Chapter 130

His apartment was empty, though. The pad was tidy and nothing seemed out of place. The television was off and the counter in the kitchen area was spotless. Even the floor was clean, freshly waxed with a lemon scent. He’d spent the morning cleaning, I surmised, since the area sparkled

I decided to call him to see where he was at and what he was doing. I pulled out my phone, pressed a button on its screen that represented his number, and listened for a response.

Three familiar rings came to life within my left ear, and in the apartment. Tal’s cellphone was sitting next to the sofa, shining a blue screen with a picture of my grin and phone number on it. I turned my phone off, slipped it away, and fetched his. Tal never left the apartment without his phone, which I found rather strange, abnormal behavior for the man.

I picked up his phone and thumbed through his recent calls, which consisted of my number a few times, his mother’s, and Shawna’s. No surprises.