Page 40 of London
The old cop focused his dark eyes on him. “Maybe you can tell me.”
Linda stepped closer to Gerard.
“Detective? Are you suggesting it’s Gerard’s fault someone broke into his apartment and stole his things?” she asked, her eyes large, her fist clenched at her side, her body screaming with indignation.
“I’m not suggesting anything, Miss Coriola. It’s my job to ask these questions and put all the information in my report. When something like this happens we have to consider all possibilities.” He turned to Gerard. “You’re a doctor. Did you keep any drugs—prescription or not—in your apartment?”
“Of course not. All I have are analgesics—Aspirin, Paracetamol, and Ibuprofen.”
“I see.” Patterson rubbed his chin. “Does this building have security cameras?”
“Yes.” Gerard gave his first positive answer. “There are cameras outside in the yard and another one downstairs in the lobby. Can you check them?”
“We will,” Patterson said. “I’ll contact the building’s administrator tomorrow morning and see what we can do. In the meantime, did you use your tablet or old cellphone to check your email, bank accounts, or access other websites containing personal data?”
Damn! Gerard nodded, understanding where the detective was headed with this. “Of course I did.”
“Then I suggest you change all your passwords as soon as possible and call your bank and credit card companies. Was the stolen watch ensured?”
Gerard licked his lips.
“No,” he said defensively, glancing at Linda, embarrassed and feeling like an idiot. “It wasn’t a Rolex or anything expensive, just a cheap watch meant to tell time.”
The detective nodded. The man must’ve sensed Gerard’s discomfort but ignored it.
After they had completed their preliminary report, they left, promising to get back to him if they got any leads from the security cameras.
By now, it was nearly two in the morning. Gerard stood with Linda, amidst the chaos of what had once been a tidy apartment. He was bone tired. He’d put in ten hours at the clinic, had gone to dinner at his mother’s, and now, after dealing with the break-in, he was exhausted.
Stepping over a pile of papers, he stopped in front of his aquarium. Thank God for small mercies. The burglar hadn’t broken it. His fish were more agitated than usual, as though they sensed something was wrong. Watching their tiny little bodies swimming back and forth usually helped him relax, but not tonight.
Linda inched her way to him and reached out a hand to stroke the glass. A curious cichlid swam over, touching the glass with his nose.
Linda giggled. “They’re beautiful! You didn’t tell me you had an aquarium.”
“I didn’t think of it. It’s a long-time hobby of mine.” Gerard smiled, brushing his finger against the glass.
The feisty cichlid followed him. Although these fascinating creatures might have minuscule brains, Gerard knew from experience that they didn’t lack intelligence.
“His name is Big Blue. I call him that because he’s the largest one in the aquarium. He’ll eat as much as you give him.”
He opened the door of the aquarium’s base, glad to see the burglar hadn’t touched it either—only because he probably hadn’t realized the decorative concealed door opened. He took out the tiny jar of fish food.
“Here, take a few flakes between the tips of your fingers and sprinkle them over the water.”
Linda followed his instructions, grinning when the fish rushed toward the surface, greedily gobbling the flakes. As usual, Big Blue grabbed flake after flake, his sloppy table manners keeping the others at bay. Linda laughed as she watched the small blue, yellow, orange, and brown bodies try to get their share.
“It’s amazing how smart and agile they are,” she said. “I shudder to think what Pirata would do if he were here.”
Gerard laughed. “I’m sure he would try to have a snack.” Serious once more, he turned around. He couldn’t face this mess right now. “Linda, I didn’t have a chance to thank you earlier for offering to have me stay with you for a day or two until I clean up this place. But you don’t have to make good on that offer.”
She turned. “Would you rather stay with your neighbor?”
He shook his head. “God, no, but I can stay at a hotel. It’s not a big deal.”
Linda chewed her lip, then lifted her gaze to meet his.
“It is to me,” she whispered. “Is there anything between you two?”
