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“He did?” My voice rose. “Is it safe living here?” I thought back to my gated apartment where I lived in Bahrain. “Isn’t the U.S. supposed to be safer?”
“It still is, but you’ve got to be careful in some parts. Don’t worry, Claire. We’re in a good neighborhood,” Julia said and patted my leg. But when I looked at her, her forehead was creased.
Her doubtful expression turned to glee. “We’re in luck!” she said as she pulled into an empty parking spot on the street.
The differences between Julia’s suburban neighborhood in Cole Valley and the posh Nob Hill was stark. I got out of the car and admired the Victorian-style homes.
“These are so cute!” I said when we stopped in front of the white row houses.
“Aren’t they? The apartments were built in the early 1920s, but they’re well maintained,” Julia explained as she fished for something in her bag. “Ah-ha!”
When Julia pulled out Annisa’s spare key, I noticed the key chain holder said Cozumel in acrylic letters.
“A souvenir from the bachelorette trip?” I teased and smiled as I thought about Julia buying a bunch of keychains for all her friends and family at the airport as a last-minute gift.
“Yup,” Julia replied as she returned it to her oversized bag after opening the door.
I had no idea what we were supposed to find. Unlike Julia, who had been here multiple times, this was the first time that I had ever been inside Annisa’s place. When she opened the door, I followed her into the living room.
“This place is absolutely breathtaking!” I said and gave a low whistle. Annisa’s apartment was decorated in all white. I found myself looking at my reflection in a gilded mirror that covered one wall. Her decor was surprising. I thought Annisa’s apartment would’ve been decorated with more color because she always wore clothes that made a statement. Of course, having all-white decor made a certain impact as well.
“Where should we start?” Julia asked as she looked around the living room before opening the mini blinds and making room gleam. Then, she walked into the kitchen and started opening the cabinets. “What are we looking for?”
“Anything that’s related to scuba equipment would be my guess since the police asked her about Trevor.” Lifting a throw pillow off the couch, I fingered the plush, cream fabric as I glanced around the living room.
“Have you noticed how empty this place looks? It’s hard to imagine that anyone lives here. It looks like this place is staged to sell.”
Julia jutted out her lower lip. “You know, you have a point. It’s been a while since I’ve been here, but I don’t see anything personal in this room. And it’s so neat. Annisa isn’t a slob, but there isn’t anything that indicates she has been here. Not even a bill or junk mail. Maybe if we go into her bedroom, it might look more lived in.”
“Or find something that might be unusual,” I muttered and followed Julia down the hall. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how impersonal the place was. There were no pictures hanging on the wall or any awards with Annisa’s name on them. Something was definitely up.
By the time we reached Annisa’s bedroom, Julia came to the same conclusion as me.
“I don’t see Annisa’s diploma on the wall. The last time I was here, the framed certificate of her graduate degree was hanging on the wall next to the bathroom door.” She frowned when she saw that Annisa’s bedroom door was shut as well. “That’s odd. She usually doesn’t keep the doors shut since she lives by herself.”
“Do you want me to open it?” I asked, half expecting someone or something to jump out at us as soon as I opened the door.
“No, I can do it,” Julia said confidently, but she hesitated when her hand reached the knob. She carefully turned the knob to the right and pushed the door open. Both of us leaned into the opening until we realized the room was empty.
Julia let out a breath in relief and pushed the door all the way open. We walked into a pristine room. Annisa’s queen-sized bed was made, and the tops of her dresser and nightstand were bare. There were no personal effects anywhere. “This is bizarre!” Julia said.
I walked over to the closet, and I was expecting it to be empty and neat like everything else we’d seen to this point, but I gasped when I opened the door.
“Julia, come over here!” I cried out as my eyes widened in disbelief at all the brand-name luxury items strewn on the floor and crammed on the shelves of her closet.
“Fendi, Gucci, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, YSL…” My voice trailed off as I took in the purses and wallets. They looked like what I’d seen stashed in Annisa’s trunk.
Julia had come up behind me and peered over my shoulders. “Oh, my goodness!” She stepped around me to pick up a Burberry crossbody. Julia brought the purse up to her nose to sniff the leather. “It smells real,” she said and held it a few inches away from her face to examine the design. “It looks real, too.”
“How could Annisa afford all these brands?” I asked Julia, picking up a pair of Christian Louboutin’s. The sparkly open toed sandals were similar to the ones she was wearing when I saw her during lunch with Aidan. I also spotted a black mini dress that looked like the one she was wearing at the restaurant.
“This is crazy!” Julia echoed her sentiment again, and I nodded in agreement. “She very well could’ve bought all these things herself, but…”
“It might be stolen,” I said, finishing her thought. “We should tell Aiden to ask Annisa about this when he meets with her. This may not have anything to do with Trevor, but Annisa’s up to something,” I said grimly.
Julia went from being amazed to suspicious. With her eyes narrowing, she held up a diamond encrusted watch. I leaned in closer to read the cursive swirl of the Cartier brand name.
“She wore a watch like this to the wedding. Michelle made a point to tell me that this rose gold and steel watch with diamond edging was worth fourteen thousand dollars.”
