Chapter 10 Simon #2
When everyone was done eating, Reno cleared his throat. “I didn’t have a vision last night. Cal’s feeling better, and he’ll try to call a vision today, but with him so far away I’m not confident he’ll see anything.”
Nicky set his coffee cup down and pushed it away. “So, what? If Cal doesn’t have a vision, we just wait for the vampires to find us?” His voice rose with each word.
Reno pressed his lips together, then gave a half-shrug. “I’m sorry, Nicky. We don’t have a lot of options until we get a clue as to their whereabouts.”
Nicky’s face went even paler. “You mean until they attack someone else.”
Reno made a face but shrugged. “I hope it doesn’t come to that, but it might.
” He rubbed his forehead. “Okay, since we can’t do anything to find the escaped vampires this morning, I do have something Simon and I need to work on.
” He explained about the gargoyle costume.
“We need to go check out this guy’s apartment and see if we can find anything to tell us what he’s using that costume for. ”
“You mean like Grace Kelly going into the apartment across the courtyard to look for evidence in Rear Window?” Nicky’s worried expression wasn’t much of an improvement over the frightened one he’d worn a few minutes ago. “Are you sure you won’t get caught?”
I was about to respond when Jackson cut in. “I will go. No one will see us.”
I smiled. “Thank you. That’ll be very helpful.” With Jackson there, we could take our time.
“Hold it.” Uh oh. Reno was mad again. “Somebody needs to stay with Nicky, and I’m the one with the private investigator license.”
I raised my eyebrows at Nicky. “Wanna break into an apartment? I’ll carry you on my back and you can help search for clues.” And it might distract him from thinking about Marcas and Roibeart.
He seemed intrigued. “Like on The Rockford Files and Moonlighting?”
“Exactly like that.” But hopefully without the villain of the week pointing a gun at us.
I texted the Hunters that we were going out on an errand for Reno’s PI business, and Dominic said they’d follow us but wouldn’t interfere unless Marcas and Roibeart appeared.
Nicky didn’t have enough magic yet to cast a glamour, so Reno lent him a baseball cap to put over his ears and help hide his eyes.
Shane had had some of Nicky’s new clothes delivered same-day yesterday, and while the joggers and hoodie he was wearing were still a little baggy, they didn’t look like they’d fall off if he moved too fast.
Nicky had tried to get us to let Jackson wear his Castiel-style trench coat, “so he’ll be like Peter Falk in Columbo,” but Reno said it would draw too much attention in June.
The apartment complex Emiliano Duran lived in had four buildings of twenty units each, and Emiliano’s was in the building closest to the street. Tenants had assigned parking in the row next to the building, and the rest of the lot was for visitors.
“He drives a 2017 Dodge Ram pickup. It’s got front and rear seats, and it’s dark gray.” Reno parked and we all scanned the lot. Emiliano wasn’t home. From here we could see his apartment windows, but all of the blinds were closed.
We got out of Reno’s SUV, and he helped Nicky get situated on my back. Nicky didn’t weigh much, and his legs were awfully thin beneath my hands. Even though he was small for an Elf, he was too large to pass for a human child. Jackson would make sure no one saw us.
The stairs and hallways were open to the air, and there weren’t any security cameras. When we got to the apartment door, Reno handed us some nitrile gloves. Once we were ready, I held his camera as he produced a set of lockpicks and got to work.
“Oooh, there was an episode in season five of Castle with lockpicks exactly like that!” At least Nicky kept his voice to a loud whisper.
“Will you teach me how to use them?” The way Jackson was staring at the lockpicks, I wondered if they wanted to learn as well.
Might be a good way to work on their fine motor skills.
“Sure, Nicky.” Reno was sexy as fuck, leaning over and focused on his task. Would he look like that during sex? I wouldn’t mind having all that concentration turned my way. Shit, not the time. I shifted Nicky’s weight and turned to keep watch down the hallway.
After only a minute or two, Reno had the door open, and we hurried inside.
“Wait here.” Reno unholstered his gun and did a quick sweep of the apartment. Damn, him in cop mode was sexy too.
The place was a one-bedroom furnished with inexpensive pieces typical of a twenty-something male, with a huge TV and elaborate gaming system setup. No art on the walls but lots of framed photos on the bookshelves.
“Clear.” Reno had holstered his gun when he got back to us. “I didn’t see the costume, but I could’ve missed it in the closet.”
We all followed him into the bedroom. The closet door was open, and the space was about four feet deep.
There was no gargoyle costume, just jeans, casual shirts, one suit, and a couple of winter coats.
Shoes were on the floor, and on the shelf above the clothes were board games and a couple of blankets.
“Well, shit.” Reno put his hands on his hips, which drew his shirt tight against his muscles. I put the camera down on top of the bureau and started going through the drawers so I wouldn’t ogle him.
Nicky patted me on the shoulder. “Why don’t you put me down? I won’t be much help like this, and I’ve got to be getting heavy.”
I stifled my response that I wished he were heavier. His arms might be getting tired from gripping my shoulders. “Okay.” I gazed around, but in here the only place to put him was the unmade bed, and one glance told me the sheets hadn’t been changed in way too long.
