“I saw it in the paper a while ago. I believe her name was Rebecca. I never heard anything after she went missing, did they ever find her?” Olivia Strange asked as she stood in the middle of the small apartment just big enough for two people continuing to observe the room and its lack of decorum.
She tried to keep her arms down against her sides desperate not to fidget and look nervous. She looked as professional as possible dressing in black slacks she hadn’t warn since her job interview, the cleanest long sleeved blouse she had with her sister’s long, cream, cotton trench coat. She felt more than adequate to fend for herself against the clammy hunch back of a middle aged man before her.
“It’s been almost three months since her kidnapping and still nothing.” The landlord said finishing up the tour of the apartment and ending in front of the door. He seemed more peeved at the statement than saddened, but he was a business man Olivia noted trying not to make faces at his comments.
“I would have thought this place would still be taped off and no one allowed living in it. It is still an ongoing investigation right?” She asked. “I mean don’t they keep buildings on lock down until they close the case?”
“Police have already collected everything they wanted from the crime scene and her family got the rest obviously. So I’m free to start making money again off of this place.” The landlord replied rubbing at his balding head.
“And if I decide I want the place you’re going to still charge me full price even though someone has gone missing in this apartment?” She asked raising a brow, challenging the man to lower his price. He met her gaze with narrowing eyes.
“Look. I spent money upgrading the security system. The building now has upgraded cameras in every level including the front of the building. We have also hired a man to be present at the front desk when I am not. No one is getting in without us knowing. We keep better records now so that should make you feel better. Feel safer.” He added.
“You should have had cameras to begin with.” She mumbled.
“That’s the only crime to have happened in this building and I shouldn’t have had to pay for it. I didn’t do anything wrong. It was a tragedy, but I will not lower the rent.”
“You could have put up cameras at any point before that incident.” Again Olivia found herself speaking angrily towards the man. Just something about him made her want to scream at the top of her lungs, but she had to keep taking deep breaths and keeping her anger under wraps.
He pointed his finger at her irritatingly. “If you don’t want the room than that’s fine. There are plenty of other people who want it!” He barked.
“Sir,” she began. “If you had another person willing to buy this apartment than you wouldn’t have called me.”
“And why do you say that?” He asked clenching his jaw and rolling the old watch on his wrist a few times.
“Because I clearly stated I had a cat and this building doesn’t allow pets. That tells me that you are desperate for money because no one wants to sleep in an apartment where a person was kidnaped. So I might be going out on a bit of a ledge, but I bet that you are also considering lowering the price if that’s what it takes to keep me here so you can make a little money.” She stood her ground as he opened his mouth to speak, but clamped it shut immediately after restraining himself from whatever he was thinking. She hit the nail square on the head.
“For a woman wanting a room a kidnapping took place in you sure aren’t fond of making friends.”
“Is that a threat?” Olivia asked, putting her hand on her hip suddenly a little nervous. She hadn’t really thought about maybe he could have been the kidnapper. He lifted his hand up and shook his head before her thoughts could get too wild.
“No ma’am.” He raised his voice and cleared his throat. “I would never do anything to hurt anyone. Amazingly enough I am a grandfather and I know I wouldn’t want them to go missing, but that aside I’m not going to lower the price. I am, however, willing to not charge you any extra for your pet,” He continued. “But if your animal causes problems you are responsible for cleaning up after it and taking care of any damages. It will be written in the contract on my desk for you to sign in an hour if you want it. That’s the best I’ll do and you’re lucky I’m even doing that.” He finished mumbling a few extra words, but she dismissed them.
She looked back around the room and then to her feet. Taking a deep breath; with a firm nod tried not to show her extreme happiness and extending her hand. “I can accept those terms.”
He made a snide face before shaking her hand and turning sharp on his heels as quickly as he could leaving her alone in the center of the room calling over his shoulder. “My desk in an hour!’
As soon as he was out of her sight she jumped up in the air overjoyed and trying to keep her excited laughter low giving him time to make it farther from the room.
“Oh my god! I did it!” She spun around excitedly giving the room another look before her phone rang. She quickly answered, out of breath and still in shock. “Hello?” There was nothing. She looked down at the screen to her phone for the number, but it appeared as though they had already hung up “I guess wrong number.” She shrugged nonchalantly.
She took in the room again still in shock that she had just accomplished getting it though there was still the matter of signing papers. It was going to be her first apartment and she couldn’t wait.
She spent another minute in disbelief before finally leaving the apartment. She couldn’t wait to go to her sister’s house and let her know that she was successful; though she was sure her sister would disapprove of the place and she was more than a little right.
Each day after Olivia moved in her new apartment with her white cat Lexington her sister continued to call and check on her each day continuing to offer Olivia her spare room whenever she wanted it. And like every day Olivia answered with the same basic comments. “I’m fine sissy. Everything’s okay and no, nothing strange has happened.”
Olivia didn’t want to burden her eldest sister, Jordan, with her presence. Especially since Jordan and her husband Aden were about to be parents for the first time. Olivia was twenty and had started making enough to take care of herself for once and she was more than a little happy to finally get her own place.
Chapter Three
The Lady with Blue Lips Page 2