He grabbed the flashlight he kept on a shelf and returned to the suspicious spot in the wall. He illuminated the crack and noticed a space behind it. Then something glinted in the light. Something copper.
What the hell is that? With my luck, it’s some new plumbing I haven’t seen before, and it’s leaking, dammit.
With a crowbar and a hard pull, a hinge creaked, and the crack opened. A metal contraption with copper pots and tubes came into view, and a clear liquid dripped into a bucket.
“Is that a still?” he said out loud.
Of course no one answered him, but they didn’t have to. This explained everything. The smell. The girls partying in the basement. Everything. Should he report it to the board of health? Heck, no. That would call attention to the ball player’s building. They’d probably want to talk to the owner.
He sighed. “This might explain the extra foot traffic too. They’re probably selling it.”
Well, they wouldn’t be selling anymore. He’d have to drain and dismantle the enterprise. But should he squeal on the residents? He began looking for the shut off valve and decided that would depend upon how much of a pain in the ass it was to take apart.
Sly held Morgaine’s hand and knocked on the door of apartment 3A with his free knuckles. She noticed his skin warmedwhenever he had some of the vampire curative wine in his system. He was still plenty warm from that morning’s dose, even though it was cold and snowing outside.
Lily had come up the stairs right behind them and waited along with them for Gwyneth to open her door.
Eventually, the door swung open wide.
“C’mon on in, y’all!” Gwyneth stepped back and allowed her guests to enter. Country music played in the background. It had to be Gwyneth’s favorite radio station or a CD she recently bought. Morgaine had never heard the song before.
She had seen Gwyneth’s girly apartment plenty of times, but the other two probably hadn’t. Their gazes wandered around taking in the decidedly feminine décor. White wicker furniture with pink and white striped cushions and loads of unmatched floral pillows dominated the room.
A pink tablecloth and vase of flowers graced the dinette table. Also, on the dinette lay a platter of fried chicken, cornbread, cheese, crackers, fried okra and boiled peanuts. Gwyneth’s version of party food.
Nathan rounded the corner of the kitchen with a Mason jar of what looked to be the finished moonshine whiskey. It was a pure amber color.
Morgaine pointed to it. “Is that the um...” She glanced at Lily.Oops.“Is that what I think it is?”
“First batch,” Nathan said proudly. “Gwyneth and I finished it up while we were, ahem, waiting for you and Sly to, ahem, relax after your ordeal.”
Sly smirked. “Badly clogged throat you’ve got there, Nathan.”
Morgaine dropped Sly’s hand and strolled toward the windows. She gazed outside at the fierce snowstorm.It must have begun snowing as we were, ahem, making love.
Nathan noticed her by the windows. “Big snowstorm out there. It’s times like this when I’m glad I don’t have a car.”
“Amen to that,” Sly said.
Gwyneth piped up. “If I had a car out there, I think I’d just let it set until spring.”
Nathan strolled over to her and casually wrapped an arm around her waist. “Until the city made you move it so they could plow. Thank goodness for public transportation.”
“Are you two…” Lily pointed from one to the other and back again. Her question wasn’t hard to figure out.
Gwyneth chuckled. “Not just yet. I’m gonna make him wait a bit. That way he’ll appreciate me.”
“I already appreciate you.”
“I know, I was just teasin’ is all.”
“You’re a tease all right.”
He tickled her. She shrieked and tried to squirm away.
Morgaine noticed Lily, watching the scene with a serene smile.
“Lily, how are you doing?”
