Friday, August 22nd – 3:19 pm
After Mayor walked further into the condo, it was then that Avery noticed the other woman holding two cups.
Mayor smiled and offered her one. “I was bored and thought I’d drop by with a pick me up. Herbal tea with no caffeine. I hear it is a fan favorite at the coffee shop. I thought I would try something different.”
Avery glanced over at the large roman numeral clock on the wall. Twenty after three. “Thanks. I usually need something around now.”
Mayor’s smile widened. “I am glad I came by then. I saw your car in the parking lot earlier today and was surprised it was still there.”
She wasn’t going to explain why she was home and not working, though she did back up a step and offer, “Did you want to sit down for a bit?”
“Oh, no. I would not want to intrude.” Mayor tossed her blonde locks over one shoulder and nodded to the front door. “I did see the yellow tape on my way here. You must find it unsettling every time you walk by, yes?”
Avery was about to shrug, then decided not to make light of the situation. “Yeah. The murder happened in the same building. The awful part is I share the same wall and didn’t hear a thing. If I had, I might have been able to call the police. I feel terrible. If his murder was random, it could have easily happened to me. I might have been the one—”
“But you’re not.” She held her cup of coffee close to her chest with both hands. “Don’t worry. You’re safe.”
Avery took a sip of tea, but its heat didn’t warm her insides. Mayor didn’t know about her attack, and she wasn’t about to tell her. Their relationship hadn’t progressed to that point, and she didn’t know if she’d let it. She’d never been good at close relationships.
“No. I’m not safe. No one is. Not until they find and arrest this killer.”
“The police are estúpida. They know nothing.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I know.”
She met Mayor’s solemn expression and grew uneasy.
“You worry too much.” She lifted her cup toward Avery. “You don’t need to. The killer did not pick you. As I said before, you’re safe. I am sure he or she had a reason to spare your life instead of this other person.”
Avery scowled. “There’s no way you can know that.”
“Oh, but I do.”
“Why do you say that? Are you psychic or something?”
“What if I was?” Mayor shrugged a shoulder, her expression bland. “You will believe what you believe.”
Avery’s frown deepened as she stared at the lid of her tea. Until this afternoon, she’d felt comfortable in the other woman’s company. “Well, I’m pretty sure the police may have suspects, but clearly they don’t have enough evidence to arrest someone. Otherwise, it would be all over the news.”
“What do you know if this neighbor of yours? Did he have enemies? Someone who disliked him?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did you see him with anyone you did not recognize days or weeks before?”
“Not that I can think of. I wasn’t paying attention. I rarely do when it comes to my neighbors. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s like that. My day consists of home, car, work, and back again. I’m only friends with one person and their husband in the complex.”
Mayor tapped a thumb on her cup. “And who is that? Maybe I know her?”
Tensing, Avery rubbed a hand along the side of her cup’s lid. “Why all the questions?”
“I am only curious. This person, after all, was murdered in the neighborhood. All of us who live by are concerned.”
“Well, I’m as equally concerned, but, so far, the police haven’t given me any answers. They’ve avoided my calls. I’d feel safer if I had some more information from them.”
“I am sure you can find answers to some of your questions.” Mayor sank down on the edge of a living room chair with fluid ease. The slit in her long flowing skirt gaped open as she crossed a long and lean leg over the other. She adjusted the hem with a flick of the wrist, sending several gold bracelets clicking against each other.
“I wouldn’t know where to start.”
“Why not start with the condominium where the person was killed?”
“All I have on the victim is his address, name, and an internet search didn’t pull up anything unusual. The detective in the complex wasn’t of any help either.”
“I don’t think I was clear. I am not talking to you about the person but his residence.” Avery must have still looked confused because Mayor gave a pained sigh, placed an elbow over her crossed leg, and leaned forward with her cup dangling from one hand. “If you think knowledge will make you feel safer, why not search his home for your answers?”
“His home?” Eyes widening, she stared back at Mayor. “Are you serious?”
“What else could I mean? I am sure you might find something inside this place, yes?” Mayor smiled. “At the very least, you would be able to learn more about who this man is. If you learn you have no similarities or background ties other than living in the complex, that will surely ease your mind. What do you have to lose?”
At Mayor’s last question, Avery paused. There seemed to be something hidden in her words, but that didn’t make sense. She brushed the thought aside and instead focused on the outlandishness of her suggestion. “I can’t go in there. The place is locked.”
“No.” Another smile, this one far more mischievous than the last. “I checked. The door is unlocked.
