Page 23 of Evidence of Secrets

“Why don’t I grab your suitcase and you take the small bag?”

“You don’t have to do that,” said Laura. “It’s not heavy. I didn’t pack much.”

Hank shrugged and pulled the suitcase out and handed her the bag. Okay then. Hank could be obstinate when he wanted to be. She was a big girl and used to handling her own things, but it wasn’t a big deal.

They walked up the ramp to a glass door. Hank put in a code, and the doors opened into a large lobby. A slender man looked up from the desk.

“Hey Manny, how’s it going?”

“Living the dream, Hank. Living the dream.” They high fived each other.

Laura had to smile. It appeared Hank and the security guard were on good terms.

“Manny, this is Laura Clark. Laura, Manny.”

Manny reached over the console and shook her hand. “Welcome, Laura. The apartment is all set for you.” He handed her an envelope. “Here is the code for the building and keys for the unit. I took the liberty of stocking some food for you since I wasn’t sure when you would get here.”

Food? Laura was overwhelmed with the generosity. “Oh my. Thank you. I’ll have to thank the owner personally.”

Manny’s eyes twinkled. “I’m sure it’ll be appreciated.”

“Come on, Laura. Let’s get you settled.” Hank picked up the suitcase and headed toward the elevator.

“Wow. This is a really nice building. Have you lived here long?” she asked.

Hank shrugged. “For a few years. I moved here when I first started at KnightGuard Security.”

“Are you on the same floor?”

“No, I live upstairs from you.”

The elevator stopped on the second floor. Laura supposed they could have taken the stairs, but the stress of the past few days was wearing her down. She was tired. The doors opened, and they walked out.

“There are two apartments on each floor. Here’s yours.” He stopped in front of a door. “Manny lives across from you. He’s a great neighbor and quiet.”

They stood in front of the door and looked at each other.

Finally, Hank smiled and gave a chin up. “You have the keys.”

Oh. Yes, she did. “Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” Laura pulled out the keys and opened the door. She stepped into a nice-size living room furnished with a comfortable gray sofa. A glass coffee table faced a console with a big-screen TV. There was a side chair in front of the sliding glass doors.

Laura put her bag on the table, went over to the sliding glass doors, opened them, and stepped out onto the balcony. There was a small wrought-iron table and two chairs out there. A light breeze was blowing. The river was calm. Laura thought if she looked hard enough, she could see her bistro.

She turned to face Hank. “This is gorgeous.”

“I’m glad you like it.” He looked around. “It’s pretty basic; however, you have everything you need. Come on. I’ll show you the rest of the apartment.”

Laura followed Hank past a dining room table and into a small, updated kitchen. “Wow, this is bigger than my kitchen. In fact, the whole apartment is bigger than mine.”

Hank pointed down the hall. “You have the master bedroom and a full bath down there.”

“Hank, I don’t know how to thank you for getting me in here. Does the owner live here? I want to thank them.”

“Not necessary. The owner isn’t here much but likes to help people when he can. So I’m sure he’ll be pleased someone is in this apartment and it’s not sitting empty.”

“All I can say is, wow. This is way better than sleeping in my office.”

“Ya think?” Hank smiled. “Listen, I have some work to do. I’ll leave you to settle in and check on you later.”

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