“Oh. Right. Thanks.” I was about to take the towel from him when I remembered why I’d opened the door in the first place.
I squeezed past him so I could get out into the hall. Our arms brushed against each other, skin against skin.
If there was an electric sizzle in the air, I was perfectly capable of ignoring it.
At least, I was at the moment, because I was far more interested in the fact that Agnes Gao was currently holding Mrs. Nagy by the arm and leading her into the apartment next door.
“Mrs. Nagy!” I exclaimed with relief so immense that I forgot about any sudden desire to plaster myself against Wyatt.
“Hello, dear,” Mrs. Nagy said with a weak smile. She then disappeared into her apartment, Agnes still supporting her.
Since neither woman made a move to shut the door, I took that as an invitation to follow them inside.
“Are you okay?” I asked Mrs. Nagy as she lowered herself into a worn old armchair.
Even as the words came out of my mouth, I saw that she looked pale and appeared to have aged five years overnight. Concern prickled beneath my skin.
“I’m all right,” she said, attempting a stronger smile. “Just worried about my Zoltán.”
Agnes shook her head sadly. “He’s still in custody.”
“He didn’t kill Freddie.” Tears brimmed in Mrs. Nagy’s blue eyes. “My Zoltán would never kill anyone.”
I knelt on the floor next to her chair and took her hand. “I know that. The police have got it wrong. They’ll figure that out soon.”
I hoped with soul-deep desperation that I’d spoken the truth.
“Sorry,” Wyatt said from the open doorway. He stood there, still holding my blush-pink towel. “Should I put this in your apartment, Emersyn?”
“Wyatt!” Agnes’s face lit up. “Perfect timing!”
I jumped up and grabbed the towel from Wyatt. “He’s just leaving.”
Agnes didn’t seem to hear me. She took Wyatt by the arm and tugged him over to stand in front of Mrs. Nagy. Then she dug a crumpled business card out of her pocket. My stomach sank when I recognized it. She pressed the card into Mrs. Nagy’s hand.
“Wyatt of Wyatt Investigations,” Agnes declared with a radiant smile. “He’s a private detective.”
“Actually—” Wyatt began.
“Actually,” I cut in loudly, “Wyatt Investigations ismyfirm.”
“Oh, perfect!” Agnes exclaimed before I could say anything more. “You can work the case together!”
She looked at us like we were avenging angels, there to save the day.
“I’m sorry,” I said, wondering how to explain the whole Wyatt Investigations thing succinctly, but my thoughts stumbled to a screeching halt when I saw the glimmer of hope in Mrs. Nagy’s eyes.
She smiled, the expression no longer weak. “Emersyn, I didn’t know you were a private detective now.”
“Technically, I’m not,” I said.
“It’s a new agency,” Agnes chimed in with an understanding nod. “But we’re not worried about licenses or certifications. You can get those later. You don’t need them to clear Zoltán’s name.”
“Er…” I glanced at Wyatt, wishing he’d clear up the obvious confusion.
He, however, seemed completely unbothered by the hot water we were rapidly sinking into.
“You’ll help her, won’t you?” Agnes asked Wyatt, beaming at him expectantly.
