“Good to know it could’ve been worse.”
“I also got in touch with my lawyer.”
“Why?”
“Your legal representation will get in touch with your landlord to expose how you’ve been violated.”
“But I don’t have legal representation.”
“And that’s why I got in touch with my lawyer. I’ll foot the bill.”
“Kaz, no, I can’t accept that. You’ve already done so much. You opened your home to me.”
He holds my gaze for a beat. “Are there women or families with children living in the basement apartment?”
I nod. “Yes, there are a few single moms.”
“What if the superintendent placed those cameras disguised as air fresheners in other apartments? What if he’s been watching little kids…”
Whoa.
“My lawyer said something that got me thinking.”
“What?”
“Was the foul smell a problem from the moment you rented the apartment?”
I shake my head. “No. It started happening a couple weeks ago.”
“What if the superintendent is the one behind the foul smell?”
I frown. “You think?”
“There are videos online showing you how to create effective stink bombs that smell so bad after two to three weeks, you’d think several dead bodies were decomposing. The kind of awful and rancid smell bad enough to make you want to vomit. I gagged when I opened the door to the basement of your apartment.”
I gasp, almost gagging myself.
“All you need is cheap quality protein powder and hot water.”
My eyes widen. “You’ve got to be kidding me?”
He shakes his head. “There are other effective methods that also use simple ingredients that are available in your pantry, but those two ingredients combined are pretty potent. If the jackass created twenty or fifty stink bombs and dispersed them throughout the basement, it’s no wonder it smelled that bad.”
I stare at him, jaw-dropped.
“When the superintendent sent the notice for him to come in and drop air fresheners to mask the odor, I bet you none of the tenants living in the basement refused.”
“I was the first one to raise my hand,” I say.
“I’m certain it was the same reaction across-the-board. That was the superintendent’s goal all along––little lambs opening their doors to the big bad wolf.”
“I’m speechless, Kaz.”
“That was my reaction when my lawyer brought it up.”
My shoulders slump. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
This incredible man is my savior.
