Page 57 of She Didn't See It Coming
“Francine Logan,” she says.
“Francine, tell us what you saw.”
Her eyes move back and forth between the two detectives nervously. “I saw someone in one of the elevators with a suitcase in the building where that woman died.”
“That’s the condominium at 100 Constitution Drive?” Jayne clarifies.
“Yes.”
“When was that?”
“On Tuesday.”
“Do you live in the building?”
“No, I was visiting a friend. I went over for coffee. We both work from home now, and I don’t live too far away, so we do that sometimes.”
“Okay. And your friend’s name?”
“Lisa Kenney? She lives with her parents in unit 402. But they go out to work during the day.” She adds, “Lisa can confirm that I was there.”
“And what time did you visit your friend Lisa?”
“It was around lunchtime when I got there, around noon. I’m not sure exactly what time I left. But around one thirty, give or take a few minutes.”
“And when did you see this person?”
“When I left. I got on the elevator on the fourth floor to go downto the lobby and there was already someone in the elevator going down. And they had a suitcase.”
Jayne knows that fits with the relevant time frame. If Bryden was killed sometime after 12:42 p.m., she might have been removed at around 1:30 or thereabouts. “Can you describe the suitcase?”
“Not really. It was big. And darkish? I’m sorry, I wasn’t really paying attention. I just remember wondering if they were going somewhere and wishing I could take a vacation. It’s been on my mind lately, but I can’t really afford it.”
“Can you describe this person?”
“I’m sorry. But I didn’t really notice.”
“Well, was it a man or a woman?”
“I honestly don’t know,” she says, embarrassed. “I was looking at my phone when the elevator opened, and I turned to face the front, but I was still looking down at my phone. I noticed the suitcase on the floor beside me but I didn’t really notice the person.” She adds, “I just remember wishing I had the money to go somewhere.”
“So you can’t describe this person at all?”
Francine shakes her head. “No,” the young woman admits unhelpfully.
“Try,” Jayne says, waiting. “You might have noticed something—a scent?” She tries again. “An impression?”
She shakes her head again. “Sorry. I’m not a very good witness, am I? I don’t notice things, probably because I’m always staring at my phone, especially in elevators, because it’s awkward, you know?” She grows flustered. “I don’t mean to waste anyone’s time. It’s just that Lisa told me that the police were questioning everybody about seeing someone with a suitcase, and I told her what I saw, and she told me I had to tell the police even though I couldn’t remember much, so I came in.”
“Well, we’re glad you did, Francine,” Jayne says. “This person in the elevator. Did they get off at the lobby too?”
“No, they stayed on.”
“Are you sure you can’t remember anything else? This is important.” The young woman flushes and shakes her head. “Well, thank you for coming in,” Jayne says. She hands her a card. “And please give us a call if anything else comes to mind, okay?”
“Sure,” she says, and gets up, her face faintly pink as she leaves.
“What do you make of that?” Kilgour asks Jayne after she’s gone.
