“I can neither confirm nor deny that I have more puns.”
Once the bulk of the invaders had been escorted out, I mixed water and peppermint essential oil in one of the sprayers and went to town while Malone returned the vacuum cleaner. Once I’d carefully sprayed around the entrances, windows, and doors, I took the opportunity to do a little snooping.
If the apartment was kept for entertaining visiting guests, then Malone Construction needed to add more amenities to the entertaining spaces. A bare minimum of linens in the bathroom, almost no dishes in the kitchen, no table, one recliner, an older-model television—that’s all I could find.
The master bedroom was equally sparse, but I was gratified to see an honest-to-goodness bed frame. It looked new, and the lack of box springs also suggested the mattress was a newer edition. Malone, for his part, was fastidious other than a pair of socks that had missed the hamper.
In the second bedroom, I flipped on the light switch to see a massive computer setup. Multiple towers, three monitors, external hard drives, and equipment I didn’t even recognize, along with an ergonomic chair.
But then I saw something that made me gasp.
The writing was on the wall. Literally. Someone, presumably Malone, had written directly on two of the walls—a long series of dollar amounts and digits that looked like account numbers. Numbers ran almost from ceiling to floor. Sticky notes littered the closet doors along the third wall.
Holy shit.
Was he okay?
I turned off the lights and slipped out of the bedroom just in time to nonchalantly spray the hall as Malone entered the apartment.
Nothing to see here.
But on the inside? I was very chalant.
And Malone thoughtIwas intriguing?
He closed the apartment door behind him. “Are we bug-free yet?”
“I think we’re down to the last of the stragglers,” I said as I plopped into his recliner.
Act normal, Stella. Act normal.
He paused by the chair. “I would say Grandpa needs to add more furniture to the place, but he’s getting rid of the apartment at the end of the year.”
Another reminder that Malone’s stay was only temporary. “Oh?”
“Yeah. I recommended it. Suggested he get rid of the company car program, too.”
“I bet you’re popular with all his employees,” I said.
“Not really. No one likes the bearer of bad news, but it’s better to cut perks than workers, and things like apartments and cars can easily be abused.”
Trista had mentioned that she and Blake had “visited” this apartment when they were dating, but how many guests could a construction company have coming through that they needed to permanently lease an apartment? The whole idea seemed like a relic from an earlier time, but my earlier research had confirmed that the apartment lease was in the name of Malone Construction.
As I shook off such thoughts, he turned to me. “Bet you didn’t have pest control on your bingo card today.”
“Malone, I never have pest control on my bingo card.”
“Oh, then whatdoyou have on your card for the day?” His tone was light. His lips curved into a smile, but his eyes? Shrewd. Calculating.
Reminded me a bit of myself.
“Oh, a little of this, a little of that,” I said.
“Pizza?”
“Maybe.”
“Other fringe benefits?”
