Down the sidewalk they went. He unlocked the front door of the duplex unit next to his and ushered them inside. “Sonny kept his sunglass collection over here.” Making a diagonal trek through the living room, they walked to a back breezeway.
Wooden shelves lined the wall, and each shelf contained sunglasses—dozens of them.
“Sonny had a lot of sunglasses,” Carlita commented.
“He collected them like he collected women.”
Dernice began perusing the shelves.
“You mentioned the Wiley X brand,” Rocky said.
“Mine are black. It might take a minute. He has several pairs that look almost the same.”
Carlita tapped him on the shoulder. “I was wondering if I could use the restroom.”
“Uh. Sure. I guess. Be right back, Dernice.”
Rocky escorted Carlita through the living room to a narrow hallway, stopping in front of a door halfway down. “The lock sometimes sticks, so don’t lock it.”
“Thanks for the warning.” Carlita told him she would find her way back and slipped inside. After counting to ten, she slowly eased the door back open. Sticking her head around the corner, she confirmed the coast was clear.
Carlita shut the door behind her to make it look like she was still in there. Faint voices, Rocky’s voice followed by Dernice’s, echoed.
“Make it quick, Carlita,” she whispered under her breath. Based on the layout of the duplex, she figured the bedrooms were beyond the bathroom.
Tiptoeing to the end, she noticed the room on the right, the one facing the street, was being used as an office. Desk, chair, computer, lamp, corner cabinet, and a futon sofa with a black cushion filled the space.
Carlita pivoted, turning her attention to the room directly across the hall. Finding the door slightly ajar, she gritted her teeth, cautiously easing it open.
Creak.
The door creaked loudly. Certain Dernice and Rocky had heard it, she froze in her tracks, her heart pounding in her chest, waiting for Sonny’s brother to storm down the hall, demanding to know what she was doing.
“Kick it into gear, Carlita. You can only spend so much time in the bathroom.” Sucking in a breath, she flung the door the rest of the way open.
Much larger than the room across the hall, she found a king-size bed with a padded purple headboard. A long, low dresser with an eighties vibe sat against the opposite wall. A set of sliders offered an unobstructed view of the paved patio.
For the most part, the bedroom appeared neat and tidy, except for a coat rack in the corner, filled with an array of clothes—a suit jacket, necktie, and what appeared to be a bath towel.
With a quick check to make sure the coast was still clear, Carlita eased the door shut, leaving it ajar and exactly how she’dfound it. Picking up the pace, she darted across the room and opened a dresser drawer. Working her way from top to bottom, she moved at a rapid rate.
She finished and rushed over to the closet for a quick inspection. Again, no clues hit her radar.
Thud.A dull thud echoed.
Carlita froze, offering a small prayer that Dernice the distracter was still working her magic. The thud echoed again. She tiptoed back toward the door when a tiny inner voice urged her to check the coat rack.
She hesitated for a fraction of a second, knowing the longer she searched, the greater her risk of being caught.
Carlita ran to the coat rack and began rummaging through the clothes. Buried behind the towel, she found a lanyard hanging on the hook.
Doubling down on her efforts, she shoved a suit coat aside and grabbed hold of the clear plastic. Inside the clear plastic badge was a nametag:Sonny the Enforcer. She removed her cell phone from her pocket and snapped a picture.
“…sure she’s okay,” Dernice’s voice, high-pitched and with a sense of urgency, drifted down the hall.
Carlita instinctively dropped to her knees and ducked behind the bed.
“…give her another minute. See? The bathroom door is closed. She’s still in there,” Dernice hissed in a loud voice. “You’ll embarrass my friend if you pound on the door.”
