‘And thanks for my mail.’
‘You’re welcome.’
She started to walk away. ‘Wait! I think you’re forgetting something.’
‘I completely disagree. A goodnight kiss would be inappropriate.’
She laughed. ‘You know, you’re pretty funny — for a serial killer.’
‘I hear that all the time. So, what did I forget?’
‘There should be a package of some kind.’
‘A package?’
She nodded. ‘I was expecting a package.’
‘Sorry, I didn’t see any package. I’ll let Ashley know you’re looking for it, and she can drop it off later. Okay?’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Okay, I can take a hint. I’m leaving now. But please let Ashley know I stopped by.’
Payne nodded, then closed and locked the door.
32
Payne walked towards his friend, braced for the onslaught that would eventually come. ‘Go on. Get it out of your system.’
Jones started to laugh. ‘Man, I’ve seen a lot of crazy things during our time together, but the whole I-just- got-done-banging-your-neighbour tactic has got to be the craziest. Did you learn that shit at the academy or during SEALs training?’
He shrugged off the comment. ‘It worked, didn’t it? That’s all that matters.’
‘I guess
‘What do you mean by that?’
‘Which is?’
‘Miss Moore saw you and talked to you. Who do you think she’s going to blame for wrecking this place? I’ll give you a hint. He just finished boning a dead chick.’
Payne disagreed. ‘She saw three inches of me through the crack in the door. No way she can ID me from that.’
‘Dude, I’ve seen you in the shower. Three inches is all you got.’
Payne ignored the insult, trying to decide if he had anything to worry about. Ideally, he would have preferred not talking to anyone who could place him inside the apartment, but considering the unique situation he had been facing, he had utilized an unconventional tactic to do what he had to do — he kept Megan away from the apartment without harming her.
‘Listen,’ Payne declared, ‘it’s my ass on the line, not yours. So tease me all you want; I really don’t care. I made a gutsy, spur of the moment decision that proved to be successful. And if I had a chance to do it over, I would do the same damn thing.’
‘Are you sure? Because next time I’d suggest
Payne shook his head. ‘I swear to God, I need to get a new best friend.’
‘If you don’t mind, can you order one later? For the time being, it’s probably best if we get out of here as soon as possible. Megan might come back for a second viewing.’
Payne wiped down the door, making sure his prints had been removed, before he peeked into the hallway. He glanced left and right and saw nobody out there. Jones stood behind him, waiting to exit the apartment, but he wouldn’t leave until Payne was holding the elevator at the far end of the hall. In their minds, it was the best way to minimize their exposure time.
Moving quietly, Payne slipped out of the apartment and turned left. He clutched his gun inside his coat pocket, ready to fire at all times. The odds were against the intruders returning — they had already trashed Ashley’s apartment — but he was prepared, just in case.
He pushed the down button and watched the numbers move above the three elevators, trying to time things perfectly. The one on the right had been in the lobby but was now climbing towards
Jones heard the signal and opened the door softly. Wasting no time, he slipped into the hallway and closed the door. Unfortunately, his timing couldn’t have been worse. A split-second after the lock clicked shut, Megan stepped out of her apartment, carrying a large bag of recyclables. Years of training had taught Jones to trust his senses, so he immediately pivoted towards the noise behind him and raised his gun in a shooting stance fully expecting to see an armed gunman. Instead, he saw a gorgeous brunette wearing a silk robe and bunny slippers.
Their eyes locked for a full three seconds before all hell broke loose.
Stunned by the development, Megan dropped her bag and unleashed a scream that caused dogs to bark a block away. Realizing his mistake, Jones tucked the gun into his pocket as quickly as he could and immediately started to apologize, but Megan was too frazzled to comprehend what he was saying.
‘Take the bag,’ she screamed. ‘You can have it! It’s just garbage!’
‘Then what do you want?’
‘Jon!’ he yelled, realizing he needed backup. ‘Come here!’
One by one, doors started to open throughout the sixth floor as nosy neighbours stuck their heads into the hallway like prairie dogs looking for predators. Completely exposed, Jones was tempted to run, but realized that would result in twenty people dialling 9-1-1 before he even reached the lobby. So he followed Payne’s lead from before and decided to improvise, even if it meant exposing himself to several potential witnesses.
Of course, his exposure would involve less nudity than Payne’s.
Jones whipped out his credentials, issued by the Pennsylvania Association of Licensed Investigators, and held it above his head. ‘Relax, everybody, I’m a detective. The woman startled me, and I overreacted. It’s completely my fault.’
Despite his apologies, Megan backed away from Jones, not willing to trust the man who had just pulled a gun on her. She stared at him the entire time, reluctant to shift her gaze from him until her neighbour across the hall opened his door. Brad was a scrawny man with a large Adam’s apple that bulged from his neck like a massive
Meanwhile, Payne hustled down the centre of the hallway, trying to calm everyone else on the floor. As he did, he held his wallet in the air — even though he didn’t have a badge of any kind. He did it all for show. ‘Don’t worry, people, everything is fine. We didn’t mean to disturb your evening. Please go back inside, and we’ll get things settled.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Jones assured her. ‘I didn’t know it was you.’
She slid behind Brad, who didn’t seem pleased by the development. ‘Who did you think it was?’
Jones shrugged, not sure how to answer. ‘I heard a noise behind me and my instincts took over. I’m sorry if I scared you. I really am.’
‘Who let you in?’ she demanded.
‘Excuse me?’
‘This is a
‘Yeah,’ Brad said, puffing out his chest. ‘Who let you in?’
Jones stammered. ‘I, um, don’t—’
‘I did,’ Payne said as he stepped in front of Jones.
