“I have to let them know the unit’s previous owner boughtthe farm right here in his living room and isn’t happy about it. Heh heh. I get what little revenge I can.”
He still couldn’t get over how they had explained his cause of death. It was officially listed as cardiac arrest. Well, sure. When a bullet enters the brain, the heart stops.Voila.Cardiac arrest.
He had been a journalist in the sixties and lived in interesting times. Protest marches, riots, and LSD were some of the stories he had covered. Unfortunately, so were conspiracy theories, and one of those had landed him in hot water with the Feds.“Me and my fucking integrity and first amendment rights.”The public deserved to know the truth, but as he found out, someone didn’t agree with that.
The story never came to light. Back then, he used an actual typewriter and had been working on the piece at home. He was dedicated. Laboring under a false sense of security, he hadn’t used the deadbolt and two guys broke down the door. One held him at gunpoint while another confiscated all of his notes and the unfinished story. Chad tried to fight back.
“If I ever find out who tipped them off, I’ll kick his wrinkly old ass.”And, speaking of kicking asses, they were coming back toward the living room.
Making eye-contact, Dottie was grilling the professor about his daily habits—if he played loud music, held wild parties, etc. She completely missed seeing the box in front of her, tripped, flipped, and landed spread-eagle on the gleaming hardwood.
“Bull’s eye!”
Chad laughed so hard he forgot to slam the closet door.
Jason had shown up at Merry’s apartment a little early to prepare her for the bachelor auction. He only had a couple of hours before the event and a vague, uncomfortable feeling haddescended upon him. Ever since he had visited her hospital, he wondered if she could tolerate his celebrity and the challenges it would bring. She teased him about it and seemed okay afterward, but they had only run into a forward female fan once—so far.
They had spent a lot of time together over the past two weeks. Now it seemed as if he had known her forever.
If she was the jealous type, this meat market might be painful. He wanted to reassure her that, regardless of what happened, she was his girl. But if she couldn’t handle the possible cat calls and attention he’d be receiving, knowing that sooner rather than later would be helpful.
He cupped her cheek and leaned in for a light kiss. She twined her arms around his neck, which invited another.
Jason felt his arousal brimming and knew that soon, very soon, he wanted to take their relationship to the next level. But it would be better to wait until after tonight—after he witnessed how she’d deal with the auction. Jealousy in a mate could be very tiresome, especially with his lifestyle.
But life is funny. As he gazed at her, he realized thathemight wind up being the jealous one. She was a knockout in her little black dress and high heeled pumps. A thin chain of diamond earrings gently cascaded almost to her shoulder, and with her hair swept up, her long, graceful neck begged to be kissed.
He was just about to push one of her earrings out of the way so he could trail kisses from her ear to her shoulder when flashing blue lights lit up the windows in her apartment.
“Crap. Not again!”
Merry sighed. “Maybe it’s something else. The college kids across the street are kind of loud. After all, itisHalloween.”
“I doubt it.” He strode out into the hall and called up the stairs. “Aunt Dottie, did you call the police?”
She trotted down the single flight of stairs and asked, “Arethey finally here? It’s about time.”
Jason saw them coming up the cement walk and backed into Merry’s apartment. “Why did you call themthistime?”
“I saw someone skulking around outside. He looked sketchy.”
“Is he still out there?”
She shrugged. “Maybe. I can’t see him anymore, but I want someone to take a look.”
Jason rolled his eyes. “Well, leave me out of it, okay?” He sighed and shut Merry’s door.
Merry folded her arms and tipped her head. “Does your aunt know why you’re not crazy about the cops coming here every couple of weeks?”
“I’m sure she must.”
“Have you ever said anything to her,directly, about protecting your privacy?”
He stared at the ceiling and seemed to mull it over. Then he looked at her, shrugged and said, “I thought I did. Maybe she didn’t hear me.”
“If there’s one thing nursing has taught me, it’s to communicate clearly, and as often as needed. Confusion that isn’t clarified can lead to all kinds of misunderstandings—and sometimes dangerous mistakes.”
“Yeah, I guess I can see where being assertive might come in handy, especially in your field. I guess I’ve gotten used to keeping my mouth shut and letting other people fight my battles for me.”
