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“I’m Lila, Delilah Horton,” I replied. “Are you Carlton?”
“What do you want?”
“I came by to check on you, see how you’re doing,” I said, taking a step closer. “I’m sorry about Samantha.”
I heard what sounded l
ike a choked sob, and then the face disappeared. I could heard the sound of his feet sliding away from the door, as if he couldn’t be bothered to lift them high enough to walk properly.
I took the cracked door as an invitation to enter, so I pushed the heavy wood slowly, letting my eyes adjust to the dark interior of the condo, then walked into the house. I left the door ajar, just in case I needed a quick getaway, then walked down the hallway.
The place was a mess. I’m talking clothes, dirty dishes, and trash everywhere. It looked like a rat’s paradise.
Carlton was laying face down on the couch, and no shit, he was bawling his eyes out.
I stood there for a minute, fighting the urge to run away and never come out, then I bit the bullet and walked forward. I sat on the coffee table and let my hand hover over his back, before placing it on his shoulder and patting him softly.
“There, there,” I mumbled, feeling like a gigantic ass.
“Why?” he bellowed suddenly, his cry half muted by the pillow.
Carlton sat up and looked at me, his face covered in tears and snot.
It was disgusting actually, and I had to make myself hold his eyes and not turn my head. When a snot bubble popped out of his nose and lingered, I had to fight the urge to gag.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” I said again, wondering what I could do or say to get him to stop blubbering. “How long were you and Samantha together?”
“Three months,” he wailed, his blond hair sticking up in tufts.
Three months? Isn’t his reaction a little dramatic after only dating someone three months?
“When was the last time you talked to her?”
“When we broke up, six months ago,” he replied, then wiped his face with the back of his hand, causing shit to smear everywhere.
This guy was seriously starting to get on my nerves.
“Six months,” I asked dryly, thinking Carlton was totally taking advantage of Eric by taking a leave of absence for a girl he’d barely known. “So you hadn’t talked to her on the phone or anything?”
I was getting the sinking feeling that Carlton was a dead lead.
He shook his head, then looked at me pitifully and wailed, “She was the love of my life.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, although nothing that I came up with sounded nice or comforting, so I patted his knee and kept my mouth shut.
“Well,” I began as I stood up and inched toward the exit. “Again, I’m so sorry for your loss…”
“Who did you say you were again?” Carlton asked as he laid back down.
“I’m Lila, and I’m looking into Samantha’s murder.”
“Like the cops?”
“Yeah, like that, but I’m a PI.”
“Well, when they were here, I forgot to tell them about the phone call. Can you pass it along?”
That stopped me in my tracks.
