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new building constructed to look old; either way, I could tell a lot of money had gone into it. A cop car was parked out front as Reed and I breezed our way in wordlessly to where a doorman waited behind a desk, talking to a couple of uniformed CPD officers.
    I flashed my badge at the guys waiting and Reed followed my lead. “Evening, gents,” I said. “I need to take a look at Professor Jacobs’s apartment.”
    “Sure thing,” the doorman behind the desk leapt to his feet. He was a little darker-skinned, bald like he shaved his head, probably just south of forty. “I already got the spare key for the officers here.” He nodded at the cops.
    “Breckinridge,” one of them, a fair-haired guy with a flat expression said, reaching out to shake my hand. I took it and he pumped firmly but not obnoxiously. He nodded at his partner. “This is Tanner.” Tanner was not, in fact, tan. He was the whitest dude I’ve ever laid eyes on, and he wore a completely implacable look that would not have been out of place on Andrew Phillips’s face.
    “You guys take a look upstairs yet?” Reed asked politely.
    Breckinridge seemed eager to please. “Not yet. We just came and delivered the news, rustled up the keys so the detective assigned could do the honors. We’ll bat cleanup once you get done, though, bag any evidence, get stuff sent off to the lab if we get any idea of clues.” He held up his hands, all excited. He already had blue latex gloves on.
    “All right, then,” I said and nodded toward the doorman. “You gonna take us up?”
    He looked torn for a second. “I’m supposed to watch the door …”
    “Not a problem,” I said, quickly snatching the keys out of his hand. “You keep an eye on that door in case a flood of burglars and junkies comes wandering through randomly right at this very moment.” I headed for the elevator. “I can probably find my way up. I’ll just keep knocking on doors at random until I find the right one.”
    The doorman shot me a pained expression. “Twelfth floor. Number fifteen.”
    “Awww,” I said, feigning disappointment. “It would have so fun to do it my way.” I headed for the elevators, Reed and Breckinridge trailing behind me. I glanced back and saw Tanner hanging by the front desk, watching me go with a healthy dose of suspicion. I brought that out in people.
    I waited until the reflective steel elevator doors slid shut on the three of us before I spoke. “Breckinridge, your partner seems like a shithead.”
    “Oh, he’s not that bad,” Breckinridge said, shaking his head. “He’s just stiff.”
    “Yeah, well,” I said, “after four hours, you’re supposed to call the hotline for that problem.”
    Breckinridge frowned at me as the elevator carried us up pretty quickly. Understanding dawned over his face and he snapped his fingers as he pointed at me. “Ohhh! Oh! Got it. Good one.”
    Reed just stood there shaking his head, face buried in one of his hands. “No. Just … no.”
    “What?” I asked.
    Reed pulled his hand out of his face to reveal an indulgent smile. “Breckinridge … you want to wait at the door while we scope out the apartment, please?”
    “Sure,” Breckinridge said, eager beaver that he was, as the elevator dinged and the doors slid open to reveal a pristine, well-lit white hallway. “I’ll be right outside if you need anything.” He followed us dutifully down the hall until we reached 1215.
    I fiddled with the keys until I found the right one. There were a lot of them on the ring, but fortunately they were each labeled, thus preventing me from losing patience and kicking down the door. I unlocked it and listened, hoping my job would be made easy by finding the murderer sleeping in the victim’s bed or something. I stuck my head in the door and waited. No such luck; it sounded quiet in there.
    “Okay, in we go,” I said, popping in the front door and flipping the light switch. I found myself in a small entryway, and suddenly