by C. J. Carson
The gentleman at the desk smiled. “Why yes, hello, my name is Guile Esposito and you are correct. There are two apartments for rent. One is on the tenth floor and the other is a penthouse apartment.”
“We would like to see the one on the tenth floor, please.”
“We would like to see them both.”
I jabbed her in the side with my elbow. “Are you kidding me?”
“I am taking back my role as the unreasonable but fun girl in this relationship!”
The gentleman took a key from behind the desk. “Follow me, ladies.”
Claudia leaned into me and whispered, “Do we look like ladies to you? Isn’t that a term for women over fifty or something?”
We took the elevator and got off on the tenth floor. The gentleman showed us into the apartment. It was amazing!
“Please, come in, ladies. This is the entryway, which is small, but elegant and features a marble floor.”
He led us into the large living room full of natural light and the focal point of the apartment. “As you can see, it has a beautiful stone fireplace which runs with propane. The hardwood floors are oak and have been finished to last three lifetimes. Please feel free to browse around.”
As we moved through the apartment, we found a long counter with leather stools separating the kitchen. On the far side of the living room were four doors. Two led to the en suite bedrooms. The third door was an entry to an additional bathroom that could be used for guests. When we entered the last door, we found a very large space with floor to ceiling windows providing great natural light.
Claudia turned to me. “I don’t know, Allie!”
“What do you mean, you don’t know? Are you joking? This room would make a great studio. Look at the lighting.”
“I know, but don’t you think this is a little too good to be true?”
Guile entered the room. “This apartment comes fully furnished and is twenty-five hundred per month.”
Claudia blurted out, “How can that be? That’s way less than some of the other apartments we have looked at today. You must be mistaken!”
He grinned. “But I believe the ad said ‘motivated renter,’ correct? The owner of this apartment is the same person who owns the two penthouse apartments and one of them is for rent as well.”
Being the practical one, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “This is more than a motivated renter. I think he is downright crazy! He could get far more for this space.”
Guile laughed. “Well, ladies, you would still have to pass a credit check and he would need references. I can assure you he is thorough in that respect. Would you like to see the penthouse?”
Claudia and I responded in unison, “No!”
She turned to me with that pleading face, the one I could never say no to. “What do you say, Allie?”
“I say, where do we sign?”
We spent the next half hour filling out our applications for the apartment. When we finished, we were more than a little hungry.
“So, Claudia, what do you say we check out some of the local restaurants and shops? I could stand for something to eat. How about you?”
“Sounds perfect.”
As we were leaving, Guile said they would be in touch within a couple of days.
***
Later that evening, when Dakota entered the Summit, Guile stopped him at the desk and offered him a manila envelope. “Excuse me, sir, you have some applications for your tenth-floor apartment here. Would you like to take them?”
“Sure, why not? Any bites on the penthouse?”
“No, nothing as of today. Would you like your evening cocktail sent up to you, sir?”
“Sure, Guile, could you make it a double?”
“Certainly, sir!”
“Thanks, Guile, I plan to be in all evening.”
Once in the penthouse, he went to the living room and switched on the large screen TV over the mantle to watch the news. Within five minutes, his cocktail arrived, and he was settling in for the evening. He looked down at the coffee table where he had placed the manila envelope. Reaching over, he slid it open and pulled out the applications. He sat up. Could this be possible? One applicant was Allie Callahan! He immediately called the desk to speak with Guile.
Sandy Turner, the evening receptionist, answered the phone. “Hello, sir, what can I do for you this evening?”
“Hello, Sandy, I need to speak to Guile!”
“I am so sorry, sir. He has left for the evening. Would you like me to try to reach him at home?”
“No, I’ll speak to him in the morning. Thank you, Sandy.”
“Is there anything else I can do?”
“No, that will be all.”
He made another call, but it went directly to voice mail. “Hello, sir, this is Dakota. Could you please call me back as soon as possible? I have some interesting news.”
The next morning, Dakota called down to the front desk and Guile answered the phone. “Good morning, sir. Are you needing one of your vehicles brought from the garage this morning?”
“Yes, Guile, I’ll be down in about an hour. Could you bring the convertible around? I also need to speak with you regarding the applications you took yesterday for the tenth-floor unit.”
“Oh, of course, sir. I will see you in an hour.”
“Good, see you then.”
Dakota made a second call. “Hello, sir. Did you get my message last night?” He paused as the gentleman on the other end responded.
“Yes, what is the interesting news you wanted to share with me?”
“I received two applications for the tenth-floor unit I am renting out here in the Summit, but the most interesting thing about it is one of the applicants is Allie Callahan. This could be an incredible break as she would be here right in the building where I could monitor the situation and I would also have a legitimate reason to interact with her on a fairly regular basis.”
“That is interesting, but I’m not sure if it is truly a coincidence. You need to remember that Allie could be there not by coincidence, but more by design.”
