“This place is locked down,” I reminded her as she tapped her fingers impatiently on her thigh while the elevator climbed to the right floor.
The doors dinged softly as I reached out to grab Rue’s wrist, pulling her behind me as we moved down the hallway.
She pointed from behind me toward a door with a brightly colored wreath around the peephole.
Sucking in a deep breath, I reached for the gun, keeping it hidden against my front as I released Rue’s wrist to knock casually on the door.
“Who is it?” a sing-song voice called from inside.
I looked over at Rue, giving her a nod.
“Grammy, it’s me. Open up.”
Her voice was shaky.
“Unlock it, Katherine,” Claudia ordered.
A lock slid.
Another clicked.
Then the door was inching open.
The woman I’d recognized from the group I’d been introduced to answered the door, wearing a strange purple apron with sleeves, the kind you’d maybe use to paint.
As soon as the door swung open, the harsh scent of bleach reached me.
“Grammy?” Rue called, her voice tight.
Claudia moved toward us, also wearing one of the purple smocks.
Her keen eyes slid to my gun, giving it a nod.
“Well, it’s about time you two got here,” she said. “We’ve got a body in the tub and blood all over the kitchen.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Rue
Wait.
What?
Did I just hear her right?
There was abodyin the tub?
As in a dead body?
My head whipped over, looking in toward the kitchen where the strong scent of bleach made my nose burn. I scanned the floors, but they were scrubbed ruthlessly clean, likely with the bleach combination in the mop bucket. But when my gaze lifted, there were violent red streaks across the cabinets and sprayed across the refrigerator.
“Grammy, what…”
The words failed me, though.
Blood.
That was blood.
