He’s Not Nobody
He's Not Nobody
Delaney
Walt was wrong. He had to be, because somebody was most definitely living in that penthouse. And not just any somebody.
Maddox.
The guy who'd replaced my spilled latte.
The guy who'd let me rummage through his board games.
The guy who'd kissed me like he'd meant it. Expertly.
I'd left his place barely a half-hour ago. And I would be returning the moment I left Walt's.
In fact, Maddox was waiting for me right now.
I gave Walt a perplexed look. "What do you mean?"
Walt stared like I was missing something obvious. "The place is empty."
I shook my head. "No…it isn't."
"Sure, not empty-empty. It's got furniture. But it's one of those vacation rentals. So, nobody lives there. See?"
No. I didn't see. "Vacation rentals?"
Walt nodded. "Right. Like a hotel, but with a kitchen and stuff."
"Yeah, I knew what you meant. But someone is living there. I met him. He even invited me inside."
"Huh." Walt shrugged. "Then someone must be renting it."
My shoulders relaxed. "Right. Renting it and living there."
But already, Walt was saying, "Wrong."
I wasn't wrong. I knew this. "What do you mean, wrong?"
"If they're renting, it's for a few days at most." And then, at my confused expression, he explained, "The place gets really hopping on the weekends." He grimaced. "You should hear Mrs. Stelter then."
I didn't want to talk about Mrs. Stelter.
I wanted to talk about Maddox.
Stubbornly, I said, "But he told me he lives there." But even as I said it, I realized this wasn't quite true. He'd never said it outright, but he'd implied it in a thousand little ways.
I recalled those board games in the cabinet. Were they even his?
Walt gave me a funny look. "Hey, you wanna sit down? You're looking woozy."
I felt it, too. I didn't sit down, but I did steady myself by gripping the back of the nearest recliner as I insisted yet again, "But I know he lives there."
Walt crossed his arms. "And I know he doesn't."
I still didn't believe it. "For sure? I mean…do you handle the rentals yourself?"
He looked horrified at the thought. "Hell no. That place is owned by some rental outfit."
"See?" I said, sounding a little desperate. "So it could've been rented months ago without you realizing it."
"Hey, I'm not that out of the loop," he said. "The group that rented it last night? They got rowdy in the hall. I had two calls from Mrs. Stelter. One of them was past midnight."
I tried to think. "So…maybe the party was thrown by the guy who lives there?" But no. That was impossible – unless Maddox had somehow managed to throw a wild party at home while also having dinner out with me.
Walt's eyebrows furrowed. "I already told you, nobody lives there. You heard me, right?"
"Yeah, but it doesn't make any sense."
Walt glanced at the darkened TV. "Care if I turn on the game?"
Oh, gosh. By now, his food was probably cold, and I had wasted my four precious minutes questioning everything he'd said. "Sure, go ahead. And I'm sorry I keep pushing the issue. I'm just a little confused, that's all."
He reached for the remote and gave it a click. A beer commercial blared from the TV, and Walt turned down the volume to ask, "You wanna hear my take?"
By now, I wasn't so sure. "I guess."
"It sounds to me like you met someone who's here on vacation. Or maybe on business. Either way, the two of you just got your wires crossed, that's all."
"But…don't you think he would've mentioned it? I mean…if he's only visiting?"
Walt chuckled. "I dunno…did you mention it to him?"
"Sorry…I'm not following."
"For all you know, he thinks you live here, too. But you don't, do you?"
It wasn't that simple. Maddox knew I was here visiting my sister. And how did he know? Because I'd told him.
Sure, Walt's theory sounded perfectly reasonable. But he hadn't played Monopoly in the penthouse while someone pretended the place was his home.
Walt asked, "So, who is this guy, anyway?"
Good question.
I was still searching for a reply when he added, "I mean, what does he look like? I might've seen him around."
"Oh, you definitely saw him," I said, recalling my messy arrival in the lobby. "He was the guy coming out of the building as I was trying to get in. We were blocking your way, remember?"
Walt froze, still holding the remote. To my surprise, he clicked off the TV and asked, "That guy? But you're old friends, right?"
I shook my head. "No. I just met him yesterday."
