Free Worth the Risk by Melinda Di Lorenzo

shutting the door right now,” she said.
    In spite of her words and her shrewd expression, Sam grinned a genuinely affectionate grin. “Eileen, this is Meredith. And yes, she belongs to me.”
    “Hmph. Does she know that?”
    Sam squeezed Meredith’s hand again, this time in a silent prod.
    “Oh, I know all right,” she said quickly. “Sam’s making sure of that.”
    Eileen laughed. “Come in, then. Have some tea. Tell me what happened to your face and I’ll tell you why I think this building lockdown is bull.”
    Sam bit back his need for urgency and allowed his elderly neighbor to take her time. He knew she’d only stall further if he pressured her. Or ask questions he’d prefer not to answer. So in spite of the fact that the more time that went on, the more likely it was that his stairwell assailant would wake or be found, Sam simply sat back and let her prepare the tea and cookies. He interlocked his fingers with Meredith’s, just as much for his own pleasure as for show, and listened to Eileen complain about the service at their local grocery store. Finally, when they’d eaten enough to satisfy her, she turned the conversation to their present concerns all on her own.
    “Damned fake cops showed up about an hour ago,” she said. “Told us all to stay in our apartments because there’s some kind of criminal in our building.”
    Sam kept his face smooth. “Fake cops?”
    Eileen snorted. “You think real cops come door-to-door, hands on their guns, and tell the residents they’re arresting someone in the building? Or that they cut the telephone lines and demand that people hand over their cell phones? Threaten them when they refuse? I thought that gang-type fellow down the hall was going to get capped when he didn’t want to give them his phone.”
    Sam couldn’t suppress a chuckle. “What I think is that you’ve been watching too much TV.”
    “So it’s just a coincidence that you show up at my door, all beaten up and ex- real -cop-like?” Eileen lifted a nonexistent eyebrow and turned her attention to Meredith. “He tell you he used to be a cop?”
    As Meredith nodded her reply, Sam was glad he had told her.
    Eileen crossed her arms. “Hmm. Well. I’m guessing whatever’s going on in the building has something to do with you, and I’m guessing you want a favor without telling me a damned thing, too.”
    “Pretty much,” Sam agreed.
    His neighbor sighed. “All right. What is it?”
    “Just a few minutes in your bathroom to clean myself up.”
    “And?”
    Sam forced his body to stay relaxed. The woman had a nose for a lie, and he didn’t want her to pick up on the bit of deception he was about to toss her way.
    “And we’d really appreciate it if you’d let us climb down your emergency ladder.”
    Eileen stared at him for a moment, then sighed for a second time and waved her hand toward the hall. “You know where it is. But don’t think for a single second that I don’t suspect you’re up to something else, Sammy Potter. Don’t make me check your pockets for my good soap on the way out.”
    He let out a breath as he stood. “I’ll try to keep my kleptomaniac habits to a minimum.” He bent to kiss Meredith’s cheek and whispered in her ear, “Sorry, sweetheart. Ten minutes and I’ll have the files and we’ll be back to finding your sister. I promise.”
    She gave him a nod, and he slipped up the hall. In spite of his tension, Sam smiled to himself as he heard Eileen open up the conversation with the declaration that she was a little bit psychic. The woman was as nutty as a candy bar, and nowhere near as sweet. He could only imagine what she’d said to the “fake” cops who’d come banging on her door. But she liked Sam, and at that moment, he was pretty damn glad they were friendly.
    Months earlier, an investigation into the disappearance of a young woman being stalked by her ex-boyfriend had gone south. The ex in question discovered Sam’s involvement in the location