Page 86 of Possessive Ink

“Okay, well, try to get your things out as fast as you can, and I’ll keep an eye on Miss Becker. But if she does accuse you of anything actually illegal, I’ll have to investigate,” the deputy warns us.

“Unless sitting on the couch or having too many dresses is illegal, I’ve done nothing she can accuse me of,” Lemon says with a resigned sigh.

“I’m more than happy for you to look into my background, Deputy. I only met Avery for the first time two days ago. She judged me the moment she saw me and started calling me a criminal and a drug dealer. We were here for less than half an hour, then left. The second time was today when she called you guys. You might want to check out her pupils, though, because they’re blown wide,” I tell him.

Sighing wearily, Deputy Cunningham rubs at his forehead. “Okay. Well, I’ll go and deal with Miss Becker. What’s your address? In case I need to speak to either of you.”

“We live in the old, converted warehouse on Elm. We just put in electric security gates. You can’t really miss us,” I tell him.

“Okay, well, thank you for your cooperation.”

“Thank you, Deputy Cunningham,” Lemon says sweetly.

Marcus arrives wheeling two huge suitcases just as the deputy leaves, and between us, we quickly pack up the last of Lemon’s belongings and load them into the van.

“Thanks, Marcus,” I tell him.

“Yes, thank you for your help,” Lemon says.

“Of course, it’s no problem. I’ll run this over to your place and start unloading. None of the furniture is coming?” he asks, glancing at the bed and dresser.

“No, the apartment came furnished, so I got rid of all of my old stuff before I moved in. I do have to go and tell the landlord that I’ve moved out though.”

“Do they live in the building?” I ask her.

“Yes, the apartment is owned by the family who lives on the top floor. We can head up there now before we leave.”

“Okay, I’ll see you back at the loft then,” Marcus says, waving, then heading toward the elevator.

We wait for the elevator to take Marcus downstairs, then ride it to the top floor. Unlike the floor where Lemon and Avery’s apartment is, this floor only has one apartment on it, and Lemon’s steps slow the moment we get closer to the door.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

“Yes, I’m fine,” she says, sucking in a breath and knocking on the door.

It’s opened almost immediately by a prim-looking woman. “Can I help you?”

“Hello, Mrs. Acosta. I’m not sure if you remember me. I’m Lemon Manning. I rent apartment twenty-one.”

She thinks for a moment, then nods. “Apartment twenty-one, yes.”

“Our lease is due to end in a little over two months, but I just wanted to let you know that I’m moving out today and won’t be renewing my lease,” Lemon tells her.

“And your roommate?”

“I’m not sure what her plans are.”

“Okay. Well, at the end of the lease period, I’ll inspect the apartment, and assuming there’s no damage, I’ll return your security deposit. We do have one-bedroom apartments in the building available, if you’re looking for somewhere else.”

“She’s moving in with me,” I inform the older woman, who nods. “We actually took some photos and videos of the condition of the apartment as we left it a few moments ago. Do you have an email we can send them over to? There are some concerns over Lemon’s roommate doing something to the property and then blaming Lemon, so we’d rather you have some record of its current condition.”

“Yes, I have an email you can send those to, but I prefer to inspect the condition in person, so I can come down there now and check it over,” Mrs. Acosta offers.

“That would be great,” I tell her, curling my arm around Lemon and pulling her to the side so Mrs. Acosta can step out of her apartment.

It only takes a few moments for us to ride the elevator down to the second floor and for Mrs. Acosta to wander through the apartment.

“Okay, I’m happy. It’s in great condition, clean, and there’s no damage in the living space or the bedroom that you’ve just moved out of. Email me the pictures anyway and return your keys, but once the lease has ended, I’m happy to agree that any damage incurred between now and the end of the lease will be your roommate’s responsibility. Although you will still have to continue paying the rent for the next two months as agreed.”