upstairs pt. 2

Oh, hello. Detective, huh? Are you on the case upstairs? Yeah, yeah, they talked to me a couple of days ago 'cause I filed that complaint. Yeah, I'm also a neighbor, so yeah, it makes sense.

Well, what can I tell you? They were already here when I moved in a couple of years ago, but I never got to know them that well. They kept to themselves pretty much. I guess the people upstairs from them knew them. And the people next door, like I told the police last time. No, we really don't have get-togethers in the building or anything, I guess we only see each other in the elevator or the lobby or the halls. I think I only know anybody else here by first name. Like Judy, or Chris and Tina or Rusty, although he's the janitor and he doesn't actually live here. Oh, and the old woman, her name is Mia. Was Mia. I think. Somebody yelled that to her one time when I was up asking if they could keep it down. Yeah, somebody in the apartment, I guess it was the guy. I don't even know what her connection was to that family, I can only assume she was somebody's relative. She didn't really look old enough to be somebody's mom...maybe an aunt. Or much older sister.

Well, like I told the police last time, I never heard anything that night. I came home after work, working late, it was about 10 pm, and I just went right to bed. I had to be up at 5:30. I didn't hear anything when I came home, and nothing woke me up, it was the best sleep I'd had in weeks. I should stay late at the office every night.

No, I was at work all day. I mean, I have to be at the office at 8 in the morning. Yeah, I get up at 5:30, I have a long commute. It's in Lakeview and I carpool so I have to be ready early. That day was actually my day to drive so I had to leave almost an hour earlier than normal. Oh sure, I pick up Sarah Roslin over on Kirkvale, Tom Jennings down on Redding Ave., and Charleena Arrosa on Charing. By that big mini-mall they built last year. She could walk into it to do her shopping if there were any stores worth using. Are you kidding? They're crap! It's not even cheap crap, which is more insulting, I mean, if they sold you cheap stuff, like che-eap stuff and it fell apart after a couple of days, you know it's your own damn fault for buying it but it's not cheap so you think you're paying for some modicum of quality and all you're getting is crap and it's not even Chinese, it's from India or some shit and you never hear about these places on the news that send all this crap over here that people buy without thinking -

What? Oh, sorry.

Yeah, so Charleena lives over there. Sure, you can call them. I don't remember the exact times I picked them up, they probably don't either, but we got to work about 5 to 8. I have the numbers here...hang on...Sarah isn't home though, I don't think. She was yakking all the way to and from the office yesterday about the ski trip her fiancé was taking her on, and I think they left this morning. Well, I don't know, I started tuning her out. So tiresome after a while. Like nobody had ever been skiing before. Oh, you know, I have her cell number somewhere too, if you want. OK, I'll just send it along if I come across it.

No no, I don't mind at all. It's got everybody all nervous, not knowing why this happened or who could have done it. Can you tell me if there are other cases in the neighborhood? I mean, we're not looking at a serial killer or anything, right? Well, OK, I understand you can't really comment, I just want to know if we should be alert for anything...OK. Yeah, I get that.

Oh, the complaints...yeah I know you have to ask about them, it makes sense and everything. They just didn't seem to get that their floor was my ceiling and they would stomp around like elephants in a parade. And that one time they were doing work on the floors. No, usually it was just stomping around and shouting at each other. Or to each other, 'cause they didn't really sound mad, but they have voice modulation disorder or something and they can't speak softer than 100 decibels. I talked to them several times about it, but they acted like I was crazy at first, and then they got all defensive, like I was the one making problems for the neighbors. They just did whatever the fuck they pleased and the rest of us could go fuck ourselves. Um, no I don't actually know that they bothered anybody else, like I said, we don't really have relationships in the building, between neighbors you know. I didn't really talk about it with anybody else here. My carpool buddies sure got an assfull - er, earfull though. You can ask them how much I complained.

There's not much I can do. It's not so extreme that the police can intervene and they're supposedly adults so they're free to do as they please. If they want to do the Highland freaking Fling up there I can't really stop them.

That's kind of a difficult question, Detective. How can I be happy about murder? Even if it gives me some peace and quiet? They weren't always stomping around, it was just certain days. Should I be happy that somebody got into the building and did something horrible to my neighbors? Just because we had a little disagreement? My problems are hardly worth breaking the law to that extent, I think. I mean, because I might have committed a little vandalism. On their door. About six months ago. I, ah, carved "Quiet!" into the door. I felt really bad the next day. I guess Rusty took care of it the next day though, because I never heard anything about it. Well, who else would it be but me? I had talked to them several times already. Always polite, mind you. They really didn't want to hear a word, though... Oh, it was small, just an inch high or so. Then I guess they didn't report it, or didn't even see it, if Rusty got it off. Well, it wasn't really carved in there very deep. I think he could sand it down and varnish. Er, no I don't know much about carpentry. But, I never heard anything about it, so I can only assume it disappeared before they ever saw it.

Sure, whatever. I don't plan on going anywhere. Call me anytime. Oh, but not at my work phone. You have my cell number? OK, good bye, Detective. Good luck on the case.