Free Dead Women Tell No Lies by Nora LeDuc Page B

kid’s idea.”
    “You’re aware of my professional opinion to the contrary.”
    “I get it.”
    “Then stay glued to your spot while I look around some more.” He dug out a mini flashlight and stole back into the empty restaurant.
    Her nerves tightened and twanged. She didn’t like being alone after her new discovery. She skirted the doorway. “See anything?”
    He moved closer to the restaurant’s main entryway and shone the light on the frame. “The lock was picked. Must be an amateur from the marks left. I can dust for prints after you’re upstairs.” He placed a gloved hand on the knob and gave it a twist. The door swung open with a creak of protest.
    Rose crept forward. The musty odor followed her across the room. She swung a glance around the grimy dining area. A person could hide behind the long bar in the rear. A sick dread squeezed her chest as she inched toward the counter, and then, held her breath and peeked behind. A torn and dirty mattress lay on the floor. “A person’s living here,” she yelled. “I bet it’s the stalker who chased me. If you hadn’t shown up the other night…”
    “Forgot how to stay in one place, Rose?” He was beside her in seconds. He flashed his light over the bedding. “The blanket probably belongs to a homeless person. The shelters close this time of year, but the nights are still cold. They search for cover wherever they can. It’s not unusual to find them in an unused or a deserted business like this one.” He rested his flashlight on the bar top. “When the weather warms up, they’ll camp down by the river. The bank is a mixture of teens seeking privacy and street people hanging out.”
    “I hope you’re right.” A person who lived under the stars seemed harmless compared to a homicidal maniac hiding under her bedroom. “Though I’m not sure a street person living in a tent or makeshift house could afford to buy a plastic hand and a rose.”
    “Stealing or finding them in the trash are possibilities. I’m calling in my men. We’ll work the restaurant. You need to leave.” He grabbed her elbow and steered her across the floor.
    “Lennox, you must have been a bodyguard in another life. I like it.”
    “I’m just doing my job, Miss Blue.” He released his grip in the hallway.
    “Some stranger holed up underneath my apartment makes me crave my gun.”
    He narrowed his eyes at her.
    “I won’t use it since I’ll be okay with you downstairs.”
    “I want you to remain locked in your apartment the rest of the night. Don’t wander out. I’ll talk to Dean and find out if he knows anything about his uninvited guest.”
    “Don’t worry. I’ve no intention of coming downstairs, and I don’t sleepwalk. I hope you find who left the gifts.” She headed upstairs with the detective ushering her from behind.
    The sound of the main door slamming followed by shuffling footsteps sounded in the downstairs hall. Rose froze on the stairs. Lennox halted a step behind her.
    Was her stalker brave enough to walk inside with law enforcement present? Had she deluded herself into believing he would stay hidden and away once he saw she wasn’t alone? Her hand went to her empty pocket. She turned around and faced the detective. “You have my gun,” she whispered.
    “I know.” He made no move to retrieve it.
    The footsteps grew louder. She braced herself, gripping the rail and fastened her attention on the figure jogging up the stairs. He raised his head, and his step slowed when he spotted them.
    “It’s my neighbor.” She stopped clutching the banister. The young man slipped in and out of his apartment across the hall at all hours. He was about twenty, tall and wiry. As he drew closer, he shifted green eyes toward her and slid them away with a blink. His bandanna‒wrapped head bobbed an acknowledgement.
    The guy was strange, no doubt about it. He always dressed in the same clothes: jeans held up by a black belt that appeared ready to fall off his slim body