Sharon had her hand to her throat. “Excuse me, sir,” she said. “Are you the resident of 2B?”
The man looked at the unit he’d just left. “Me?” He adjusted his cap and shook his head. “No, I just fixed a plumbing problem. Had a bad float valve on a toilet.”
“Is the resident in there right now?”
“Nope. It’s a real nice apartment though. The guy’s got a wicked sound system. Real good music collection too.” He nodded and turned toward the elevator. “Have a good one.”
Sharon started to go after him, and Cate grabbed the back of her shirt. “Enough, stalker-girl,” Cate said.
“But I had just a couple more questions.”
“That’s a big fib. You wanted to put him in a dark room, blindfold him, and make him recite everything he remembered about being inside 2B.”
“Yeah, that’s true,” Sharon said. “I would have beat it out of him if he hadn’t cooperated.”
“This has been disappointin’,” Julie said. “I expected to see some gangster or some reclusive individual. I’m goin’ back upstairs and hang out the window some more. Maybe I can see 2B coming into the building.”
“I don’t suppose you saw anyone strange come into the building last night?” Cate asked Julie.
“No. I was working the trolley last night. I don’t usually hang out the window after dark anyway. I saw a strange little man this morning though. He was standin’ on the sidewalk, lookin’ up at our building. He was a hairy little thing, and he had sideburns and a Kewpie doll curl in the middle of his forehead.”
“Did you talk to him?” Cate asked.
“I asked him if he was a Kewpie doll, and he said
“It’s his name,” Cate said. “He’s my mother’s friend.”
“He’s kind of cute,” Julie said. “Like a furry little forest animal. And he’s short. It’s been my experience that a short man with a little wee wee makes a real good lover. They gotta try harder than the big uns.”
“He’s sort of a nut,” Cate said.
“Speaking of nuts, I saw Kitty Bergman drag her gloom-and-doom cloud into the building this morning too,” Julie said. “She’s here a lot, and she just comes on in. She doesn’t have to intercom anyone to get past the buzzer door. How does that work?”
“She owns real estate here,” Sharon said. “Two rental units on the first floor and one on the second floor.”
Chapter EIGHT
Cate stared openmouthed at the car in front of her.
“What?” Kellen asked. “Is something wrong?”
“This is your car?”
“Yeah, it’s a beauty, isn’t it? It’s a ‘65 Mustang, totally cherried out in its original black paint scheme. It’s got steel wheels and a K-code solid lift engine. And you don’t have to worry about Beast in the backseat. The leather is practically indestructible.”
It was a sign from God, Cate thought. Kellen McBride rode a black horse.
“It’s a great car,” she said.
Kellen smiled. “I got it as a bonus for a job I did last year.”
Kellen opened the door, and Beast climbed onto the backseat and hunkered down. Cate slid onto the passenger seat and cracked her knuckles.
“Want to tell me about the job?” Cate asked.
“No.”
“Just dandy,” Cate thought. Black horse, sexy smile, hot body, dreamy eyes, and he was probably a hit man for the mob.
“Was it illegal?” she asked.
“No.”
“Did it involve drugs?”
“No.”
“Okay then.”
Kellen stopped for a light and cut his eyes to her. “Are you worried about me?”
“Not anymore.”
He reached over and held her hand. “Good.”
“Maybe a little.”
Kellen blew out a sigh. “I’m a salvage expert.”
“What the heck is that?”
“I retrieve lost property.”
“A repo man.”
Kellen gave a bark of laughter. “I’ve never thought of it that way, but I guess it could apply.” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “Are you still worried?”
Cate had the cake on her lap, and under the cake she pressed her legs together. “No. Yes.”
“About my job?” Kellen asked.
“That too,” Cate said. “You aren’t one of those guys who go around breaking peoples’ knees, are you?”
“No. I hardly ever break knees.”
“That’s a relief.”
They were in a neighborhood of sturdy, modest homes on small lots. No garages. On-street parking. One block over was a street filled with small businesses, including the Madigans’ store.
“My parents live in the cream-colored house with the green door,” Cate said. “You’ll never find a parking place on the street, but you can park in the back. There’s an alley and room to pull in behind the house.”
Kellen drove to the back of the house, parked the Mustang, and reached for Beast’s leash.
“Are you nervous?” Cate asked Kellen.
“About meeting your parents? No.”
“If you had any intelligence at all you’d be shaking in your boots,” she said. “This isn’t going to be pretty.”
“Is that why you brought Beast? To take the pressure off me?”
“No. I brought him because my brother Danny is going to turn green with envy. He’s always wanted a cool dog like this.”
Cate’s mother was at the back door, holding it open.
“This is Beast,” Cate told her mother. “And this is Kellen.”
“Good glory,” her mother said. “I was expecting a little dog, and I thought you were fibbing about bringing a man.”
“I’ll put the cake in the kitchen,” Cate said to her mother. “You’re on your own,” she said to Kellen. “It’s every man for himself from here on out.”
Danny was in the kitchen. He gave Cate a hug and a bottle of beer, and eyeballed Kellen and the dog.
“I don’t know about this guy you brought,” Danny said. “But the dog is excellent.”
Kellen stuck his hand out. “Kellen McBride.”
“You’re kidding,” Danny said, shaking his hand. “You made that name up, right? Only leprechauns are named Kellen McBride.”
“Behave yourself or there’s no cake for you,” Cate’s mom said to Danny.
Zoe and Zelda ran in and flung themselves at Cate. She bent and hugged them, and introduced Kellen.
“Mommy and Daddy sleep in the same bed,” Zoe said to Kellen. “Do you sleep with Aunt Cate?”
“Not yet,” Kellen said.
“People don’t sleep together until they’re married,” Danny said to the girls.
“Are you going to marry Aunt Cate?” Zoe asked Kellen.
“Maybe,” Kellen said, his eyes smiling at Cate, showing nice crinkle lines at the corners.
Danny looked from Kellen to Cate. “Black horse or white horse?” Danny asked Cate.
“Black. Mustang. ‘65,” Cate said.
