Read Online Dark Perception: The Corde Noire Series by Alexandrea Weis - Free Book Online

on, I assure you.”
    “ Paranormal doesn’t bother
me, Bob,” she joked. “Do you live there?”
    Bob nodded. “I have a small apartment
on the third floor, in case I need to be on call for Mr. Cole.
Otherwise, I live in Metairie and come in when Mr. Cole needs
me.”
    “ How many other employees
live there?”
    “ Mr. Cole’s secretary, Edna
Barker, lives on the third floor. She’s an elderly widow who
handles all of his appointments and paperwork. There is Phil
Boudreaux, who works as a security guard for the building, and Marv
Spell, who handles the building maintenance. You’ll meet everyone
in time. Most people keep to themselves at The
Shallows.”
    Melinda turned the information over in
her head, and then that eerie feeling grew more
insistent.
    “ Is there something else
about the building I should know?”
    Bob wrinkled his brow at her through
the rearview mirror. “Something else?” He pondered her question.
“It’s a nice building, real clean, and Mr. Cole makes sure his
tenants are satisfied. Other than that, I don’t know what to tell
you, miss.”
    Melinda searched his eyes and sensed
his apprehension. “Just trying to get a feel for the place, Bob,
that’s all.” She gazed out the window at the passing tourists on
the street. “So who will be my neighbor at The
Shallows?”
    “ Your apartment is on the
top floor. Mr. Cole will be your neighbor.”
    Melinda’s gut clenched. “Mr. Cole? You
said only Mr. Cole lived on the top floor.”
    Bob grinned at her in the rearview
mirror. “Mr. Cole insisted you be close by and had Marv get the
apartment next to his penthouse ready for you.”
    The dread slowly climbed up Melinda’s
throat. “Who else lives on the top floor besides Mr.
Cole?”
    Bob turned his attention to the road
ahead. “No one, ma’am.”
    “ Then who lived in the
apartment before me?”
    Bob shrugged. “Mr. Cole’s decorator
lived there briefly before moving out of town a while back. The
place has been vacant ever since.”
    Melinda sat back in her seat as a knot
formed in her stomach. Suddenly, her new adventure had taken a turn
toward the unexpected.
    * * *
    When Bob parked the Mercedes in front
of a renovated, five-story, red-bricked warehouse, Melinda was a
little disappointed. The way Nathan had described the apartment
building he owned, it sounded like a four-star hotel. But the
exterior resembled the rest of the refurbished warehouses on the
short block. It had an unassuming façade of plain windows climbing
up to the top floor, a single entrance with a decorative
leaded-glass door, and cast-iron streetlights lining the front
sidewalk.
    “ This is it?”
    Bob cut the engine. “Yes, Miss
Melinda. This is The Shallows.”
    “ It’s smaller than I
expected.”
    Bob peered up at the building. “There
are only a few apartments on each floor, with your apartment and
Mr. Cole’s penthouse on the fifth floor. Not a large apartment
building, but too many people would probably annoy Mr.
Cole.”
    “ What makes you say
that?”
    Bob stretched for his car door. “He’s
a very private man.”
    When Melinda stepped onto the
sidewalk, she glanced over at Bob. “Thanks for the ride. I’m sure
we will see each other again.” She slung her backpack over her
shoulder.
    “ We will, miss. I’m to be
your driver.”
    Melinda’s mouth dropped open. “My
driver?”
    “ I’m to take you wherever
you need to go, as per Mr. Cole’s instructions.”
    She bit down on her lower lip,
fighting against the urge to ask Bob a million and one questions
about Nathan Cole’s integrity.
    “ Mr. Cole said you don’t
have a car,” Bob added, eyeing her perplexed face.
    Melinda tugged at the backpack on her
shoulder. “No, I don’t.”
    “ Then you’ll need a car to
get around to meetings with Mr. Cole’s clients, and to run any
errands since you don’t know the area. Things are a little more
spread out here than the French Quarter.”
    Melinda was appeased by his
explanation.