Page 25 of Aftermath
Clever.
She’d beat me to coming up with a new excuse for my presence. I doubted this woman knew anything of Lenore’s research, and it seemed Lenore was just as keen to keep it that way.
“I didn’t know tech freaks made house calls,” she scoffed, finally glancing my direction.
Ouch.
Can’t say that I wasn’t used to the comments. My unusually high IQ made me a target even at the FBI Academy. My brain was my weapon; I was never built to be the strongest or most agile. Knowledge was power.
“Mallory,” Lenore hissed.
“Not the first I’ve heard it and won’t be the last.” I shrugged. “And I don’t have, what did you call them? Endless tourists? Just me and my tech all day long.”
The frown on her face was worth every second of the ruse.
I couldn’t help but let myself feel a bit of satisfaction.
“Best we get going,” Lenore interrupted, grabbing my arm and tugging me past Mallory, whose eyes were wide.
“Key, please, Mallory,” Lenore demanded, her tone serious.
Mallory made her way back behind the counter and tracked down her key ring. She tossed it over to Lenore.
We walked toward a door behind the counter, unlabeled. The key ring jingled as she sorted through the multiple keys and found the one she wanted, placing it into the keyhole and unlocking the door.
Turning back to Mallory, she shook the keys to get her friend’s attention. Mallory reapplied her lip gloss, leaning on the counter to get a look in a compact mirror she held in her other hand.
Lenore pulled the door open and tossed the keys back to her friend. Mallory barely had time to catch them, putting the mirror down.
“You owe me,” she muttered, tucking the keys into a purse behind the counter.
“Wine night soon, I promise,” Lenore called back.
We passed through a narrow, empty hall. My eyes adjusted to the dimness, leaving the brightly lit store for the space without any lighting at all. Mailboxes hung on the wall at the end of the hallway.
It opened into an entry with a single staircase.She led me up the stairs to the third level. There were only two apartments, and Lenore unlocked the door to hers, letting us in.
“It’d be easier if you just emailed it all to me,” I tried, hoping she’d change her mind.I didn’t want a partner. I hadn’t worked alongside anyone since I’d gotten my partner killed.
Brutally murdered, and it was my fault.
I coughed to clear my throat of the feeling of bile rising in it.The images of that final case were relentless.
“Water?” Lenore asked.
“Thanks.” I nodded.
I followed her down the short hall into the combined living room and kitchen. A soft brush against my legs startled me, and I almost tripped over the feline beneath me. Its black furbrushed against my light colored slacks.
“Alonzo, leave him alone,” Lenore scolded. “Sorry,” she added. “He likes attention.”
Odd creature.
Most cats weren’t fans of socializing. In fact, cats were what I believed most referred to as small assholes—knocking things off counters, pestering for food, and refusing to cuddle when their owner wanted. I’d never owned one, but my observations all suggested the same.
“I fed him once and never got rid of him,” Lenore muttered.
Another cat trotted across the room, orange with a white belly.I did my best to avoid the two felines as I pushed further into the apartment.