Walt visibly swallowed. "Yesterday?"
"Yeah, you literally watched us meet."
Walt stared. "But once you got inside, you were talking all-friendly, like you knew each other."
"Hey, we weren't that friendly. Mostly, I was apologizing for messing up his shirt."
Walt looked thunderstruck. "And he didn't mention he was looking for you?"
What the hell? I felt the blood drain from my face. "What do you mean, looking for me?"
"You remember that six-pack, right?"
Obviously, he didn't mean the one under Maddox's shirt. "You mean the beer you were holding when I was blocking the door?"
"Right. You wanna know who paid for it?"
With growing dread, I asked, "Who?"
"The guy you dumped dirt on."
Maddox? "But…why would he buy you beer?"
"Because I promised to keep an eye out."
I gave a hard swallow. "You don't mean…for me?"
"That's exactly what I mean. He showed me your picture on his phone. Gave me your name, too."
I stared, incredulous. "And you never thought to mention it?"
He stared back. "I did mention it. This morning in the lobby, remember? You acted like you knew what I meant."
"But I thought you meant that picture of me with Tessa."
"What picture?"
"The one in her apartment."
He looked genuinely baffled. "Why would I be in her apartment?"
"I dunno…to repair something?"
"I don't do repairs," he said, as if this should be obvious. "We got a service for that."
And now, I was desperately recalibrating as I tried to recall this morning's conversation with Walt. "And what did you mean by funny business?"
"Oh, that? I just didn't want some guy you didn't know hassling you, that's all."
It was incredibly sweet. And yet, Walt had taken a beer-bribe for something. "But you were still gonna spy on me?"
He bristled. "No. Keep an eye out, like I said, tell you a friend was looking for you."
"Well…when you put it like that…" Still, I had to ask, "But you didn't think that whole situation was weird?"
"Hey, it's not that weird. We get people visiting here all the time. Why do you think I got that beer policy?"
"Wait…there's a policy?"
"Yeah, except it's not written down." He shrugged. "Folks want favors all day long. If I didn't ask for something on the side, I'd be dealing with nothing but problems."
I had problems, too. And right now, my biggest problem had a name.
Maddox.
In my mind, I could practically see him, not in the penthouse, but in the main doorway to the lobby. We had reached that door at the same exact time, with him going out just as I was heading in.
At the time, I hadn't thought anything of it.
But now, I was thinking plenty. Had he orchestrated our collision on purpose?
It suddenly struck me that I didn't even know his last name.
None of this was adding up. My thoughts drifted to that other guy in a suit, the one standing on my doorstep over a year ago in West Haven. He'd warned me they were watching. But I still had no idea who "they" were.
Shit. Suddenly, all of the trouble I'd left behind was feeling way too close.
Meanwhile, Walt was still talking about his unwritten beer policy. He finished by ranting, "And the whole thing's a giant pain in the ass, because half the time people treat me like I'm the front desk. And the other half think I'm the building's security guard."
Absently, I asked, "So that's not part of your job?"
"Are you kidding?" Walt said. "I get a deal on my rent, plus a few hundred bucks to keep the lobby tidy. I'm not paid enough to do more."
For one reckless second, I almost said, It sounds to me like you're already retired. But I bit it back just in time.
It wasn't Walt's fault I'd let down my guard. It was my own for being so stupid. And Walt had asked me about the photo, just not the one I'd thought. If I hadn't been acting so shifty myself, I would've confirmed what he meant.
My stomach twisted as I said, "The guy I dumped dirt on – did he tell you his full name? I mean…when he was asking about me?"
"He didn't have to," Walt said. "He gave me his card."
I perked up. "He did?"
"Yup. He said I should call the number if I happened to see you."
Unfair or not, I felt just a little betrayed. "And you would've? Seriously?"
"Not a chance," Walt said, looking insulted. "I already told you, I'm no spy."
"But—"
"But I still would've done my part."
I still didn't get it. "Your part?"
"Yeah. I would've told you that Cal was looking for you. No harm in that, right?"
My grip tightened on the back of the recliner.
Cal?
The same guy who'd introduced himself as Maddox?
This so wasn't good.