"No, I'm not." He hesitated, then added, "But my dad and uncles were. I've been around a few murder cases."
He wasn’t going to say any more about his situation.
"Thank you," Kelly said sincerely. "For bringing this back, I mean."
“It’s fine. I’m sorry that I opened it.”
"And for your insight, too. I hadn't considered the tea thing. It’s something to think about."
"Can I ask why you even have that file?" Ben asked, curiosity getting the better of him. “Are you a cop?”
It wasn't every day a guy discovered their neighbor had police files for an unsolved murder.
"Oh, I'm a podcaster," she replied. "I broadcast about cold cases or mysterious disappearances. Stuff like that.”
There was a small part of him that wanted to ask if she was familiar with Wade Bryson. If she were a true crime podcaster, it was probably a foregone conclusion.
But he didn’t ask. He wasn’t prepared to open that can of worms with this woman. He and his family had worked hard to put all of that in the rearview mirror.
"Interesting. I'll have to give you a listen," Ben replied. "Let me know if you need anything else. I have some free time on my hands these days."
What in the hell am I doing? Why can’t I control what I say today?
The admission was more candid than he'd intended. Perhaps he’d lost his conversation skills since losing his business.
Kelly looked like she wanted to laugh, but was too polite to do so.
"Are you saying you're bored?"
There was no pretending now. He’d already said it out loud.
"You could say that. Anyway, have a good day."
“You, too. Thank you again.”
He went inside of his apartment, softly closing the door behind him.
He’d given her back her mail, and now he needed to get the pretty neighbor off of his mind. He had plans to make, a career to revive.
Whatever the next chapter in his life held, he wouldn’t find it across the hall. If he was interested, and he was not, the last thing he needed was a woman who thought murder wassomething fun to dig into and collected crime scene photos like baseball cards.
Kelly Bateman was most definitely not his type.
Chapter
Four
Kelly Bateman had faceda few unpleasant moments in her life, but standing in the hallway of her apartment building while her boyfriend Kevin loomed over her, his voice rising with each accusation, was quickly becoming another to add to her list of things she’d rather never do again.
This is what I get for ignoring a parade of red flags so I could have five minutes of peace at a family gathering.
She'd known this conversation was coming. Had practically invited it by making plans with Amy and Dina for tomorrow night without consulting him first. The way his finger jabbed toward her face made her flinch, not from fear of him actually touching her, but from the sheer disrespect the gesture conveyed.
What an absolute asshole.
"I can't believe you'd do this to me," Kevin hissed, his perfectly styled hair barely moving despite the force of his anger. How did he even get it to do that? "You know I might want to see you tomorrow night after drinks with the partners."
"I didn't realize I needed to keep my schedule clear on the off chance you might drop by," Kelly replied, attempting to keep her voice level.
