Page 88 of No Headlines Please

"Hey, I'm not that out of the loop," he said. "The group that rented it last night? They got rowdy in the hall. I had two calls from Mrs. Stelter. One of them was past midnight."

I tried to think. "So…maybe the party was thrown by the guy who lives there?" But no. That was impossible – unless Maddox had somehow managed to throw a wild party at home while also having dinner out with me.

Walt's eyebrows furrowed. "I already told you, nobody lives there. You heard me, right?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't make any sense."

Walt glanced at the darkened TV. "Care if I turn on the game?"

Oh, gosh. By now, his food was probably cold, and I had wasted my four precious minutes questioning everything he'd said. "Sure, go ahead. And I'm sorry I keep pushing the issue. I'm just a little confused, that's all."

He reached for the remote and gave it a click. A beer commercial blared from the TV, and Walt turned down the volume to ask, "You wanna hear my take?"

By now, I wasn't so sure. "I guess."

"It sounds to me like you met someone who's here on vacation. Or maybe on business. Either way, the two of you just got your wires crossed, that's all."

"But…don't you think he would've mentioned it? I mean…if he's only visiting?"

Walt chuckled. "I dunno…did you mention it to him?"

"Sorry…I'm not following."

"For all you know, he thinks you live here, too. But you don't, do you?"

It wasn't that simple. Maddox knew I was here visiting my sister. And how did he know? Because I'd told him.

Sure, Walt's theory sounded perfectly reasonable. But he hadn't played Monopoly in the penthouse while someone pretended the place was his home.

Walt asked, "So, who is this guy, anyway?"

Good question.

I was still searching for a reply when he added, "I mean, what does he look like? I might've seen him around."

"Oh, you definitely saw him," I said, recalling my messy arrival in the lobby. "He was the guy coming out of the building as I was trying to get in. We were blocking your way, remember?"

Walt froze, still holding the remote. To my surprise, he clicked off the TV and asked, "That guy? But you're old friends, right?"

I shook my head. "No. I just met him yesterday."

Walt visibly swallowed. "Yesterday?"

"Yeah, you literally watched us meet."

Walt stared. "But once you got inside, you were talking all-friendly, like you knew each other."

"Hey, we weren't that friendly. Mostly, I was apologizing for messing up his shirt."

Walt looked thunderstruck. "And he didn't mention he was looking for you?"

What the hell? I felt the blood drain from my face. "What do you mean, looking for me?"

"You remember that six-pack, right?"

Obviously, he didn't mean the one under Maddox's shirt. "You mean the beer you were holding when I was blocking the door?"

"Right. You wanna know who paid for it?"