Autumn's Fall (Autumn Trent Series Season Two Book 4) by Mary Stone

Author:Mary Stone [Stone, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mary Stone Publishing
Published: 2024-10-04T00:00:00+00:00

18

Autumn climbed the last flight of stairs in Deidre Fae’s aging apartment building. Stepping through the stairwell door, she side-eyed the out of order elevator. A repair crew had been working on it downstairs and said it would be at least a day before they had it operational again.

And then it’ll be the stairwell banister that needs work, or the heating, or something else that was probably listed as an amenity when this place was first built.

“Kinda sucks.” Rome’s voice broke into her mental doomscrolling.

She glanced over her shoulder at him but kept moving. “What does?”

His sigh echoed off the cinder block walls of the stairwell behind them. “Deidre devoted her entire life to one of the hardest sectors of healthcare and ends up here. A fourth-floor apartment in a crumbling brick pile with no working elevator.”

“Maybe don’t open with that when we arrive.” Autumn couldn’t have agreed with Rome more. “And remember, Deidre doesn’t know anything about Tulip shooting or kidnapping civilians. Let’s keep it that way for now.”

“You got it.”

Autumn kept pace with Rome’s long stride as she scanned the numbers for 422.

He came to a stop at a door with a straw welcome mat in front of it and rang the bell. Instant movement came from inside, and within seconds, the door was opened by a tall woman with horn-rimmed glasses and long brown hair.

“You must be the agents.”

Autumn held up her badge and ID before offering a hand in greeting. “We are. I’m Special Agent Autumn Trent, and this is my partner, Special Agent Roman Arnett.”

“Well, come on in.” She waved them into the small living room. “I’m Ms. Fae’s caretaker.”

“I call her my saving Grace.” A friendly warble came from one of two well-worn couches, where Deidre sat with a blanket around her shoulders. The woman looked like she once had a pleasant face, but her health issues changed all that. “I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

The left half of Deidre’s face drooped, remaining downward in a frown even as she smiled. Her eyes were bright and alive, though, and her voice carried a welcoming lilt. While her words were clear enough to understand, it was an obvious challenge for her to produce them.

“From what we’ve heard,” Autumn took a seat on the opposite sofa, “you’ve been quite the caretaker yourself over the years. Dr. Marsden had nothing but good things to say about you.”

Deidre’s half smile stretched wider. “Lizzie was a great boss. I miss her. I miss my job. And if you can believe it, I even miss the psychiatric ward. A lot of good was done there.”

Autumn steeled herself against a fresh rush of empathy. It took a special type of individual to appreciate and want to be a part of the treatment and caretaking of mentally troubled people. Especially those with criminal pasts.

Rome was right. This sucks. Deidre deserves a better ending.

“I’m sure that you do, Ms. Fae.” Autumn returned the smile with her own stiff grin. “We don’t

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