I nodded.
“Where were you that evening?” The policeman to the left pulled out a small notebook.
“What does this pertain to?” I asked.
“Just answer the question.” The second policeman sighed.
“I was out. I came home sometime in the early morning.”
“Were you out with someone?” They both looked up at me, and the expressions on their faces told me they already knew and were looking to see if I’d lie.
“Yes. I was.”
“And who would that be?”
“I had a date with Desiderio Amato,” I declared.
“Where did you two go?” the policeman with the pen asked while writing.
“We went to a gallery and then dinner. He took me home after.”
“That’s all?”
“Yes.”
“How long have you been seeing each other?”
“Is there a reason you’re asking? Was a crime committed?”
“We have a missing person case, and we have a reason to believe Desiderio Amato might be involved.”
“Who went missing?”
“Lawson Loren. A middle-aged man. Brown hair, average build, average appearance. Does that name ring any bells?”
“No, none.”
The policeman on the right pulled out a business card and offered it to me. “If you happen to hear about Mr. Loren, consider giving us a call.”
“He’s missing?”
“For now. His family seems to think he had gotten caught up in some things he wasn’t supposed to. He was a gambler.”
“This sounds like a bad mafia movie.” I laughed.
They didn’t.
I rolled my eyes and waved the card. “Got it. If I hear anything about someone sleeping with the fishes, I’ll give you a call.”
“I wouldn’t be so careless, Miss Smith,” the policeman to the right said. “The Amato family and their associates have been rumored to be involved in many dark things.”
“Got it.” I gave them a thumbs-up and waited for them to leave. I locked my door after they took off. I tossed the card on the kitchen table and looked around. I needed to find a place to put that shelf if Brucey’s cage was going to be in the kitchen. I went to work trying to move that on my own and discovered after cleaning everything off that it was way heavier than I originally thought. It nearly crushed me when I tried to move it. I quickly abandoned that idea and pushed it back.
A knock pulled my attention to the front door.
“Hey!” I opened it to find Desi.
“Hey.” He smiled back. “I, uh…” He reached up and brushed his hair back. He did that when he was nervous. Which was often. “Did I go overboard last night?”
“Last night?” I crossed my arms. “No. This morning, a little bit.” I sighed. “I had someone over, and he heard the entire message.”
“He?” His eyes darkened, and he looked over my head into the house.
I stepped back and let him in. “My new roommate. He was checking out the place to see if he wanted to rent the room. Your message did not help.” I went to the kitchen. “You have perfect timing. Can you help me move this?”
“What is this?” The sharp tone in Desi’s voice caused me to pause and turn back to him. He was holding the cop’s business card.
