found the waiter’s eyes, made the sign. She glided through the tables.
‘It’s taken care of,’ she said.
‘How’s that?’
‘Jack Irish sends his regards.’
She pointed to a man sitting in the window, he was reading a newspaper.
They rose. Dove took the direct route, Villani went via the man.
‘Can’t be bought,’ he said.
‘I always knew you were cheap,’ the man said. ‘But free? That’s undercutting your fellow officers. Still using the no-bruising wet towel method?’
‘They want to confess. It’s a relief for them.’
‘Think about going into private practice. Help the guilt-haunted get closure.’
‘People like you. Killed anyone recently?’
Irish smiled. ‘You’ll be the first to know. Well, the second probably.’
DOVE SPOKE to the woman from the desk in the foyer. Her name was Keller. The security man went up to the sixth floor with them, walked to the last door in the corridor, pressed the buzzer, looking into the camera eye beside the door.
‘Security, Mrs Keller,’ he said.
The security door slid into the wall, the second door was opened by a Eurasian woman with short grey hair, perhaps sixty, handsome, high cheekbones, dressed in black from throat to toe.
‘Thank you, Angus,’ she said, very English. ‘Come in, gentlemen.’
They followed her down a passage hung with paintings into a big sitting room, grey carpet, three white walls, a wall of glass, three big paintings. The furniture was chrome and black leather.
Dove did the introductions.
‘The head of Homicide,’ she said. ‘I’m so embarrassed. It’s really nothing. I thought a constable would come.’
‘You’ve been away I gather,’ said Villani.
‘I flew to Singapore last Friday,’ she said. ‘And I got back last night. The duty security man told me there’d been someone murdered in the Prosilio building and I asked when and he said the night before I left and it was a woman.’
She paused. ‘Well, I saw something, it’s probably nothing but when I heard, it gave me a turn, I thought I should…’
‘Tell us, Mrs Keller,’ said Dove.
‘Come over here.’
They went to the window wall, she slid open the glass door, they went onto the balcony into the warming day. It looked onto the west face of the Prosilio building, dark glass unbroken by any projection.
‘My husband bought off the plan,’ she said. ‘We were given the impression we would look over open space to the harbour. A park, I thought, from the brochure. It didn’t actually say that.’
‘It’s not what they say,’ said Dove. ‘It’s what they don’t say.’
She gave Dove her full face, her eyes. ‘Yes, that’s so right. We were in Zurich, Danny wasn’t well, we were dreaming of warm weather, the sea. I wanted Byron or Noosa but he was such a city person, he grew up in Gilgandra and he used to say he never wanted to live anywhere with a population under three million.’
‘On the Thursday night,’ said Villani.
‘Yes. Well, I keep late hours, stay up late, stay down late. I was out here having a cigarette, I still can’t smoke inside, he’s been gone for…anyway, it was after midnight and a car went up that ramp.’
She was pointing at the base of the building. A long ramp ended at three roller doors.
Villani said, ‘What’s behind the doors?’
‘Trucks come and go,’ said Mrs Keller. ‘Deliveries. All day long. A huge garbage truck reverses into the one on the right, where the car parked. It comes every day…how amazing.’
A truck was reversing up the ramp. ZoomaWaste.
‘That’s it,’ she said. ‘The truck. As if I’d arranged it.’
The roller door rose, the truck went in, they could see its snout.
‘A car parked there?’ said Dove.
‘Yes. And a man got out of the front. He was on the phone, and then the door went up. Not all the way. He walked in and the car drove in.’
‘And this’s around 12.30am?’ said Villani.
‘Close to that, yes.’
‘What happened then?’
‘The door went down,’ she said. ‘And then in a few minutes it went up again, the car reversed out and drove off.’
‘You wouldn’t have noticed the registration?’ said Dove.
‘My eyes aren’t that good. Anyway, I didn’t think a great deal of it. I mean I thought it was an odd way to get into the building but it didn’t look, well, illegal. I thought it was just staff.’
Dove was watching the traffic. ‘And the make, colour?’ he said.
‘Black,’ she said. ‘But that’s not all.’
‘No?’
‘I went to bed but I couldn’t sleep and I came out here again and another car arrived.’
Villani looked at her. She ran her palms over her hair.
‘The same again,’ she said. ‘The building door went up, the car went in. But then it was nearly twenty minutes before it came out.’
In the warmth, the feeling on his skin as if a door to an icy place had opened.
‘Notice the time?’ said Dove, speech too quick.
‘Ten to two when I came out.’
Dove turned his gaze on Villani. ‘That’s precise. You’re sure?’
‘I went to the kitchen for a glass of milk. There’s a big clock. I feel anxious when I can’t sleep, so…well, yes, I’m sure. A quarter to two.’
Dove said, ‘So the car left at around two-ten?’
‘Yes.’
‘That’s the same car as before?’
‘No,’ said Mrs Keller. ‘A different car. Also black. The first one was quiet, like a Mercedes or a BMW, something like that. This one made a growling noise, those big exhaust things, I could see them. Like cannon barrels.’
‘You didn’t see the registration?’
‘No. I still didn’t think anything of it. The man was wearing a vest.’
‘A vest?’
‘You know. Undershirt, sleeveless?’
‘A singlet,’ said Villani. ‘What was the earlier man wearing?’
‘I don’t really know. Fully clothed. Dark clothing.’
‘It hadn’t happened before, anyone going in there?’
‘I haven’t seen it. No.’
Dove told her what they would need from her.
Villani considered a question. It was pointless, the city had thousands of black growling throbbing muscle cars driven by muscleheads in muscleshirts. And yet and yet.
He asked Mrs Keller an open question, didn’t lead her.
‘Three,’ she said. ‘Two in front and one at the back. In the middle. Little aerials. Is that useful? It caught my eye. I should have mentioned that, shouldn’t I?’
‘Glad you noticed, Mrs Keller,’ said Villani. ‘These things can help. And you’ve been a great help all round. We’re in your debt.’
‘Well, thank you.’
They went through the sitting room, into the passage, as they walked, she said, ‘I heard you mentioned on the radio this morning, inspector. Karen Mellish. She said nice things.’
‘I’m grateful for anything nice said about me,’ said Villani. ‘It doesn’t often happen.’
‘I’m sure it does. I’m sure.’
In the car, taut, Villani said, ‘Get a doorknock there, the first three floors with the view. Might have got the regos, seen under the door. Place’s probably full of people don’t sleep, see everything. Should have been done straight off.’
Dove said, ‘Is that, I should’ve…’
He fell silent.
‘Being the boss,’ said Villani, ‘you get points for all the good work. There’s also the reverse. In this case, I came, I took over. So I blame myself.’
‘Well, I didn’t ask for anyone…’
‘And then, after I blame myself, I blame you,’ said Villani. ‘This also might have nothing to do with the girl. Just coke deliveries.’