Chapter 5
The next morning Eden woke up tired and worn out, with a small bruise on her face from hitting the door, but also with a determination to move forward.
Her sleep had been rough, but she’d managed short bouts, only to wake up and look around in fear.
Now that morning was here, she knew she needed help.
This couldn’t continue. She also had to deal with Debbie’s estate.
Even if there was no clear path, nothing to explain the chaos she had experienced last night, she had to deal with Debbie’s worldly items.
Debbie didn’t have any possessions of value, so Eden didn’t think probate was needed. However, she would need to consult somebody about it. Debbie just had a rented apartment, and, if she had actually canceled the lease, chances were, she was due to be out of the apartment soon.
A couple phone calls later, Eden had the grim news.
Frank, Debbie’s apartment manager, had given Eden three days to clean out the apartment, if she planned to remove anything.
The landlord wanted her to remove all Debbie’s belongings.
Otherwise he would bring in a cleaning company, charge her for that expense, and everything would go to the dump.
The thought of Debbie’s possessions hitting the dump without a care was traumatic to Eden.
When she explained that Debbie had passed away, a moment of silence came from the manager.
“Interesting, but you still have only three days left.”
He didn’t seem to be bothered at all by Debbie’s passing. But then again, why would he even care? Eden got that, but it still stung like hell.
Frank continued. “She canceled the lease—without prior notice. She only had the place month-to-month, but she was supposed to give me one month’s notice, so I could charge her for that as well.”
“She didn’t have any money,” Eden pointed out.
“No, of course not,” he muttered in disgust. “When do they ever? Clean it out by the end of the three days, or else I’ll have to do it myself and will charge you for it and for the extra month.” With that, he ended the call with her.
Eden didn’t know what the renter’s rights were in this case, but, with these additional fees and a three-day deadline, it didn’t make any sense to prolong things. It wouldn’t make this easier. On the contrary, it would literally just extend the suffering and pain.
She hadn’t yet heard when Debbie’s body would be released, so she sent a text to Eric, asking if he knew.
She got a text back about thirty minutes later, telling her to expect two days.
She wasn’t even sure why they needed Debbie’s body for an extra two days but whatever.
Eden had enough on her plate right now anyway.
She headed over to Debbie’s apartment, and, as she walked upstairs, she stopped, not sure if she was allowed to go in.
She phoned Eric just to confirm it was all aboveboard.
“I’m over at Debbie’s apartment right now.
Can I go in? Is there any reason not to? ”
“No reason not to. I presume you have a key.”
“Yes, I have a key, and the landlord wants everything out within three days. He basically told me that he would dump whatever I don’t remove and would charge me for it, plus for the added month that she was supposed to give as notice.”
A moment of silence passed on Eric’s end, and then he said, “I don’t know what his rights are.”
“Debbie canceled her lease, and I guess they had a hell of a rip-roaring fight about it. She’s losing her deposit, but the manager agreed that she could go, so I don’t know.
Anyway, I’m tired, worn out, and already …
Well, I’ve just arrived, but it occurred to me that it might still be considered a crime scene. ”
“No, you’re cleared to go in.”
She had to fight the urge to protest, but he was right.
“I’ve got to go.”
When he ended the call, she stared down at her phone. He thought this wasn’t a crime scene because no crime had been committed. But he was wrong. Definitely a crime had been committed here, but she had no way to prove it.
Tired, she pulled out her key and quickly opened the door. The neighbor popped her head out as soon as she got the door open and asked, “Hey, what’s going on? I saw cops and an ambulance here. Is Debbie okay? I’m Kali, by the way.”
Eden looked back at her, opting for a variation of the truth. “Debbie went to bed one night and never woke up. So, I am here to clean out her apartment.”
Kali’s face widened in shock. “Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness!”
Eden nodded. “I’m feeling very much that way myself right now.”
“Of course you are.” Kali had tears in her eyes, but the last thing Eden needed was pity. “Oh, that’s horrible.” The neighbor lady came closer. “I just don’t understand.”
“Neither do I,” Eden conceded. Then she gave her a small smile and added, “But I only have three days to get her apartment cleaned out. Otherwise it’ll all go to the dump.
