Page 3 of My Brother’s Locksmith Friend

Before I can say anything, my landlady, Lucille, pops her head from behind the man. “Hey, Van. This is Roy. He’s going to take a look at the sink and that leak you told me about.”

“Um, okay,” I sigh and pull out my phone before stepping out of the way to let both of them inside.

While I don’t even remember telling her about the leak, it’s as good a reason as any to text my manager, telling them I’ll be late.

Roy is standing in my small kitchen with his enormous toolbox on the ground. The grimy terry cloth towel he’s using to wipe the sweat off his brow drops onto it as he looks at the sink’s faucet drip.

My eyes dart between him and Lucille, who looks like she wants him to go as much as I do.

“So, I barely use the sink because it leaves a puddle in the cabinet. I think the dishwasher is fine and the air conditioning unit works when it feels like it,” I tell her as the heat decides to double with more people in the intimate space.

“I don’t deal with HVAC. Any issues in the bathroom?” Roy’s voice sounds like he chews rocks while smoking cigars as he clears his throat and eyes me from head to toe. The grin spreading across his face makes me want to kick him out, but I’m going to let him do his job.

“The shower drips,” I tell him, looking at Lucille as he makes his way through the apartment and into the only bathroom, just outside my bedroom door. I turn to Lucille and whisper, “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming this morning? And who is this guy?”

“Van, I sent you an email and I emailed Brody, too. This is Roy Jonas. He’s agreed to go over the entire building and fix all the small things before I have him tackle the stuff in the basement. He’s going to be the guy you call in case of emergencies,” she says.

Like hell I’m calling this guy when I have Hendrix’s number.

I can’t help but feel skeptical. He’s not in a uniform or anything, just a regular guy you’d see at a bar. A guy who’s moving around in the back of my apartment but stops just before entering my bedroom because my eyes are following him with every move he makes. He steps back into the bathroom where I hear him moving the shower curtain and fussing with the faucets.

“Okay, but is he like an actual plumber or is this someone trying their best to be useful?”

“Actually, I own Lay Pipe Plumbing off Reading Road,” Roy says from behind me and I instantly want to crawl back into bed. He hands me a business card, licking his lips, and tells me, “You can come by the shop and check it out any time. I actually stay in the back apartment if you want to check that out too.”

“Roy, leave that girl alone. She’s only 19-”

“Lucille,” I call her name to stop her from volunteering any more personal information about me than he needs to know.

“Freshly legal,” he chuckles. “You must taste delicious.”

Please hurry up and leave. I wish Hendrix were here, but no, he has to work all day.

“I’m rotten on the inside,” I reply, with disgust piercing through every syllable.

“Well, if you need me to clean your rotten pipes, feel free to come by the shop.” Roy gives me another creepy grin before he moves under my sink and comes back up a few minutes later. He claims to have fixed everything and leaves with Lucille.

Once they’re gone, I check my phone to see the reply from my manager:

No need to come in. Please understand this is your fifth lateness, which violates your employee contract. Your employment is terminated effective immediately. Check will be mailed.

Wow.

Whatever.

I delete the phone number and message, thankful to have a brother who pays the rent, but what about the rest of my bills?

I’ll figure something out and look down at the trousers and dress shirt I had to buy just to work in that place. It takes me less than a minute to strip out of them, tossing them onto the doorknob of my bedroom door.

There’s a closet directly across from my bedroom that holds a stacked washer and dryer. Instead of leaving the clothes, I grab them to put them into the washer instead. I might as well do laundry to have fresh clothes for the interviews I now need to go on.

That’s going to be annoying.

The sound of the shower head dripping brings me into the bathroom where I look around to see what sleazy Roy did in here since the shower is still leaking. My eyes scan the room and stop on the empty soap dish above the sink. Reaching up to clutch my bare neck, a gold necklace I normally wear isn’t on me or in the dish.

My mind races to retrace everything I did this morning—from my shower to lying in my bed dreading the long day at a job I no longer have. Lucille and Roy were here for all 15 minutes, and now, my necklace is gone.

It’s possible that Roy’s slimy energy makes me want to accuse him, so instead of letting my mind run off the rails, I turn my place inside out looking for the only gift I have from my parents.

---