“Dave!”
They turned at the sound of one of the men standing at the doorway.
“Sorry to interrupt, but you’re needed up in condo thirteen-oh-seven. A potential buyer is up there and has some questions the realtor doesn’t know how to answer.”
“Where’s the condo project manager?”
“Dunno, but the realtor called for someone to come.”
Just then, Dave’s phone rang, and he grumbled as he hustled toward the elevator. “I thought things were busy as this place was being built. You’d think my job here was almost over, but now it seems like there are more fires to put out.”
Now alone, she stood in the space and just let the emotions of a completed job roll over her. Satisfaction and pride. Then, with a hands-in-the-air dance, she celebrated the fact that Carmichael Designs’ phone had been ringing with potential new clients who had heard about the work she had accomplished at Partridge Tower.
Flipping off the light switch as she left the office, she heard a slight crackle behind the switch cover. Stopping, she stepped back into the room. She flipped the switch back on and the small pop sound was barely audible. Wondering if it was simply the click of a new light switch, she flipped it several times, hearing the sound again, this time followed by more of a crackle than a pop. Reaching into her large purse, she pulled out her cosmetic bag and searched for a nail file. No luck. Glancing around for something to use on the screws of the switch plate, her gaze landed on the clipboard left behind by Dave. Several paperclips were holding various papers together.
Grabbing a paperclip, she moved back to the switch plate and began undoing the six screws holding it to the wall. Once completed, she gently pried it away so that none of the wall paint would stick to it. Glancing inside, she saw a conglomerate of wires shoved into the space, but stood for a moment, indecision running through her. I’m no electrician. Maybe it’s fine. Good grief, it was inspected. Wasn’t it?
Ignoring the part of her that wanted to walk away, she grabbed her phone and snapped a picture before carefully screwing the switch plate back in place. Pulling up the picture, she added text indicating the location and floor. Still using the paperclip, she moved quickly to other rooms and offices on the floor, unscrewing switch plates and outlet plates. At each one, she snapped a picture and identified its location before screwing the plate back on. Standing in front of the fuse box for the office, she hesitated before opening it as well. Still having no idea if it looked correct or not, she snapped more pictures.
A prickle of unease slid through her. Walking back to Dave’s clipboard, she looked at the thick sheaf of papers. “A lady never snoops. But neither does she ignore what is right in front of her.”
Mumbling, “I’m not snooping, Grandmother. I just need to see what papers might need to be clipped together again.” She flipped through the file folder glancing at each page. She didn’t see anything relevant until she came to a single piece of paper with names and email addresses printed on it. The one that stood out was for Hope City Building Inspector. Martin Kovski. She had no idea if this was the person who had inspected all of the work, some of it, or perhaps none of it. But she quickly snapped a picture of that list of names and numbers, making sure Dave’s clipboard looked just as it did when he’d left the room.
Keeping the paperclip, she moved to several of the other offices and floors, noting the differences in electrical work. She wasn’t surprised at the findings, considering multiple electricians from Perkins Electrical Company worked on the many various projects in the building. Opening a fuse box in one of the offices, she stared and snapped a few more pictures before deciding to not waste more time looking at the wiring, most of which she didn’t understand. She grabbed her few items and headed back to the first floor, her pride and excitement lessened with concern.
Stepping out of the elevator into the lobby she placed a call to the number on Dave’s list, not surprised to find that she had to leave a message.
“Mr. Kovski, this is Sandra Carmichael of Carmichael Designs. I’d like you to return my call concerning the inspection of the electrical work done at Partridge Tower. The building is almost ready to open, and I want to make sure the work completed by Perkins Electrical was installed according to the code. Thank you.” Leaving her phone number, she shoved her phone back into her purse.
Walking past the reception desk, she waved toward Heather.
“Bet you’re glad to not need a hard hat anymore,” Heather joked as she waved in return. “See you at the opening.”
Stepping out into the sunshine, she headed to her SUV, her mind already filled with what else was on her to-do list for the day.
Rory, Shania, and Bobby pulled to the front of the modest apartment building. The nine-one-one call had come in indicating an expected death, unquestionable. Keeping their equipment outside, he and Shania made their way into the apartment, making as little noise as possible. He was not surprised to see a nurse walking into the living room to greet them, a hospice nametag on her uniform.
“It was to be expected,” she said. “Mr. Tonika’s family only called us in last week, but he’s had a home visiting nurse checking in on him for the last month. She was here when he passed, along with myself.”
The apartment was small, and she waved toward the door leading to the bedroom. “There’s not a lot of room in there, so I’ll stay out here.”
Radioing for Bobby to bring in the stretcher, he stepped into the bedroom, seeing the elderly man on the bed. Someone had taken care of his appearance, his hair combed