Avery dropped down in a living room chair, unable to take her gaze from the other woman. “That’s crazy. Why wouldn’t they have locked it? That’s completely irresponsible on their part.” She rolled her cup between both hands. “And why would you even think of checking to see if it was locked? Did you go inside?”
Mayor shrugged. “It is of no real interest to me.”
“Then why did—”
“No more talk,” Mayor insisted. “I will show you. We can look together. The police are incompetent with their narrow minds.”
“I—no.”
“But you want answers.”
“Yes, but I don’t want to break the law.”
“You are not breaking the law if you accidentally walk inside.”
“Accidentally?” Mayor was serious. “It’s called trespass.”
“You’re playing with words. If the police discover you, the most they can do is reprimand you.”
“I don’t think I’d get a slap on the wrist. Anyway, it’s dangerous. The killer could come back.”
“Pah. The killer is unlikely to do that unless they are a fool.” Mayor shrugged a shoulder, but a distinct sparkle flashed in her light blue eyes. “What is a little danger, yes?” When Avery didn’t immediately reply, she asked, “Do you not want to know what is inside the living space? Are you not a little curious?”
“Of course I’m curious.”
Mayor arched a brow. “But yet, you will not feed that curiosity.”
Avery’s lips firmed. She didn’t like being pushed into situations.
Mayor waved a hand in the air and swiftly rose to her feet. “Fine. You’re a modern woman who makes her own decisions.” Mayor searched her face, and she nodded as if she’d come to some decision. “It is getting late. I have things I must do. But you only have so much time to decide to find out what is inside this place. I am sure the authorities will soon discover their mistake.”
Avery closed and locked the door behind Mayor and stood in the middle of the room in indecision. She glanced at the living room wall. The same wall as the victim’s condo. It would be stupid to check the place out. Knowing her luck, the minute she stepped past the threshold, the neighboring detective would probably catch her in the act. Plus, they’d probably searched the premises and removed all clues or evidence.
But she wanted to find answers to whether or not the killing was related somehow to her attack. The police department was like talking to a brick wall, and they weren’t likely to reveal anything about the murder. Not on her timeline. She’d probably get more information from the news than them.
Sighing, she looked away from the wall and over to the main window. A mesquite tree nearby offered the only shade across the landscaped rock. What would a quick look do? Folding her arms, she paced the confines of her living room, thinking of the pros and cons. She couldn’t believe she was contemplating the idea of walking into a crime scene.
Now wasn’t the time unless... It was too light outside. Someone could easily see her and just as easily report her.
She turned on the television and learned nothing new about the murder. Sighing in frustration, she watched a sitcom or two, but no amount of comedy could pull her from her morbid thoughts. After another hour of debating with herself, Avery gave up. Damn the woman for telling her about the unlocked condo. Ugh, her curiosity was too intense. The need to know what was inside the victim’s condo was driving her nuts.
When evening turned to night, Avery dressed in a pair of black jeans and a t-shirt, grabbed her keys, pepper spray, slipped outside, and locked the door behind her. The evening rush of people from after work had dissipated hours before. The sidewalks were clear of residents. The leaves rustled above, and the scent of rain clung to the air. Earlier, a monsoon had swept through, coating the ground and clearing the air of dust and pollution.
She walked around her building and hovered on the sidewalk that split into a T and formed into two separate directions. She took the one that veered toward the back of her condo. Yellow tape still clung to the front window of the victim's home, making her wonder when they were going to get rid of it. Every time she walked by, it seemed to scream back at her, and vivid images of waking up naked in her bed with her chest cut and stitched back together bombarded her.
This was ridiculous.
Still, she didn’t turn back around. Instead, she glanced around, found no one about, and strode to the door, where it faced away from the complex’s security lights and stood in deep shadow. Standing in those shadows, she eyed the doorknob.
Curiosity. Was she willing to walk over the threshold because of it?
Answers. She might not find any, but by going inside, she wouldn’t wonder looking back if she’d made the mistake of not trying to find those answers or proof as to whether or not there was a tie between Harris and herself. And if there was, she might find the reason behind her attack.
With a distinct tremor in her hand, she pulled the bottom of her shirt and wrapped the hem around the metal.
Maybe Mayor had lied. And why had she gone to the victim’s condo and checked the door in the first place? What type of person did that? The same type of person as Avery?
A woman who needed answers?
She moved her hand to the right. The knob turned in the same direction.
Avery sucked in a breath, slid inside, and closed the door behind her.