All His Pretty Girls by Charly Cox

Author:Charly Cox
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781912973170
Publisher: Hera
Published: 2019-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-One

Monday, April 1, 2:15p.m.

South Valley traffic was touch and go due to construction, and Alyssa wanted to scream for people to get out of her way.

Finally able to turn and get out of the crush of vehicles, she expertly navigated through the neighborhood until they reached the quaint adobe home nestled between two juniper trees. As she and Cord approached the front door, Alyssa noticed the house was dark and quiet, bringing up the possibility that Jenkins wasn’t home.

Alyssa knocked loudly as Cord stood to the side, observing the perimeter. When there was no answer, she knocked again, this time yelling out, ‘Mr. Jenkins, this is Detective Wyatt with the Albuquerque Police Department. Open up!’ When there was still no response, Cord cocked his head to the side of the house and mouthed, ‘Backyard,’ waiting for her nod before he stepped off the porch to check around back. He returned a few minutes later, shaking his head.

A white-haired lady approached, and Alyssa turned to speak to her.

‘He’s not here,’ the woman said, her voice raspy from too many years of smoking. ‘Mr. Jenkins moved out a few days ago. Was almost never here anyway.’ She pulled a pack of Camels out of her tattered gray smock nightgown, leaned forward, and lit up.

‘Are you his landlord?’ Alyssa asked.

‘Was,’ the grizzled-looking lady nodded as she took a huge drag off her cigarette, then blew a series of smoke rings into the air. ‘Eunice Jones, but you can call me Neecy. Everyone does.’

‘Neecy, did Mr. Jenkins leave a forwarding address or another way to contact him?’ Cord asked, stepping outside onto the sidewalk in front of the house.

Neecy peered up at Cord, cigarette dangling from her fingertips. ‘Well, aren’t you a fine young thing? I’ve got a granddaughter… if you’ve got a hankering.’

Alyssa choked on her laughter as she watched Cord blink rapidly, a flush spreading up his neck. Recovering quickly, he winked at the old lady, ‘That’s a mighty sweet offer, thank you, but I’m already taken.’ He lifted his left hand, flashing his white gold wedding band. ‘Now, about Mr. Jenkins. It would certainly be helpful if he left you a way of contacting him.’

‘No, he didn’t leave no word. And I didn’t ask for one. Mr. Jenkins always kept up the place real good when he did show up, never complained, and took care of all the repairs himself. Never even asked for reimbursement, he didn’t. And he done gave me three extra months’ rent in cash ’fore he up and took off. Figured there weren’t no reason for a forwarding.’ She grinned up at Cord, showing off yellowed, crooked teeth. ‘If you wasn’t married, and I was just a wee bit younger, forget my granddaughter, I might oughta have snagged myself husband number four.’

Alyssa snorted, enjoying the way Cord shuffled backward, looking at the car the way a man lost in the desert would look at water. In fact, she’d seen him be less afraid in police standoff situations.

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