“I don’t understand, sir. Do you think she is on to us and inserting herself into the situation to stay ahead of us? Think about it, would that be a bad thing? That could mean she is getting more in tune with her gifts.”
“I don’t know what to think, Dakota, but rent her the apartment and we will see. Who was the other applicant?”
“A friend of hers. They are planning on renting the unit together.”
“Okay, keep me in the loop. You will need to keep a close eye on the situation as this may bring trouble right to you there at the Summit. So far, you have remained remote from any of this.”
An hour later, Dakota walked out the door of the Summit to find Guile polishing his car with a waxing cloth.
“Good morning, sir.”
“Good morning, Guile. Could you please follow up with Ms. Callahan and let her know I would be happy to meet with her and her friend at their earliest convenience to finish the paperwork on her rental? If they are free, I will be in early today and have no plans this afternoon or evening.”
“I will call her this morning, sir. Will there be anything else?”
“No, that will be all.”
Chapter 20
SITTING ON THE DECK, CLAUDIA AND I were relaxing with our morning coffee when my cell phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Hello, could I please speak to Allie Callahan?”
“This is Allie.”
“Good morning, Ms. Callahan. This is Guile from the Summit.”
“Good morning, Guile.”
I could barely get the words out before Claudia was on her feet doing a happy dance all over the deck. She made it so difficult to talk I could barely finish the phone call.
As soon as I hung up, she couldn’t contain her excitement and began her inquiry.
“What were you thinking? Why didn’t you just make an appointment for us?”
I could barely hold back my laught
er. “Claudia, I wanted to talk to you about a time.”
“I don’t care what time. You set it up and I will make it work!”
I grabbed her hands to bring her attention back to me. “Is this really happening?”
“I know, I can’t believe it. Quick, call him! Don’t give them a chance to offer the apartment to someone else.”
“Not to worry, Claudia! He said the landlord would like to meet at our earliest convenience to complete the rest of the paperwork and the contract. He will even be available this evening if that works for us.”
“Are you joking? Let’s do it!”
Turning from Claudia, I called Guile right back.
He answered right away. “Ms. Callahan?”
“Hello, Guile. Yes, hello again. I just spoke with Claudia and we could be available this evening, say around six o’clock?”
“That will be perfect. Mr. Channing will be home early this afternoon and has no other plans for the rest of the day. I’ll let him know.”
“Perfect, we will see you at six o’clock sharp.” I ended the call and looked at Claudia. “Okay, we are all set for this evening at six. I have to go to the office for a while, and then I’m meeting with Detective Payne at two-thirty. I’ll be home in time to freshen up and grab a bite to eat before we go.”
“Oh sure, where have I heard that before? Oh wait, it was this week when we were planning our apartment hunting. That man tends to get you involved in a wild goose chase every time you meet with him.”
“I promise I will be home in time. He wants to talk to me about something regarding my case, but he wouldn’t discuss it on the phone.”
“That sounds kind of ominous, wouldn’t you say?”
“That’s what I thought, but he was quite adamant about not discussing it over the phone. I have to get ready and go or I won’t be home in time to keep that promise.”
I arrived at the firm and as I was entering my office, I heard my brother’s voice behind me.
“Hey, sis, are you here to work today?”
I turned to see Mark standing in my doorway, sporting a golf club, looking dressed to play eighteen holes. “I am only here for a few hours to go over some things with Tara. You don’t look like you’re here to work.”
“No, I just stopped by to check my mail and messages. I took the day off and I’m having a long weekend with Tammy and the kids. You’re not the only one around here that has received a strong wake-up call.”
“Good for you. I am glad to hear it! Tell everyone I said hi and give them a hug for me.”
“Will do!” As he turned away, he hesitated. “Hey, Allie, I just want to say that promoting Tara was a great move. You have given her some big shoes to fill, but she sure has the right stuff!”
“Yes, she does, but please get out of here or she and I won’t be able to get anything done and your family will think you’re not coming.”
I called out to Tara. “Can you bring in the files on any new potential clients? I would love to spend a few hours going over them with you.”
She entered my office. “Already on it. I put them together this morning, hoping you would want to go over them today.”
“Well, have a seat, Tara, it looks like we have a little work to do. I’m meeting with Detective Payne this afternoon, but let’s get as much done as we can.”
As she sat, she looked up. “It seems that we have three very strong candidates, but by far my favorite is Saunya’s Skin Care.”
“That’s great. Let’s look at that one first.”
She handed me the first of the three folders in her lap. It was about an inch thick. “What is this, did you already start looking at it?”
She winced, leaning back in her chair. “I hope you don’t mind that I took a stab at it and put something together for your review.”
“Are you kidding me? That’s great! I couldn’t be happier. Thank you for taking the initiative. You are proving to be exactly what we need around here. You know, Tara, I have tried to take on so much here at the firm over the past year and had no idea what it was doing to me. It was not just affecting my professional life, it made it impossible to have a personal one. I am so grateful you are here.”
