I make my way to what appears to be the office. The front door opens with a creak, revealing a foyer with dark wooden wainscoting and a brass mail station. The whole place smells of old wood and furniture polish, with undertones of various tenants’ scents—definitely wolves, I note, though there are plenty of humans in the mix.
“Can I help you?” In the foyer, a woman rises from a chair behind the counter. She’s human, probably in her late sixties, with her silver hair cut short.
“Uh, yeah, I’m Jude Collins.” I drop my duffel bag at my feet and tug my wallet out of my back pocket.
She checks my ID like she suspects I’m lying about who I am. Do people really try to sneak into this ancient relic of an apartment building? I find that hard to believe, but it takes all kinds to make the world keep spinning.
Once she’s satisfied I’m who I say I am, she starts typing on her computer. “I’m Eleanor Whitaker, but everyone calls me Ellie. You’re later than I was expecting. I wouldn’t usually be in the office this late, but I wanted to personally welcome you to Golden Peak. I imagine you’re late on account of the horrible weather?” She looks up and meets my gaze, and her eyes are a startling blue.
“Yep. The snow was coming down hard the last hour. I figured it was more important to not fly off the side of the mountain rather than rush to get here.”
She nods as if she approves and goes back to typing. She taps on the keyboard so long I start to wonder if maybe she’s writing a novel. Eventually, she hands me a set of keys, explaining they’re color-coded. “Blue for the front lobby door, silver for your apartment, gold for the basement laundry.”
“You have to lock the laundry room?” I frown.
“We surely do. Every now and then we get a drunk who likes to sleep in there. They walk down from The Fox & The Kettle. In weather like this, a laundry room is as good as a five star hotel.” She cackles.
“I suppose that’s true.”
“You’re in 2C, top of the stairs and to the right. I’ll show you the way in just a sec. Oh, by the way, when you turn on the heat, don’t let the radiator scare you off. It clanks something awful at first, but it works just fine.”
“Thanks for the heads up.”
“And the water pressure’s decent for such an old building.” She grimaces. “Except when everyone decides to do their laundry on the same day.” She winks. “Word of warning, don’t take a shower on a Sunday morning unless you’re fond of ice baths. That seems to be their favorite laundry day.”
I smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Okay, follow me.” She grunts as she hobbles around the counter.
Not wanting to inconvenience her, I say, “You don’t have to show me. I can find it.”
“Nah, I need the exercise. What do they say? ‘Motion is lotion’ for the joints.”
I laugh. “Is that what they say?”
“Oh, yeah. Especially at my age. I’m a few years away from being a mummy.” She gives another cackle.
I follow her up to my apartment, noticing everything looks tidy and well taken care of.
“I’m usually in my office early in the morning. If you need anything just call down,” she says. “Most of the other tenants are pretty quiet. Though 2A, that’s Mark Reeves, plays his guitar after midnight sometimes. Mostly classical stuff so it shouldn’t bother you too much.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
She stops in front of 2C. “You had a long drive. If you’re hungry there aren’t many places open right now, but The Fox & The Kettle up the road is open until midnight. They serve food until closing time. They do a good burger.”
“I might check them out.” I haven’t eaten since breakfast so the option of food does appeal. I could also use a beer to help relax my jangling nerves. It’s been ages since I started a new job and I’m feeling a lot of pressure.
“Okay, I’ll leave you to it.” She smiles.
“Thanks.” I slip the key in the door and enter my apartment. It’s bigger than I expected. It has an open plan with high ceilings and windows that probably have a view when it’s not dark outside. The furniture is dated but solid, dark woods and worn fabric. I try not to compare it to my cozy little house back in Atlanta. That’s the past.
I’ll have to try not to compare my new department to Atlanta either. It might not be easy though because Golden Peak isnothinglike Atlanta. The police department here has maybe twenty officers total. I’m used to working in a bustling city environment. This place will take some getting used to, but my plan is to keep my head down and do my job.
I’m not the most sociable person to begin with. Even as a kid, I struggled to fit in with wolves and humans. Although, I really had tried to make friends when I’d moved to Atlanta. But despite the effort I’d failed to connect well with the people I’d worked with. Then after David Kim’s murder, I finally accepted that I’m happiest on my own. Neither wolves nor humans can be trusted to be loyal. While I’m in Golden Peak, I won’t try to engage with anyone on a personal level. I’m here to work and that’s it.
Once I’ve checked out the apartment, I decide maybe I will move the rest of my things from the car into the apartment. Tomorrow I start my new job bright and early, so it’s best to get organized now. I didn’t bring much with me. I sold off all my furniture and electronics. The only things I brought were some books, clothes, and one old photo album.
I have no family left. My parents died long ago. I don’t keep the photos because I miss my mom or dad. I don’t miss them. Not at all. Any memories stirred by the pictures aren’t pleasant ones. But the photos are a record ofmylife.Mypast. Good or bad, those memories and pictures are mine.
