“Let’s just watch the show.”
Returning to her garbage puzzle, Amie put the final pieces into place. She’d immediately identified Benny. The rest of the pieces came together to reveal his lips pressed against the cheek of a laughing woman, who appeared to be the photographer of the selfie.
Amie deflated a bit.Benny’s ex-girlfriend, she thought. He must have torn up the photo and thrown it out after she broke up with him the other night. Nothing to do with Savannah after all.
Remembering the text on the other side, she flipped over the top right piece to reveal the first few words:Benny—
The words were illuminated by Amie’s phone lighting up again. Huffing with annoyance, she looked at it.
AMELIA TELLER. I AM IN YOUR BUILDING. WHERE ARE YOU?
Amie’s eyes widened.Ziya’s HERE?
Before she could begin to formulate a response (or even just move past thinkingZiya’s HERE?over and over again), David’s raised voice caught her attention.
“Hey! Where are you heading off to? They’re about to … say who won … the … thing.”
David clearly had not been paying attention to whatever they were watching.
“Gotta go piss. It’s fine, I can pause it.”
The apartment was plunged into an ominous silence as Benny paused the television.
Amie quickly gathered up the pieces of paper and her phone. She held her breath, watching the door to the bedroom slide openas Benny’s socked feet entered the room. He closed the door behind him, then crossed the room into the adjoining bathroom.
As light from the bathroom flooded into the bedroom, Amie became aware of a detrimental flaw in her plan: Benny wasn’t closing the door. Unless he had an extremely convenient habit of closing his eyes while urinating, he’d definitely see her if she tried to make an exit.
Heart sinking, she put down the papers and unlocked her phone. Underscored by the sound of Benny heeding nature’s call, she texted David:Not gonna work. He left the door open. He’d see me leave.
“Goddammit,” came David’s voice from the other room.
“What’d you say?” Benny called from the bathroom.
“Nothing!”
Amie swiped on her phone, opening her messages with Ziya.
Amie: What are you doing here??
Ziya: You weren’t answering your doorbell, so I tried David. He buzzed me up
Amie: My original question still stands
Ziya: I told you not to solve any murders without me!!
Amie looked up as the toilet flushed. She shot off a response before locking her phone again:
Amie: Hiding under Benny’s bed. David’s trying to distract him, but I have no way of leaving
The bathroom light switched off. Amie held her breath again as Benny emerged.
Her whole body tensed as his feet stopped right in front of where she was hiding. She had a grim, scientifically supported feeling that the rest of him had stopped as well.
“Where did …?” Benny mumbled.
A hand came into view, and Amie squeezed her eyes shut, as if the man wouldn’t be able to see her if she couldn’t see him. After several painfully long seconds, she chanced a peek through her eyelashes.
The hand had disappeared, as did the sock Amie had flung out from beneath the bed in disgust. She silently cursed herself for being so careless, then applauded herself for her seemingly successful “if I can’t see him, he can’t see me” strategy.
