Roz put her hand on Konrad’s arm and stopped him before he knocked on Nathan’s door. “Why did Dottie call him ‘Nasty Nathan?’”
“I have no idea. Probably something she imagined.”
“Dottie sounds like a piece of work. I wonder what she’s going to tell people about me.”
“She’ll probably like you, as long as I don’t make you howl too loud. You live right beneath her, and I live across the hall. She had a problem with the girls on the third floor making sex noises. We’ll have to try it in the laundry room.” He winked.
“Maybe she isn’t getting any.”
“That’s entirely possible. She’s way too uptight. Now, are you ready to meet Nathan?”
Roz took a deep breath. “Sure.”
Konrad rapped on the door. They waited a minute and heard several locks clicking on the other side of the door.
Wow, Nathan seems serious about safety.
“He’s a little eccentric. Weird sense of humor, but don’t let him get to you. He does it for shock value.”
The door opened partially, with one last chain remaining between them and the man inside.
“Can I help you?”
Konrad stepped into Nathan’s line of sight. “Hi, Nathan. Open up. I want to introduce you to our new neighbor.”
“Oh. Just a second.”
The door closed, and after some metal rasping against metal, Nathan opened it wide and stepped into the hallway. He wore a black, open-collared shirt and black jeans. Other than jet-black hair and alert black eyes, there was little to distinguish him.
“This is Roz Wells. She moved into Merry’s place across the hall.”
One side of his mouth turned up. “Roz Wells, huh?”
Roz extended her hand. “Yeah, I’m sure my parents weren’t cruel enough to do that to me intentionally.”
He took her hand and shook it. “Maybe they did. Easy to remember. Do you believe in aliens?”
That’s an odd opening question. Must be part of his eccentric charm.“My experience is too limited for me to voice an opinion.”
“Too bad,” Nathan said.
Too bad?She glanced at Konrad, and he lifted his shoulders.
“What do you do?” she asked.
“I work in a morgue.” He smiled and waited. Probably looking for a reaction, as Konrad had said.
She wouldn’t give it to him. “Oh, that must be interesting work.”
“Not really. Dead is dead is dead. Not much changes.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“So what do you do?”
“I’m a lawyer.”
Konrad was quick to add, “But she doesn’t care for it and wants to find another line of work.”
