eyes.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me, young lady,” the computer said.
I debated pulling out my badge, but I didn’t want to tip Jenny off that I was a private investigator. Besides, security systems didn’t really put much weight on a private investigator’s badge. Not like they did with the police. I decided to try another tactic.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but a terrible tragedy has happened at Jenny’s place of employment. I’ve come to see if she needs anything.”
“Of course I’ve heard. I’m a model X3CP security system. I’m tied into the Internet and have the interests of my residents programmed into my database. I know everything that is going on with them.”
Creepy. Who wants a security system to know everything that’s going on with them? Then again, Artemis acted like security for me and he pretty much knew everything that was going on in my life.
“Okay, then, so you know she must be terribly upset. Just buzz me in and I’ll make sure she’s okay.”
“Not necessary. She’s okay.”
I narrowed my eyes at it. “How do you know that? Can you see into her apartment?”
“No, but she’s already left for the day. She seemed quite fine when she passed through the lobby at eight a.m..”
I stood there, stunned. Left for the day? “Where did she go?”
“I’m not at liberty to say.”
These infernal machines were so frustrating.
“Are you looking for Jenny?” The voice came from behind me and I spun around to find a little old lady leaning on a purple aluminum three-legged cane. She couldn’t have been more than four feet tall when she wasn’t all hunched over like she was now. Wisps of white hair stood up from her head. Her skin was so pale she was almost invisible, but she blinked at me with sparkly, cornflower blue eyes that telegraphed intelligence and mischief.
“Yes. In fact, I was looking for Jenny. Do you know her?”
She leaned on her cane and tilted her head to the right, looking up at me. “Oh, I know her a little bit. I’m Gerta Beavers. I live down the hall from her. I don’t know her very well, though. Jenny keeps to herself. Didn’t have but one friend who came to visit.”
She started to bend down toward the mail on the floor. Her bones made alarming creaking and snapping noises. “Those darned drones, they do this almost every time. It’s a good thing I don’t get too much of this snail mail. I do like the catalogs, though.”
“Let me get that for you.” I dove for the mail so as to avoid her falling flat on the floor right in front of me.
“Thank you. Just this mail here.” She pointed a gnarled finger toward several catalogs that were lying in a slipshod pile. “The rest of it is for the other residents.”
I scooped up the catalogs and handed them to her, wondering if she could give me any more information about Jenny. “I don’t know if you’ve heard what happened at Jenny’s employers, the Barrows …” I let my voice trail off.
She nodded. “Oh, yes, I have a police scanner that I listen to religiously. In fact, I went over to see if Jenny was all right soon as I heard this morning. I didn’t know if she’d heard the news yet.”
“And had she?”
Gerta's face puckered. “I can’t rightly say, but I assume she must have.”
“Why do you say that?”
“When I opened my door, Jenny was already out in the hallway. I called to her. ‘Yoo Hoo Jenny!’ I asked her if she was okay and she didn’t even turn around. She just waved her hand in the air and kept on going full steam ahead down the hallway, dragging that purple leopard print suitcase behind her.”
Chapter Nine
I went back to my office just in case a new client showed up. I still had Evangeline’s money and felt like I should be doing something for her, especially since the police didn’t seem interested in investigating. I hadn’t heard anything from Tony or Hale on the information I'd given them, but I didn’t really expect them to keep me up to
“Don’t roll your eyes at me, young lady,” the computer said.
I debated pulling out my badge, but I didn’t want to tip Jenny off that I was a private investigator. Besides, security systems didn’t really put much weight on a private investigator’s badge. Not like they did with the police. I decided to try another tactic.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but a terrible tragedy has happened at Jenny’s place of employment. I’ve come to see if she needs anything.”
“Of course I’ve heard. I’m a model X3CP security system. I’m tied into the Internet and have the interests of my residents programmed into my database. I know everything that is going on with them.”
Creepy. Who wants a security system to know everything that’s going on with them? Then again, Artemis acted like security for me and he pretty much knew everything that was going on in my life.
“Okay, then, so you know she must be terribly upset. Just buzz me in and I’ll make sure she’s okay.”
“Not necessary. She’s okay.”
I narrowed my eyes at it. “How do you know that? Can you see into her apartment?”
“No, but she’s already left for the day. She seemed quite fine when she passed through the lobby at eight a.m..”
I stood there, stunned. Left for the day? “Where did she go?”
“I’m not at liberty to say.”
These infernal machines were so frustrating.
“Are you looking for Jenny?” The voice came from behind me and I spun around to find a little old lady leaning on a purple aluminum three-legged cane. She couldn’t have been more than four feet tall when she wasn’t all hunched over like she was now. Wisps of white hair stood up from her head. Her skin was so pale she was almost invisible, but she blinked at me with sparkly, cornflower blue eyes that telegraphed intelligence and mischief.
“Yes. In fact, I was looking for Jenny. Do you know her?”
She leaned on her cane and tilted her head to the right, looking up at me. “Oh, I know her a little bit. I’m Gerta Beavers. I live down the hall from her. I don’t know her very well, though. Jenny keeps to herself. Didn’t have but one friend who came to visit.”
She started to bend down toward the mail on the floor. Her bones made alarming creaking and snapping noises. “Those darned drones, they do this almost every time. It’s a good thing I don’t get too much of this snail mail. I do like the catalogs, though.”
“Let me get that for you.” I dove for the mail so as to avoid her falling flat on the floor right in front of me.
“Thank you. Just this mail here.” She pointed a gnarled finger toward several catalogs that were lying in a slipshod pile. “The rest of it is for the other residents.”
I scooped up the catalogs and handed them to her, wondering if she could give me any more information about Jenny. “I don’t know if you’ve heard what happened at Jenny’s employers, the Barrows …” I let my voice trail off.
She nodded. “Oh, yes, I have a police scanner that I listen to religiously. In fact, I went over to see if Jenny was all right soon as I heard this morning. I didn’t know if she’d heard the news yet.”
“And had she?”
Gerta's face puckered. “I can’t rightly say, but I assume she must have.”
“Why do you say that?”
“When I opened my door, Jenny was already out in the hallway. I called to her. ‘Yoo Hoo Jenny!’ I asked her if she was okay and she didn’t even turn around. She just waved her hand in the air and kept on going full steam ahead down the hallway, dragging that purple leopard print suitcase behind her.”
Chapter Nine
I went back to my office just in case a new client showed up. I still had Evangeline’s money and felt like I should be doing something for her, especially since the police didn’t seem interested in investigating. I hadn’t heard anything from Tony or Hale on the information I'd given them, but I didn’t really expect them to keep me up to
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