“Was anyone else here besides you and Stacy that night?”
“She was nice. She’s not coming back.” He grabbed another recycling bin and wheeled it over to the dumpster.
“I’m sorry about that. Was anyone else here?”
“Mr. Chambers.” Jeremy said the name as though it left a bad taste in his mouth.
“You don’t like Mr. Chambers?”
Jeremy looked away. “He’s not nice.”
“To you?”
“No. Mrs. Shaw. He got mad.” Jeremy hefted the recycling bin up and banged it against the dumpster. A waterfall of paper poured out. “But she’s nice.”
“Do you know why Mr. Chambers got mad?” Jack asked.
“Because right away.”
“Mr. Chambers wanted something right away?” Chandler asked, confused.
Jeremy shrugged.
“Did you know what he wanted right away?” Jack asked.
Jeremy shrugged again and grabbed another bin.
“Who was the last person to leave before Stacy did?” Jack asked.
“Mr. Chambers.”
Jack shot Chandler a quick look. “And what time did he leave?”
Jeremy looked down at his watch. “Before Stacy.”
“What time?” Jack repeated.
Jeremy frowned. “A couple of minutes.” He started to lift the recycling bin, but this time he strained and grunted loudly.
Jack grabbed the other side of the recycling bin to help Jeremy lift it, but found himself struggling with the weight too.
Jeremy shifted his legs, and together they raised it enough to tip it. The paper poured into the dumpster.
Jack exhaled as they set the bin down. “Wow. These are heavy.”
A broad smile stretched across Jeremy’s face. “I’m strong.” He flexed both arms like a wrestler who had just won his match.
“You are,” Jack agreed. “Did anyone come in after Mrs. Shaw left?”
Jeremy nodded. “Mr. Chambers came back. I think he forgot something.”
The loading dock door rattled loudly and lifted upward. Light streamed under the rising door.
Jeremy started to walk away. “I have to tell David UPS is here.”
“How was Mr. Chambers when he came back?” Jack asked.
Jeremy shrugged.
“Was he happy?”
Jeremy shook his head.
“Can you describe what he was like?”
Jeremy stopped. He rubbed a hand on his overalls. “Sweaty?” He looked at Jack expectantly. “He went to the park. You shouldn’t go to the park at night.”
The UPS driver beeped.
“I got to get David.” Jeremy hurried away.
Jack and Chandler headed for the open loading dock door. Jack pulled a small notebook from his back pocket.
“You brought a notebook?” Chandler asked.
“Yeah. I don’t want to forget anything. And I didn’t. Look.” Jack tapped the page. “Leland Chambers was Stacy’s manager.”
Chandler’s eyes widened. “No way.”
Jack and Chandler exited the building through the loading dock, then circled around to the front. They got there just as Lori hurried out the revolving door. “Can we do the food cart?” she asked. “They make a great burrito.” She pointed across the street to a bright-green food cart with a huge banana-yellow umbrella over it.
“Sure.” Chandler smiled.
“I can take you someplace where we can sit down if you want.” Jack’s eyes settled on the plain, dark-green sedan he’d parked behind. It hadn’t meant anything to him before, but now it screamed unmarked police car.
“This is fine.” Lori walked across the street. “I only have a half hour and I had to stop by the restroom, so the clock’s ticking.”
“You can say that again,” Jack muttered to himself.
They ordered their food—Jack paid—then moved over to eat at a shady bench. Jack left his burrito wrapped up and took out his notebook. “Did you know Stacy Shaw?”
“A little. She just started maybe three months ago. She was really sweet.”
“What did she do here?” Jack asked.
“She worked in finance. She’s an analyst, I think.”
Jack wrote that down. “Who would she be friends with?”
Lori pondered as she ate. “Betty Robinson. Betty trained Stacy, and they went to lunch together a lot.”
“Did she not get along with anyone?”
Lori shook her head. “Nothing I heard about—and I get all the gossip. I’m like a bartender. Everyone comes out to the front desk and tells me their secrets.”
“No one said anything about her?”
“Nothing bad. She didn’t really go out after work with the regular crew. She was married.”
“Did you know her husband?”