“Of course I remember you. Welcome to our humble abode, Rosalyn.”
He extended his hand, and she grasped it. His big warm paw held hers in a surprisingly gentle clasp. Some kind of energy passed between them, something she’d never felt when shaking the hand of a colleague.
“Call me Roz.”
“I’d hardly call this building humble,” Dottie said. “That chandelier in the foyer must have cost my nephew a fortune.”
“That chandelier has been there since my hair was short. Your nephew just bought the building when? Last summer?”
Suddenly the crystals in the chandelier downstairs tinkled and clanged together.
Dottie jammed her hands on her hips. “For God’s sake, Chad, haven’t you gone into the light yet?”
Konrad elbowed Roz’s arm. “Chad is our resident ghost.”
Dottie rolled her eyes. “Yes, God forbid I leave him out when telling you about the other residents.”
“There’s a g-ghost haunting the building?”What kind of fresh hell did I just get myself into?
“Yes, but he won’t bother you if he likes you,” Konrad said. “I didn’t even know he was here until the séance.” Konrad looked at the chandelier. “You leave the new woman alone, all right, Chad? She’s a friend of Merry’s.”
Nice of him to intervene for me, but…The back of Roz’s neck prickled. “You held a séance?”
“Sure, didn’t Merry tell you?”
“No. I think I would have remembered that.”
Dottie shook her head. “She was the only resident who couldn’t make it, besides my husband. She said she had to work. My husband said he had to keep an eye on the building. I don’t know where he thought it was going. Well, I have work to do now, but before I leave you, Roz, you should know that I’m not happy with loud parties or tenants who cause trouble. And I live right above you.”
Konrad leaned toward Dottie. “Is that some kind of threat? I don’t recall her saying she’s a party animal.”
Wow, is Konrad this protective of all the tenants, or is it just me? Nah, he and Dottie probably have some kind of history.“Oh, you don’t have to worry about me,” Roz said quickly. “I live a quiet life.”Not by choice…
“Good. We’ll get along swell, then.”
Dottie gave Konrad a dirty look, stepped into her apartment, and closed the door.
“Can I help you move in? I’m pretty strong.” He flexed his sizeable muscles.
Holy Christmas! I haven’t seen muscles like that in…ever! Whoa, didn’t Dottie say he was a nudist? What I wouldn’t give to see…but no. Even if he showed me his, I’d never show him mine.
“Weren’t you headed somewhere else?” Roz asked.
“No. Would you rather I was?”
She chuckled. “Of course not. I just thought…oh, never mind. It’d be nice to have company while I wait for the movers.”
***
“Hi, new kid.”Chad followed Roz down the stairs. Most of the residents seemed like kids to him. After all, he’d been haunting the place since the 1960s. Okay, so Konrad was older, but he was a werewolf. Other than Konrad, not even the super, Ralph, or his wife Dottie, or the vampire Sly could claim Chad’s age or experience.
“That’s right, kid, we have a vampire. The only reason the landlady didn’t mention him was because she doesn’t know he’s living in the basement. Heh, heh.
“I’ll bet you thought I was swinging from the chandelier, didn’t you, kid? As much fun as that would be, I’m afraid my astral body doesn’t work that way. It’s not like I have an invisible body. I’m a spirit. That means I have no astral ass to sit on.
“But just like a corporeal person who loses one sense and strengthens the others, I may have lost my body, but I’ve strengthened my mind to razor sharpness. Yeah, I’m smart as shit.
“Ha, ha. I wish. Actually I’ve learned to use my mind to affect objects, so even though I wasn’t literally swinging from the chandelier, I concentrated really hard on the chandelier swinging until it did. It’s called telekinesis. If I were able to ride it, I’d do it every day until the damn thing came crashing down. You have no idea how badly I need entertainment.”
