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Saturday morning, Kat thought about phoning Andrew to arrange a time to meet, then decided she would be better off driving to his house without warning. There was something alluring about having the element of surprise on her side. It only seemed fair, considering how blindsided she had felt when Lucy had mentioned spotting a strange woman in Andrew’s car, then again upon hearing from his colleague that he hadn’t been working last night.
She dressed quickly, fed Matty and Tom, and raced out the door, almost colliding with Larry in the hallway.
“Kat!” Larry boomed. “Where’s the fire?”
Kat halted beside him. “I was just . . . getting in my exercise.”
“I’m on my way to meet my new tenant.” Larry gestured toward the door across the hall from Lucy’s apartment. “Stick around and say hi.”
“You haven’t met her yet?”
“Nope. I must’ve been out when she moved in, and she wasn’t here when I stopped by to invite her to the mixer.”
“But didn’t you meet her when she signed her lease?” Kat asked.
“We did the paperwork through email, and FedEx overnighted her keys.” He clucked his tongue. “The wonders of the modern world.”
Kat recalled how she had thought the handwriting on both Melody’s and Sheila’s rental applications looked similar. Perhaps her theory that the same person had filled out both forms wasn’t so far-fetched after all.
Larry rapped on the door with his knuckles. “It’s good I caught you,” he said to Kat. “Being new in town, I’m sure your neighbor could use a gal pal.”
“A gal pal?”
Larry winked. “Don’t be coy. I know how you gals are, always trading the latest gossip.”
Kat snorted before remembering how she and Lucy had spent yesterday night speculating over the new tenants. Okay, so maybe Larry had a point. And, as eager as Kat was to confront Andrew, she couldn’t deny she also wanted to meet Melody. She supposed a five-minute delay wouldn’t hurt.
Kat stood next to Larry, squelching the urge to hop from foot to foot as they waited for someone to answer the door. What was taking so long?
Larry knocked again. “Hello? This is Larry, the landlord.”
After several more seconds, the door finally slid open a crack. “Hello?” squeaked a timid female voice.
“Hiya.” Larry grinned. “I came up to introduce myself. I’m Larry, the landlord and building manager.” He clapped Kat on the shoulder with enough force to nearly send her sprawling to the floor. “And this here is Kat, your neighbor from down the hall.”
The door widened another inch, and the woman inside peered out with one eye. “Oh, hi.”
“Hello.” Kat figured this had to be Melody Jones. She sounded impossibly young.
“I’ve got some stuff to go over with you,” Larry told Melody.
“You do?”
“I’ve gotta give you an overview of the building rules.”
Kat heard the doorknob rotating back and forth as Melody fiddled with it. “Isn’t everything covered in my rental agreement?” Melody asked.
“Yup, but I’ve learned some folks don’t actually read what they’re signing, if you can believe that.” Larry chuckled. “Now I make a point of talking to all my tenants as soon as they move in. Saves me and everybody else a lot of hassle later on.”
Before Melody could reply, a ginger cat squeezed through the doorway. He darted past Kat and Larry, streaking toward the other end of the corridor.
Melody threw the door open. “Remy!”
Kat had been about to chase the cat, but one look at Melody’s face stopped her in her tracks. The skin around her left eye was an ugly purple, almost the same color as the fabric of her pajamas. Except whereas her pajamas appeared to be purple by design, the discoloration around her eye didn’t look planned at all. She looked as though someone had recently punched her in the face.
Melody caught Kat staring and flushed. Kat hastened to pick her jaw up off the floor, but Melody had already retreated back into her apartment.
She shut the door enough to shield the damage to her face. “I, um, I should get dressed,” she stammered.
If Larry had noticed her black eye, he didn’t let on. “I can come back some other time.”
“Could you?” Melody said, her voice firmer now. “Maybe this afternoon?”
“Sure thing.” Larry stepped back, smiling between Melody and Kat. “I’ll see you gals later.”
Kat worked some saliva into her dry mouth. “Bye, Larry.”
Larry waved before ducking into the stairwell.
Kat shifted her feet, uncomfortable meeting Melody’s eye. “So, would you like some help getting your cat inside?”
“No,” Melody replied. “I can do that, after I get dressed. Remy doesn’t like people.”
Before Kat could reply, Melody closed the door.
What now? Kat thought. She was torn between leaving to give Melody her privacy and staying to make sure Remy was returned safely to his owner. Although the cat couldn’t get into much trouble in the corridor, if he happened to sneak into the elevator and slip downstairs, who knew where he would end up.
She shifted her attention to the feline, trying to gauge his intentions. But Remy wasn’t acting as though he were plotting an escape. His eyes lacked the mischievous glint that Matty’s always took on when she was scheming.
He sat at the end of the hallway, his unblinking gaze fixed on Kat. From this position Kat had a clear view of the small white patch on his chest. It reminded her of a baby’s bib, and something inside of her softened. She couldn’t leave without at least a cursory attempt to make friends with the animal.
“You’re Remy, huh?” she crooned, creeping closer to the feline.
Remy backed into the corner.
“You don’t have to be afraid. I won’t hurt you.”
Remy evidently wasn’t going to take her word on that. He wrapped his tail around his body and lowered himself to the floor.
Before Kat could advance any farther, Melody’s door opened.
“Oh.” Melody fingered her black hair as though to smooth out the messy mop. “I didn’t realize you were still here.”
Kat squinted at Melody’s bob. The ends looked choppy, as if someone unskilled—possibly even Melody herself—had cut it. The hack job combined with Melody’s round, youthful cheeks almost made her look like a child. Kat didn’t figure she could be much older than twenty.
Melody stopped playing with her hair, her hands dropping to her sides. She hadn’t changed out of her pajamas, but her black eye was less pronounced, as though she’d covered it with makeup. “You don’t have to hang around for my benefit,” she said. “I mean, I don’t want to keep you from anything. You probably have things to do.”
“I was only going to stay long enough to try to catch Remy. I was afraid he might follow me downstairs otherwise.” Kat smiled. “He’s a beautiful cat.”
“Thank you. I should be the one to get him though. He’s shy.”
Kat retreated a couple feet. “I’ll stay out of your way then.”
Melody stood there for a moment, obviously nervous in Kat’s presence. Kat pulled her cell phone out of her jeans pocket and fiddled with it, hoping to put her at ease. Melody’s jumpy behavior was solidifying Kat’s suspicion that she had moved to Cherry Hills to get away from someone abusive. Between Melody and Remy, she wasn’t sure who seemed more skittish.
Kat watched out of the corner of her eye as Melody tiptoed over to Remy. Melody spoke softly while holding her hand out to the cat. Kat couldn’t hear what she was saying, but Remy seemed to be responding. He honored his human’s efforts with a slow, deliberate blink, a gesture Kat recognized as one of trust, and when Melody reached for him he didn’t shy away.
Melody stood back up, Remy cradled in her arms. She offered Kat a tentative smile. “I’ve got him.”
Kat tucked her cell phone back in her pocket. “I’m glad.”
“Well, I should go.”
Kat nodded. “It was nice meeting you.”
“You, too.”
Melody’s door clicked shut, and Kat found herself pondering over Melody’s situation as she boarded the elevator. Although she’d heard the statistics about abused women, she had never known one in person—that she knew about, anyway. Her encounter with Melody had really driven home the fact that not everyone was lucky enough to be in a healthy relationship.
Her thoughts turned to Andrew. He had never hit her or otherwise become physically violent, and the reminder of how fortunate she was filled her with gratitude—and a little bit of melancholy, too.
What would she do if she lost him?
