Page 21 of Done Dirty

“I went ahead and taught the seven o’clock class and pretended like everything was normal. Technically, I’m not certified to teach, but I’m experienced enough to get through a class. I’d texted Corinne when Wade didn’t answer me and asked her to come in and sub. She’s one of our other instructors. She was able to get here in time to teach the eight o’clock class.”

“Is there somewhere we can sit down and talk that’s more private?” Jack asked.

Something in Jack’s tone must have alerted her to the seriousness of the conversation. “Sure,” she said. “Let’s sit on the bench out front.” She pointed out the front window. “I want to try and keep this under wraps from members for as long as I can. This is going to hit everyone hard. They all love Wade.”

There was a bench just to the right of the studio door, the kind with a scrolled back and a fresh coat of black paint. Dana sat on one end and I took the other. Jack stood at an angle so he could see both the street and Dana.

“How long have you been managing the studio?” Jack asked.

“Three years in October. Wade hired me about a year after he opened.” She looked down at her hands. “He knew exactly what he was doing on the business side. He just didn’t want to be bothered with the day-to-day. Scheduling, staffing, payroll, membership—that’s me. He wanted to teach and run his private clients. We have around four hundred members, but his private list was separate. He’d teach some sessions here, some at his condo.”

“Is that typical?” Jack asked. “Home sessions like that?”

“Sure,” she said. “There are some instructors who do house calls. They carry a reformer around in their car and set it up at each location. Wade just invested in his own system at home and had the clients come to him. Some clients just prefer the privacy.” She said it without inflection.

“Did he keep records of those clients?”

“If he did, it’s in his office.” She looked toward the door. “Most of our instructors teach outside the studio in their free time for extra money. I don’t have access to any of their personal clients. They might be on his office computer. Or maybe his phone.”

“Do you know anything about a confrontation here with Wade? A man came in and things got heated?”

She raised a brow at Jack. “You’ve gotten a lot of information in a short amount of time.”

“That’s our job,” Jack said. “Someone murdered Wade. We’re going to find out who did it.”

She sighed. “I was here when it happened. It’s been a few months. This guy comes in, kinda looks like a meathead. You know what I mean? Spends a lot of time in the gym? No neck, never read a book?”

“Yeah, I know the type,” Jack said.

“Anyway, he came in and asked for Wade by name. I could tell right off he was pissed. He was wound pretty tight. Looked like he was maybe on something. I called for Wade, had my phone out to call 911 if I needed to.”

“What’d Wade do?”

“Just smiled and asked the guy how he could help him, and for some reason that really set the guy off. He started yelling about how he knew Wade was screwing his wife and he had proof. Said if he touched her again he’d kill him.” She crossed her arms as if the memory made her cold. “Wade tried to move him toward the door, kept his voice low and professional. Said let’s step outside and talk about this. The man wasn’t interested in stepping outside. He wanted a scene.”

“Sounds like he got one,” Jack said.

“There was a crowd. Class had just ended so the lobby was full from people leaving and the new class arriving. Plus a couple of the instructors. Wade told the guy if he didn’t leave he was going to call the police. The man blustered a bit, but he ran out of steam pretty quick. Eventually Wade just held the door open and the guy left. He knocked over one of the sock racks on his way out the door and called Wade a few names I won’t repeat.” She looked toward the street. “Wade went back to work like nothing happened and got everyone calmed down. Apologized to the clients for the disruption and comped their next class.”

“Did it shake Wade up? Was he worried?” Jack asked.

“Not even in the slightest.” Dana’s mouth flattened. “Wade came back to the desk after and told me not to worry about it. Said the man had a temper problem and that his wife knew how to handle him.” She looked at a car passing by. “The wife came in for her next class an hour later. I don’t know what she knew or didn’t know, but she wasn’t upset, and she flirted with Wade like nothing had happened.”

“Flirted? You think there was substance to the man’s accusations?”

She shrugged and said, “Who knows? All the women flirt with Wade. I can’t imagine he sleeps with them all. It wouldn’t be good for business, and Wade always did what was best for business. Besides, as far as I know he’s got a girlfriend.”

“Do you know the woman’s name? The one whose husband came in?”

“Sloane Ferriday. I don’t know his name. He didn’t exactly introduce himself.” She looked at Jack. “Wade thought the whole thing was funny. He was never one to shy away from attention.”

“We’re going to need to search the studio and his office,” Jack said. “I’ve got a warrant to take any of his electronics. We haven’t found his cell phone yet.”

She seemed surprised by that. “Really? Wade was glued to that thing. He had one of those watches too. Said it was to monitor his heart rate and his health, but he was always checking texts and emails too.”

I looked at Jack. We didn’t find a watch either. Someone was trying very hard to make sure Wade’s communications weren’t found.

“Can you pull the full membership roster for us, including past members for the past four months? We’ll start in the office.”