” When Kali’s eyes widened in horror, Eden nodded.
“That came directly from the landlord this morning. On the other hand, apparently Debbie abruptly turned in her notice without the required thirty days’ advance notice, so he needs to get it available to rent again. ”
“You poor thing.”
“Yeah, not something I ever expected to be doing,” she muttered. “I don’t even know what I’m doing here, but”—she shrugged—“it seemed wrong to just leave Debbie’s things for the landlord to send to the dump. I basically came to see if anything needed cleaning out.”
“You should just take what you want, dear,” she suggested, patting Eden on the shoulder, “then leave the rest to him. If he’ll act like that, he might as well just pay to have it all cleaned out.”
Eden nodded. “If I have further arguments with him, that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
“I would do it anyway,” Kali noted in a confiding whisper. “It’s not as if he cares about any of us.” The neighbor lady returned to her apartment.
Eden muttered, “Right. I do know that.”
In fact, she and Debbie had laughed about her landlord many times. Never in anybody’s corner, always cranky, miserable, and acting as if the world owed him—which Eden had little patience for. Yet that’s just the way her life was right now.
Inside Debbie’s apartment now, Eden felt the tears welling up in her eyes.
A bottle of wine remained on the counter that the two of them had split several nights ago, as they had discussed plans for the future, such as possible trips to take this year, anything to break up the boredom of their lives.
As Eden picked up the wine bottle and walked it over to the garbage, she wished she could have any of those moments back again, anything that would help her recoup the relationship she had had with her best friend.
Debbie had been very special in so many ways, but the way she’d acted at the weekend retreat, so adamant and so sure that she was doing absolutely the right thing—with zero room for doubt, for change—was just the way it was with her.
Eden went to work in the kitchen area, tossing all the food into the garbage and lugging multiple bags down to the trash chute to get rid of.
By the time she had a box of stuff to take home and multiple other boxes dumped—literally upended into the chute—she began to feel as if she were getting somewhere. Still, a couch and a couple chairs remained, plus a coffee table and a lamp. She didn’t know if anybody locally needed them.
She certainly didn’t, and no way she would lug them out of here. That was way-too-much work, weight, and pain. That’s what it all came down to, the pain.
She resolutely headed to the one room she had been avoiding the entire time—the bedroom, where Debbie had died.
Eden went through the kitchen first, got the living room emptied out next, except for the larger pieces of furniture, and then worked on the bathroom, full of so many girly things that kept her in tears.
The special shampoos Debbie bought so religiously the conditioner she spent God-only-knows-how-much money on—that she didn’t really have—yet she always had to have that conditioner.
Eden knew another woman would understand, but, for a lot of people, it was way too confusing to sort out.
The bathroom was emotional but fairly easy, since most of it just needed to be upended into the garbage.
With that done, Eden stepped into the bedroom, and there she stopped, feeling the biggest onslaught of tears of the day.
Clothes were on the bed. Clothes were on the floor.
Clothes were everywhere, as Debbie had obviously packed, unpacked, and then packed again, as if not knowing exactly what she would do with anything or how to get the right clothing packed for this new life of hers.
Yet her bag packed for the weekend seminar seemed to be untouched.
Eden frowned, then realized that her own bag remained unpacked too, even though she had done some laundry.
That was how messed-up Eden had been when she reached home.
Determined to get through this project before she completely broke down, she went through the clothing in Debbie’s closet. Some of the clothes were Eden’s, and she shook her head as she noted just how many of them were here at Debbie’s.
Grabbing a couple suitcases and anything else she could use, Eden opened them up and packed them with things going back to her house. Anything that she wanted to keep as a remembrance, she packed. At the end, Eden still had several bags of extra clothing that she would take to charity.
Eden loaded up her car, making multiple trips with suitcases and all the rest, then headed back up for the bedding, with so many things still on her mind.
The landlord caught her on the last round and asked, “Are you done yet?”
She stared at him, blank for a moment. “No, I’m not,” she replied, when she finally could speak. “I’m not moving the furniture out.” When he glared at her, she shrugged. “You could always rent it as furnished.”