Excerpt: An Eye for an Eye

This is from about 20,000 words in.

Joe and I were at the office building that Mr. Joseph Oberholtzer owned and had his offices in. It is just off the loop closer to the shore line of Lake Michigan. Entry was by a doorman who called ahead to clear the way for us. Then we had to present our ID at the desk before we were allowed into the elevator. To get there we had to pass through a metal detector that was set on sensitive. The elevator was in a window shaft, so the entire ride up, the view of the shore line unfolded in a magnificent manner. We got to the correct floor, near the top, and had two more people to pass through before we were allowed to enter into the office suite. In the waiting room, it had all the comfort of an upscale home, complete with a fireplace that was gas run. Mr. Joseph Oberholtzer was a short, and rotund with a full head of grey hair that was styled beautifully. His Armani suit was dark grey, with a pale yellow shirt and black tie with gold strips. His shoes would set me back at least six months in pay. He extended his hand and had a wide smile on his face. “Hello, I am Joseph Oberholtzer. I understand this has to do with a murder outside one of my properties. I will help you any way I can.”
“Thank you so much for taking time to see us. We hope to not take too much of your time.”
He ushered us into his office. It was like a den, with a floor to ceiling view of the lake. Tea, cookies and biscuits were waiting. “I know this is close to your lunch, and that maybe you would like a little something while we chatted. Sometimes it makes things more relaxed. And yes, I am a little nervous as well as curious how you came to me.”
Joe nodded for me to start. “There was a murder a few days ago outside a building that houses The Stein. When we went to question for anyone who may have seen something that night, we ran into major resistance at The Stein. A Mr. Klein told us it was a private club and would not confirm or deny if anyone had been there the night in question. We discussed getting a subpoena, and then found that you owned the building as well as being a member of the club. We decided to come to you first and see if you knew anything before we went to the trouble of a subpoena.”
“Call me Joseph, and yes I own the building. I joined the club as they told me that they were raising monies for underprivileged children. Unfortunately, I was much younger and more naive and so ended up putting my name with a group that stands for everything I have tried to not stand for. I helped them to incorporate, so assume that is where you made the connection to me.’
“Yes, it is. We need to know if any meetings were there that evening and when people would have left. Also if there are any people who live on the premises. We would need to question them.”
“This seems very important to you. May I ask why?”
“The murder victim was a Mr. Alexander Miller. He was...”
“Jewish. I believe I may have known him in the distant past. And with the nature of the members of The Stein’s beliefs this raises a red flag.”
“I am glad you understand. We are not accusing anyone, but we would like to interview anyone who was there that evening.”
Joseph got up and went to his desk. He called someone and was quiet enough that we could not hear him. When he hung up, he came back to us. “There were no meetings that evening. The only person is the janitor who lives just above The Stein. He may or may not have seen anything. I find him a dull witted young man who is obsessed with Hitler. His name is Allen Richer. He developed a nick name of Young Adolph because of his devotion to this man. He will be at the station later today.”
“Thank you for your help. We have just a few more questions.”
Joe took over here. “We understand that Mr. Miller may have contacted you recently.”