“Okay, but listen to this.” Amie told him about what Elena had observed, as well as Benny’s interaction with Andrew at the memorial.
When she finished, David was scratching his chin, which Amie took as a sign that she was onto something.
“I wonder why he gave up when Elena arrived,” David mused. “He could’ve just shut the door on her.”
“Maybe he couldn’t find what he was looking for,” Amie suggested. “Or maybe he decided to go back when Elena wasn’t hanging around, in case she’d see him leaving with whatever it was.”
“But if he was just looking for his package, he’d have no reason to hide that.”
“So what if it wasn’t a package?” Amie posited. “What if it was something that would have pointed to him as the murderer? If he couldn’t look for it at the bookshop, maybe he found it at the apartment.”
“Then it’d probably be back at his place now,” David said mildly. “Not for long, I’d assume, if it’s incriminating evidence. He’d probably want to get rid of that as soon as possible.”
A sense of urgency shot through Amie. “I need to search his apartment,” she said, scrambling to her feet.
David laughed.
“I’m not joking.” Amie crossed her arms. “Are you gonna help me?”
David’s expression was frozen at the crossroads of amused and appalled. Finally, he rubbed his face. “Okay, sit down.”
“There’s no—”
“Sit.”
In a tiny act of rebellion, Amie squatted instead.
“What’s this about, really?” David asked. “It can’t just be that you want to clear my name. There isn’t enough evidence against me; I’m not in any imminent danger. Why are you so determined to get mixed up in this?”
Amie looked at the floor. She didn’t want to tell David about her guilt. She knew what he’d say—they’d already had this conversation. He couldn’t understand.
“Ziya seemed excited by the prospect of solving the mystery,” she said instead. “I … I want to impress her.”
Amie was almost insulted at how readily David seemed to accept this excuse. She wasn’tthatpathetic about her ex-girlfriend, was she?
“Fine.” He heaved himself up off the table, sighing heavily. “For young love, I’ll help you.” He snapped his fingers. “And now you have something to text her about!”
“Maybe I should wait to see how successful we are,” Amie said hesitantly.
“No, text her now.” David headed for the door. “If you get us arrested for this, we’ll need her to bail us out.”
Chapter OneAlley-vous
Day 371 I.L.
Amie was in a weird mood.
She’d hoped that seeing Ziya would improve her spirits. However, she quickly realized her mistake as her unsettled mood leaked into the friend date, souring the vibes. Not wanting to wait for Ziya to suggest they “give it more time,” Amie had faked a migraine and left early.
Awkwardly carrying the Styrofoam box of fettuccine alfredo Ziya had insisted she take home with her, Amie disembarked the bus and began the walk back home.
She might’ve missed the figure standing in the alleyway next to her building if it hadn’t been for the dim glow of the cigarette he was smoking. Amie squinted through the shadows to see Benny leaning against the wall next to the emergency exit.
They made eye contact. Benny lifted his chin in greeting.
“Hey,” he said sullenly. The man wasn’t the most cheerful person Amie had ever met—in fact, she wasn’t sure she’d ever seenhim genuinely smile. But she’d also never seen him look this troubled.
“Hi.” Amie slowed to a stop. She didn’t have an established rapport with Benny, unless anyone would consider multiple unanswered texts about a finicky radiator a rapport. But something about his expression made her ask, “Everything okay?”
