Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
When Lily told Flynn she wouldn’t go into Mr Latham’s flat again, she genuinely had meant it.
She hadn’t liked it, but she could see his point that she shouldn’t go poking around in what could end up being a crime scene.
It was a mix of curiosity and boredom that broke her.
That and the feeling, deep in her bones, that there was something fishy going on.
She couldn’t imagine Mr Patel had done anything more than posted his note, but it appeared lots of people had their issues with Mr Latham. And there were definitely things that didn’t add up about his death.
She really didn’t like it when things didn’t add up.
With her black winter gloves hanging out of the back pocket of her jeans, she knocked on Caroline’s door about twenty minutes after her encounter with Mr Patel.
Muffled noise from inside sounded like someone shuffling towards the door before it finally opened.
The kid looked out at her – Liam. His hair stuck out at odd angles, and he rubbed at an eye as though coaxing it into focusing.
“Yeah?” he muttered.
“Hi. I’m from downstairs.”
He rubbed at his other eye. “I don’t know you.”
“I’m staying in flat 3. It’s my boyfriend’s place.”
“Right. Yeah. My mum cleans for him sometimes.”
“Yes. That’s the one.”
“She’s out,” he said through a yawn. “At work.”
“Oh.” That foiled her plan somewhat. “What time will she be home?”
He looked at his watch as though that might hold the answer. “Day is it?” he asked.
“Sunday.”
“She’ll be at the petrol station then. Started early. She usually comes home on her break, so if you come back in half an hour you might catch her.”
“Maybe you could help me,” Lily said. “I want to borrow the key for Mr Latham’s flat. I was in there yesterday and I think I might have left my AirPods behind. I can’t find them anywhere.”
“Can’t you track them?”
“I tried. It’s not working.”
“How come you were in there?” he asked, pointing a thumb at the neighbouring door.
“I was with your mum when she found Mr Latham.”
“Oh.”
“So… the keys?”
“Mum doesn’t have a key for his place.”
“Yes, she does. She used it yesterday.”
“Why would she have a key for the landlord’s flat?”
“For when she cleans in there.”
“She doesn’t clean his flat, only the stairs and the hallways.”
Lily smiled through her confusion. “She told me she cleans in there. She had the key. It’s on a yellow key ring.”
His eyebrows twitched. “A yellow one?”
“Yeah.”
“Hang on a second.” He moved out of sight, but was back momentarily, holding up the key. “Is this it?”
“Yes. That’s it.” She reached for it, but he pulled back. “I’d really love to have a look for my AirPods,” she said. “They’re almost brand new.”
He chewed on his lip. “I doubt this is even the right key. I just saw it on the table, but Mum definitely never had a key for his place.”
“Do you mind if I try it?” she asked hopefully.
“Sure.” He passed it over and they moved to Mr Latham’s door. The lock clicked when Lily turned the key.
“That’s weird,” Liam said, then reached for Lily’s arm. Instinctively, she drew back. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “You had a thread on your coat.” He shook his hand as though getting rid of it, but Lily couldn’t see anything. Liam shrugged and backed up. “Just bring the key back when you’re done with it.”
“Thank you,” she said, but he’d already closed the door.
Quietly, she went inside, feeling like a thief as she crept along the hall. Her heart rate increased when she reached the living room. Crouching beside the coffee table, she examined the wood of both the table and the bookcase.
No obvious damage. She put her gloves on. The empty bookcase wasn’t heavy, and she eased it away from the table briefly.
Definitely no marks on either item of furniture. That didn’t make sense. Even hitting Mr Latham first, it would surely have left some sort of mark.
She surveyed the items strewn across the floor, noting once again that the vase and lamp had both got away unscathed.
A shelving unit above the TV held a few more books and an ornament in the shape of an owl.
The drawers and cupboards in the dresser didn’t reveal anything more than some old placemats, a sandwich toaster and a stack of car magazines.
Turning in a circle, she moved back to the hallway, intent on having a rifle through his bedroom, but the door she came to first was a small office.
She stepped inside the neat, compact space.
On the desk sat a laptop, a mouse pad and a pot of pens. Everything was ordered. Creepily so.
On the windowsill behind the desk, a paper tray held several sheets of paper. Lily tilted her head to read the top one, then hastily reached out and snatched the piece of paper.
A letter addressed to Flynn.
She muttered a curse when she registered it was an eviction notice. She took the next paper on the pile only to find it was the same letter.
Wait, not quite the same. The dates were different. She picked up three more letters. One a week for the last 5 weeks. What the heck?
The rest of the papers in the tray were the same, but addressed to Aiden. Seven for him. Each dated a week apart.
“This doesn’t make any sense,” Lily muttered. He’d written eviction notices but never given them?
At a noise from elsewhere in the building, Lily froze, listening. Muttered voices were entirely unintelligible, but she’d hazard a guess and say Caroline was home on her break.
Hurriedly, Lily took photos of the letters and put them back where she’d found them. Then she made quick work of checking the desk drawers. Office supplies all had their place – paperclips and pins, envelopes and Sellotape, scissors, a stapler, a hole punch. Nothing unusual.
The sideboard to her left held a printer on the top and cupboards below, which she crouched in front of when she opened them. A variety of labelled boxes were stacked. Tax documents, bills, receipts. And then a box marked with scribbled writing: Silverton.
The same name that was on the post by the door.
Taking the box from the cupboard, Lily lifted the lid to face a pile of papers. She pulled a handful out. The name of a building company headed the letter, and Lily scanned the page, picking out words here and there.
Safety hazard. Asbestos. Uninhabitable. Immediate evacuation advised.
At a noise in the hallway, Lily’s heart rate went through the roof. She took a photo of the letter, then set it aside.
Next, she found more eviction letters, except these ones mentioned asbestos. And were addressed to names she didn’t recognise. They were all dated the same. A little over a year ago.
“Lily!” a voice shouted angrily. Startled, she dropped the papers, then hastily gathered them up, taking a few more photos before depositing everything back into the box and then the cupboard.
“What are you doing?” Caroline snapped, appearing in the doorway.
“Looking for my AirPods,” Lily replied, inwardly cringing at the blatant lie.
“Liam said you’ve been round asking him questions.”
“I asked to borrow the key.”
“You shouldn’t be in here. No one should.” She glanced around, wrinkling her brow. “Why are you even in here?”
“I was looking for my…” She trailed off, since explaining herself felt suddenly irrelevant. It should be Lily asking questions. “You haven’t been in here before, have you?”
“What?”
“You said you cleaned Mr Latham’s flat, but you’re looking around this room as though you’ve never been in here before. And Liam is convinced you’ve never cleaned this flat.”
“Liam is a teenager. He doesn’t pay attention to anything unless it directly affects him.”
“He seemed pretty clued up to me. He knew what time you’d take a break.”
Her cheeks burned bright red. “Because he knows not to be sitting around playing video games when I get home. Like I said, he pays attention to things that affect him.”
“I don’t believe you,” Lily stated. “I think you’re lying about cleaning here to cover for the fact that you have a key when you shouldn’t.”
“You really don’t listen, do you? I’ve explained myself enough. I won’t stand here and continue to do so. Now get out before I call the police on you.”
“I’m fairly sure you won’t do that,” Lily said, walking past her and thinking about her reaction to involving Flynn when they wanted to find out who the new landlord would be. “I don’t think you want the police anywhere around here.”