Rancor: Unrestrained, Book 2 (Haunted)

THIRTEEN

Tim Chandler was walking around the exterior of Sand Piper Bluff Apartments, appearing to be inspecting the foundation, when Det. John Becker drove his Ford Police Interceptor sedan into the parking lot. He got out of the black unmarked police car just as the new building manager stopped his inspection and walked across the uncut grass to meet him.

"I'm Tim Chandler, the new apartment superintendent," the young clean cut man said, extending his hand.

Det. Becker shook his hand. "I'm Detective Becker, pleased to meet you."

"I don't know what you'll find in those old records," Tim Chandler said, turning to walk toward the sidewalk. "I've never gone through them, of course. Mr. Zimmerman kept them locked in the basement. I guess when they closed the hospital down they just left things that had no other place to go. Moreover, by the looks of the basement, no one has gone down there much except to use the laundry room and tend to the furnace."

Det. Becker followed Mr. Chandler up the porch steps. He looked along its length and at the decaying floorboards. Then he looked out over the landscape where a thick fog was obscuring the forest and the morning sun. "Is it usually this foggy?"

"No, it's not," Mr. Chandler said as he opened the door and stepped into the vestibule. "And I apologize for the condition of the building. When our only tenant moves out, we'll probably end up demolishing the place, for safety reasons, and then sell the vacant land as lakeshore property."

"I can tell this used to be a grand place at one time," Det. Becker said, following Mr. Chandler into the lobby.

Tim Chandler stopped in his tracks when he saw the broken glass, from the office door, scattered over the floor. "What happened here?"

"It looks like someone broke into your office," Det. Becker said, walking up to the office. "Is there anything missing?"

Tim Chandler cautiously stepped over the shards of broken glass and walked to his desk. He looked at the desktop and then began going through the drawers. "The master keys are missing. Someone stole the keys."

"Are the master keys for the apartments in this building?" Det. Becker asked, looking down the hallway toward Ethel's apartment.

"Yeah, they open all the rooms," Tim Chandler said, picking up the flashlight sitting on the desk. "But who would take the keys? There's no reason to go into any of the apartments."

"Is the building kept locked at all times?" the detective asked.

"Yes," Tim Chandler said. "Both the front and back doors require a key to get in and the tenant, Ethel Dory, is currently the only one with a key, besides me, to unlock those doors."

"Was the front door locked when you got here?" Det. Becker asked, looking at the front door and then at the wooden chair laying on its side on top of the glass.

"Yeah, the front door was locked when I got here," Tim Chandler said, walking out of the office. "I'll see if the back door is still locked."

While Tim Chandler walked past Ethel's apartment to check the back door, Det. Becker checked the lower level windows for any signs of breaking and entering.

"This door is locked, too," Tim Chandler said, walking back to the lobby. "I walked around the building before you got here and didn't notice any tampering with the basement windows, but I must say, they're not in the greatest condition."

"Do you mind if we check the basement?" Det. Becker said, looking toward the dark staircase.

"Sure," Tim Chandler said, switching on his flashlight. "The building's been having electrical problems and the basement lights work only when they want to work."