Caged: Little Yokai Series Book 1 by Scott Walker

Author:Scott Walker [Walker, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Firefly Tales, LLC
Published: 2021-07-25T07:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-FOUR

I WOKE to the screams of a woman. Scrambled out of bed while I rubbed sleep from my eyes, stumbled down the hall towards the source, noted Pop's bedroom door was open. Madara flicked about, trying to figure out what had me so out of sorts.

Quick sweep of Pop's room showed an empty bed, covers thrown back. I ran into the family room, met Martinez. The front door was open, and I heard voices from outside.

In the hall, I found Sumiye, Pop, and one of our neighbors, Elena Caralt, standing at the elevator. Elena was shouting. I stepped in between Pop and Elena. A couple of heads were peering from doorways, and a few neighbors were standing a discreet distance from the elevator.

Oh, fuckity fuck, fuck, fuck.

Pop had knocked on Caralt's door years ago, convinced it was the apartment he and Mom shared back in Kyoto when they first met. My nightmare had surfaced again in a whole new incarnation.

"Come on, Narumi. Don't be so dramatic." Pop looked at me. "Your mother can be a little extreme at times."

"Yep, I know, Pop. Let Mom run her errands. Come on, let's go back home and have some breakfast, okay? Sumiye will make your favorite."

"Sure, sure." He waved to Elena. "See you tonight, sweetie."

I gently pushed Pop into Sumiye's arms, and she guided him back to the apartment. Martinez poked her head out of the door. I gave her an all-clear wave. She nodded, disappeared. I turned around to face Elena, who glared at me like I'd just slapped her.

"That man is a menace to everyone in this building!"

The Bureau thankfully trained all agents how to remain calm and focused during high-stress situations: a shooting, dealing with uncooperative and abusive suspects, having someone physically intimidate you. I have drawn on this training every single time I've had to deal with Elena.

"That man is my father, and he's suffering from dementia. He has no idea what he's doing, Ms. Caralt." I spoke calmly, softly.

"That doesn't change the fact that he made me afraid for my safety." She dropped her voice, took on a threatening tone. "I've done my research. I've spoken with an attorney. I know my rights, and they include the right to quiet enjoyment of my condo." She nearly spit the last part out at me, daring me to say she was wrong.

Like a lot of people who thought they knew the law after five minutes of online research, she was wrong, of course. I'd studied the law after Pop starting having his episodes, precisely for this reason. She was referring to a statute that didn't apply to this situation, and I was willing to bet she hadn't spoken to any attorney.

But my training guided me away from correcting her and towards calming her, not least because Pop's behavior was gathering ground for a different and far more legitimate legal action.

"Ms. Caralt, I'm so very, very sorry about this. I'm sure this was a harrowing experience for you, and I understand how being around someone with dementia can be scary.

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