Reno went to the doorway of the bedroom and looked into the living room before waving us forward. “Nicky, why don’t you sit in that chair by the window? You can keep an eye out for Emiliano’s car.”
Reno had the best ideas. I took Nicky into the living room and over to the chair, making sure he could see out through the blinds and had a decent view of the tenant parking area.
Jackson was going through the kitchen cabinets, so I returned to the bedroom.
Reno was on his back under the bed with his phone’s flashlight on.
“Do you need help? I can lift the bed.”
“Nah, I don’t see anything under here.” He slid out, and when he stood up I helped him brush the dust bunnies off his back and return them to their home beneath the bed.
I did not touch any part of him below his waist, even though I was dying to.
“You can help me lift the mattress off the box spring if you like.”
“Sure.” Emiliano didn’t keep any secrets under his bed. His nightstand had a few sex toys and some lube, but that was it. The bureau revealed t-shirts, underwear, a few pajama bottoms, some cufflinks, a watch, and socks.
“Hey, guys? I think he’s home.”
Reno and I rushed into the living room to look out the window. A dark grey Dodge Ram pickup was parked in one of the tenant spots closest to this building, and a man was walking around the front of the truck on his way to the stairwell.
“Fuck.” Reno turned to Jackson. “Can we get out the door before he gets up the stairs?”
Jackson shook his head. “No. I can’t prevent him from seeing us if he’s already there.”
I bent down so Nicky could climb on my back. “I could mesmerize him.” I didn’t love doing it, but we couldn’t get caught.
“No.” Jackson pointed at the bedroom. “The closet is the best option.”
“Okay, everyone in the closet. No jokes.” Reno spread his arms out and essentially herded us into the bedroom closet.
I made sure to grab the camera on the way.
“When we got here the door was slightly open.” He pulled it until it was only a couple of inches from closing.
I was glad for the light and the air circulation.
We’d barely stopped moving when we heard the apartment door unlock, then open and shut again.
Keys hit the kitchen counter, and the refrigerator door was opened.
He was home for lunch. I glanced at Reno, and he showed me his phone’s lock screen.
11:43 a.m. Hopefully Emiliano’s lunch break was only thirty minutes.
Plates clinked, and what was probably a bag of potato chips rustled.
The sink ran, and then we heard the TV turn on.
ESPN. At least he wouldn’t hear us if somebody made a noise.
As soon as the thought crossed my mind, the sound of a fart tore through the closet. A loooong fart. It must’ve been a good five seconds before it stopped.
“Sorry.” Nicky whispered, putting his forehead down on my shoulder. I tried to keep my chuckles silent, but then the smell hit, putrid and heavy.
“Fuck, Nicky!” Reno covered his nose with one arm and pushed the closet door open a little more with the other.
“I’m sorry!” He shrank into me like he was trying to hide.
Shit. I didn’t have a free hand to pat his hand with. “You’re eating regularly for the first time in decades. None of our digestive systems would react well.”
Reno must’ve caught Nicky’s mortification. “Yeah, don’t worry about it, Nicky. Sooner or later Tia Esperanza will make her charro beans and we’ll all be farting for days.”
Nicky snickered, and I sent a wave of gratefulness through the connection to Reno, even though he might not feel it.
Nicky’d been outgoing and confident as a child, and I hoped that part of his personality would reemerge someday.
Hopefully he’d feel more and more himself as time went on and his body healed.
The TV turned off, and dishes were placed into the sink. The keys scraped the counter as they were picked up. We all held our breaths. Well, for multiple reasons.
“What the fuck?” We heard Emiliano sniffing the air. Oh, shit. I glanced at Jackson and their eyes were closed. Footsteps came into the bedroom. “Shit, better do laundry tonight.”
We relaxed as the footsteps went out of the room, and the front door opened and closed. “He’s gone.” Jackson reached over Reno’s shoulder and pushed the closet door open. They’d been right behind Nicky, so they’d borne the brunt of the stench.
None of us wanted to stay in the bedroom. “What’s left to do? Take some pictures?” I pointed at the shelves of framed photos.
Reno wiped his forehead with the back of his gloved hand and looked around the living room. “Yeah, thanks. I’ll get that stack of mail. Jackson, did you finish in the kitchen?”
“Yes. Nothing unexpected.”
“Okay, can you make sure Emiliano doesn’t come back for some reason while Simon and I finish up?”
“On it.” They stood next to the chair where Nicky had been sitting earlier.
I turned Reno’s camera on and went over to the photos.
Emiliano was a cute guy, with dark hair and a fantastic smile.
“I think he has a girlfriend.” She was in four or five of the photos, almost as tall as Emiliano, with black hair, pale skin, and a sturdy build.
He held onto her like he didn’t want to let go.
I took a few shots of each of the rooms in the apartment in case we thought of something later, but then we were done. Jackson gave us the go-ahead to leave, and we wasted no time exiting the apartment. Reno used the lockpicks again to turn the deadbolt, and it was as if we’d never been there.
We got back in the car and grinned at each other. Reno even smiled at me.