Merry explained, “There was another man who intervened. Sly’s the one who held the attacker down while Konrad took me inside.”
“Ohhh…” The group of long-term residents groaned together.
What was that about?
Then Morgaine said, “Yeah, you don’t want to do that… call the police, I mean.”
Merry looked from one person to the next and the only one who seemed confused was she. “But why?”
“What good would it do?” Konrad rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, you’re all right. You said so yourself. It’s not like the cops are going to find him. It’s way too late now.”
Jason shrugged. “You can do what you want, Merry, but to be honest, I’m not crazy about drawing attention to the building. A police car parked out front will do that. If for some reason they want to speak to me, it’ll wind up in the news and I really want to keep a low profile.”
Konrad interjected, “He’s a celebrity. The last thing he needs is bad press.”
Gwyneth, the pretty redhead from 3B drawled, “Sugar, we’ve all been asked to send any problems to the super, Ralph. He’s Dottie’s husband. If he or Jason can handle the matter, they will.”
“Oh. Okay, I understand. I won’t call them, then.”
Seconds later, blue lights flickered intermittently through her window.
Gwyneth slapped her hand over her chest. “I do declare!”
“Damn,” Konrad groaned. “Dottie must have called them.”
“We should have known that would happen,” Nathan said. “Well, I’m out of here.”
The following day, Merry, more shaken up than she had let on, switched shifts with another nurse so she didn’t have to work. Sleep had come hard and left her jaw sore from fitfully grinding her teeth.
She puttered around her apartment, unpacked boxes, and put her special things where she could see and enjoy them. Her new gold silk curtains were now proudly hung at the bay windows. They were a splurge she couldn’t stop herself from buying as she excitedly shopped for her first place. She didn’t want to cover her hardwood floors as much as accent them, so she bought a five-by-seven faux oriental area rug to group her furniture around.
Other than those two things, everything else had been hers or extra things her family didn’t need. Like a second set of dishes and stainless flatware. At one point, her mother decided she wanted new patterns and, thankfully, she hadn’t thrown out the old ones.
Merry lined the pass-through from the kitchen to the dining area with plants. Her father had insisted he’d only kill them if she left them behind.
Her Mickey Mouse clock hung on the far wall of the kitchen over the table for two, adding some whimsy to the windowless galley.
The excitement sheshouldhave felt while decorating hervery first apartment eluded her.
“How dare some perv deprive me of this long-awaited thrill. This was supposed to bemytime.”
She had planned to rebel. To make up for the years she’d had to put up with being sheltered. Not only that, but she took care of others when she should have been out all night, kicking up her heels and raising hell.
A knock sounded on her front door.
When she opened it, Jason stood there looking yummier than ever.
“I wanted to stop by to see how you’re feeling.”
She put on a cheery smile and said, “Oh, fine! Hey, would you like to have dinner with me this evening?” She hoped he’d realize the legitimacy of her work excuse and give her another chance.
“Yeah, I’d love that.”
Whew.Spending some time with her hot, new landlord could prove a welcome distraction.
“So, did you have to talk to the police at all?” Merry asked.
“No. Fortunately I was able to avoid it simply by stating the truth. I hadn’t seen anything.”
