Page 17 of Wild Fever
I gave her a card, and she said she would text me Molly's information.
We shook hands and said our goodbyes, then surrendered our visitor passes at the front desk. JD and I walked back to the car and climbed into the Porsche. It wasn’t long after that when a text from Dana buzzed my phone with the information requested.
"What do you make of that whole scenario?” JD asked as he fired up the engine.
"They seem like they’re cautiously dancing around something. They’re clearly aware this could bring intense scrutiny down on them.”
"Makes me wonder what they’re hiding. I'm not entirely sure Preston killed himself," Jack said, verbalizing what we both thought. “I say we track down Molly Lewis and ask her a few questions.”
We pulled out of the parking space and drove to the security booth. Jack handed the parking pass back to Reggie, and we thanked him for his cooperation.
Jack pulled onto the road and headed across town to the Nautilus. It was an upscale high-rise with a private marina and all the amenities.
Classic rock pumped through speakers as we cruised with the windows down and the sunroof open. I know Jack was itching to get another convertible, and the Devastator was still in the property department up in Pineapple Bay, full of bullet holes. Jack didn't need much of an excuse to get a new car. It was only a matter of time.
Jack pulled under the carport at the Nautilus, and the valet hustled around to grab his door. Jack hopped out and slipped a few bills into the kid’s pocket and told him to keep it up front.
We stepped to the glass doors. I flashed my badge, and the concierge buzzed us in after a moment. We stepped inside, and the striking brunette greeted us with a smile. “Afternoon, Deputies. What brings you around today?”
“Looking for Molly Lewis. Suite 1612.”
“Uh oh. Is she in some kind of trouble?”
I smiled. “We just need to talk. Is she in the building?”
“I don’t really know. I haven’t seen her, but I didn’t come on shift until 3:00 PM. We offer complimentary valet to residents. Still, some people choose to self-park. I haven’t seen her come through the lobby.”
I pulled up Preston’s social media page on my phone and showed his profile image to the concierge. “Have you seen this guy around?”
Elana studied the image carefully.
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“He looks kind of familiar,” Elana said. “Yeah, I think he’s been here a few times. But I can’t be sure.”
I thanked her for the information, then we strolled to the elevators. Jack pressed the call button, and a moment later, we took the elevator up to sixteen.
We ambled down the hallway and banged on Molly‘s door.
There was no answer.
I kept at it for a few minutes. If she was inside, she wasn't about to open the door.
We banged on a few neighboring doors and talked to a woman in unit #1614. She was mid-30s with curly brown hair and caramel eyes. A little frumpy.
I flashed my badge and made introductions. "Do you know Molly?”
"Not really well. I see her in the hall in passing,” she said with concerned eyes. “Why?”
I ignored the question and showed her a picture of Preston. "Do you recognize this gentleman? Have you seen him visiting Molly?”
She studied the image. “Yeah. I've seen him here a few times. To tell you the truth, I wasn't sure if that was her dad or her boyfriend at first. But from the noises coming from her bedroom, I figured out pretty quickly he was her boyfriend. I mean, if he wasn't, there was something pretty strange going on in that family.”
"Do you know what Molly does for a living?”
"No, I don't. I'm sorry.”
"How often did he visit?”
