Page 104 of King’s Ransom

‘You’re gonna watch a thousand hours of security footage?’ he said.

‘A thousand and eight, yes,’ I said.

‘Glad I don’t have your job . . .’ he said, typing some more.

Then he connected his computer to Georgy’s laptop with a cable and transferred the footage.

‘Anything else?’ Tommy asked.

‘If Lenny Grossman comes in or calls, can you get him to give us a call?’ I said.

‘Sure.’

Georgy handed the young super his card and we left.

We returned to Georgy’s car in the underground garage.

‘Nice work, Georgy. You were awesome,’ I said.

‘I do my best, Dr Sam.’

I pulled out my phone.

After a quick online search, I found the address of Mr Leonard R. Grossman in the Bronx.

I also found his Facebook page (Facebook is alive and well with older people), complete with photos: Lenny with his bushy moustache and glasses at a Giants football game, Lenny playing poker with some buddies, and even one photo of Lenny standing in the sunshine on the roof of 59West in his white coveralls.

‘All right,’ I said. ‘Let’s go talk with Lenny Grossman at his place.’

The Bronx

26 December, 2030 hours

Lenny Grossman wasn’t at home.

Grossman lived in a small one-bedroom walk-up in the Bronx, in among the projects that flanked Yankee Stadium.

I wondered how Lenny Grossman felt catching the subway every day from his little apartment in the Bronx to work at 59West with its billionaire residents and their entitled kids.

I left Georgy in the car and rang the doorbell.

When Grossman didn’t answer, I went downstairs and knocked on the door of his superintendent’s basement apartment.

‘You lookin’ for Lenny?’ the super said in a thick Bronx accent. He wore a white singlet and had body hair on his shoulders. ‘Lenny’s on vacation. Won’t be back till the first week of the New Year.’

‘Vacation? I was told he was unwell,’ I said. ‘Do you know where he went?’

‘Some lake resort in the Ozarks. Yeah, went just before Thanksgiving. Asked me to make sure his pipes didn’t burst in the cold.’

I paused.

Thanksgiving? That had been November 26th.

‘Wait?’ I said. ‘Lenny left for vacation a month ago?’

‘Yeah. Cashed in his leave. Lucky thing, too, if ya ask me, I mean, what with all the shit that went down at his building. Lenny’s gonna have a shit-ton of cleanin’ up to do when he gets back.’

When he gets back . . .