Looking relieved, she smiled. “Well, I haven’t ever attempted this on my own before. I am sure you will have lots of suggestions, but I just thought—”
“You thought right! Let me take this one home and give it the time it deserves for review. I expect that it will be great. You may not have put a package together on your own before, but you have reviewed and assisted me on plenty of occasions. I have a great deal of confidence in you! This could prove to be a great first client for you to work with from the ground up. I love their line of skincare and this is a product we can feel comfortable getting behind.”
“Thank you, Ms. Callahan. I appreciate you’re saying that, but let’s see if you still feel the same after you review my figures and presentation.”
“Okay, it’s Allie, not Ms. Callahan, and I am sure you have done a great job. Let’s take a look at the other possibilities together.”
We spent a couple of hours going over the information for two potential clients. The first one was Garnsey Holdings and Financial Services. That wouldn’t be a stretch for us as we had other clients in financials, but the second one was an up-and-coming grassroots company called Organic Gardens. We didn’t have any clients remotely related to that industry, and that would be a whole new realm for us.
The afternoon flew by before the alarm on my phone went off.
Tara smiled. “Well, I guess you need to get going. Don’t keep Detective Payne waiting. I can finish our notes.”
“Thank you, Tara. I have to get across town and have my meeting with him in time to get home and get ready for another meeting early this evening.”
“No problem, go ahead and get out of here!”
Within five minutes, I was in my car and on the road to see Payne. I got to his office just in time to see him entering the lobby of the police station.
“Well, hello, Allie. Thank you for meeting with me this afternoon. Please come down to my office.”
“So, I’m curious, Detective Payne. What is it you wanted to talk with me about today? On the phone, it sounded like you got a new lead on my attacker.”
“No, not exactly. We received a call from someone at NYPD.”
“The New York Police Department?”
“Yes, he is a detective from NYPD. He knows one of our detectives personally and during a conversation they had, he mentioned that what is happening to you here bears a striking resemblance to a case he had about a year ago.”
We entered Payne’s office.
“Please have a seat. I’m not sure if there is a connection between that case and yours; the most interesting thing is that there was a lot of activity around that case and then everything just stopped about a month before your attack.”
I paused, digesting what he had just said. “So, you’re thinking it stopped there because he may have moved on and possibly ended up here in New England?”
Payne took a deep breath. “The similarities don’t end there. I wish they did, but they don’t. Whoever that was in New York seemed to be testing their victim at some level as well. They are sending us the file for this case for our review.”
“Can I ask who this detective knows in this office?”
“Well, you can ask, but honestly, I am not at liberty to tell you. Not for now, at least. This detective is working undercover and that could not only expose him but put him at great risk.”
“Payne, what can you tell me? Why did you want to see me then?”
“I have some concerns. I would like to move you to a safer environment until we figure this all out. Maybe a safe house or at least a secured rental.”
I smiled. “I may have that covered. Claudia and I just submitted applications for an apartment in the Summit on the tenth floor. They have a secured building and someone at the front desk at all times.”
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He looked surprised. “That’s a pretty swanky place, isn’t it? Like, aren’t the rents crazy?”
“Yes, that’s what we thought, but the gentleman who is renting the space to us seems very motivated to get it filled and made it affordable. Neither one of us could afford it on our own, but together we will not have a problem.”
Shaking his head, he smiled. “Well, I couldn’t have afforded to put you in that place under protective custody, but you couldn’t have found a more secure environment.”
“That’s how we felt. We are meeting with the owner early this evening and, hopefully, will finalize the paperwork. We are very excited!”
“All right, Allie, unless something else comes up, we are just going to have to wait until we receive the files from NYPD and have a chance to review them. I have to tell you; in a way, I hope the guy in New York is wrong about the cases being connected. If they are, this case is going to blow this little city of ours wide open.”
“I don’t get it, Payne. Why do you say that?”
“I don’t know for sure, but this may require us to get the FBI involved. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
I started to walk out of Payne’s office and stopped. “Payne, have you heard anything about Jennie Slater?”
“No, nothing I can talk about. We’re still working on that case. The only thing I can say is that things have gone silent. Her abductors have not made any further contact with the Slaters.”
Chapter 21
ON MY WAY BACK TO THE house, I took a detour and drove to Perkins Cove. I was on a mission to find Claudia the perfect housewarming gift. There was a little shop there that we both loved. This shop was eclectic and teaming with amazing gifts and antiques and vintage items.
Visiting the shop was always such an amazing experience. Some might say it was bedlam, but to me, it was a pandemonium of beautiful, thoughtful treasures. Moving from room to room in the quaint little shop was like moving through time. Each room displayed a different period of antiques mingled perfectly with complementing gifts.
When I opened the door to enter the shop, the small entry bell acknowledged my arrival. A voice rang out from the back of the store. “Hello, please help yourself. I will be with you as soon as I can.”
