Take My Heart by Sorel J. J

Take My Heart by Sorel J. J

Author:Sorel, J. J. [Sorel, J. J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Contemporary
Amazon: B07MFSZ6Z2
Goodreads: 55615492
Published: 2020-10-01T07:00:00+00:00


CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

AVA

Charlie greeted me with his customary cheerful smile as I stepped into the dimly lit cubicle. “What floor, ma’am?”

Maybe he was going senile after all, I thought. The fact I’d only ridden the elevator the day before took me aback. “Ten, please, Charlie.” I emphasized his name.

He nodded. “Agatha’s it is.”

“We spoke yesterday, and you mentioned Ashley, Aggie’s late husband.” I jumped straight in. Knowing that we had precious seconds, I needed all the information I could get.

“A good, upstanding man. Great tipper. Aggie wasn’t so good. Depended on the day. And how much she’d had to drink.” He chuckled.

“Was Aggie a big drinker back then?”

“No more than any of us. We all like a bit of fun, don’t we? And banning booze had made it so difficult. Hanging out with mobsters to get a fill.”

“Ha?” I replied, just as the elevator arrived.

I remained on the spot. “You were around during the Prohibition?”

“I’ve been here from the beginning.” A smile crossed his face again. “Have a good day, ma’am.”

I stepped out of the lift. Aggie owned the entire floor and above. But what about below? I wondered. And why was the elevator always on the ground floor whenever I arrived?

I’d never seen anyone in the lobby. It felt as if I were in an episode of The Twilight Zone, a show my dad had introduced me to and one that I’d grown very fond of due to its themes of parallel worlds and time distortions.

When I arrived at the door, I knocked before turning the key.

I crossed the large, sunny living room, and looking through the French doors onto the terrace, I discovered Aggie on her cane throne.

Despite the relief at finding her well again, I felt a tinge of disappointment too. Curiosity had gotten the better of me. Upstairs had become that place of mystery that I found myself thinking about.

“There you are,” said Aggie.

“Hi… I let myself in. I did knock.”

“Yes. Yes. That’s why I gave you the key. Saves me from having to get up.” She leaned in for a cigarette.

“Are you good, Aggie? After yesterday…” I studied her face. She looked well rested, nothing like the frail woman I’d witnessed the day earlier.

“I’m terrific. Never felt better. What do you mean by yesterday?”

Her eyes narrowed as if she had no idea what I’d alluded to. Either Aggie was a great actress, or she had completely forgotten my visiting her bedside.

“Can I make you a martini?” I asked, shifting my weight.

“You’re being evasive. But yes, do.”

“There’s no ice,” I said, staring down at the empty ice bucket.

Aggie was lost in her own world again, so I scurried off to the kitchen and found it bare. No food in sight. Only gleaming stainless-steel bench tops, as if it hadn’t seen food or activity ever.

I opened the fridge and found it empty. I told myself that perhaps the cook needed to shop, although that did little to quell my suspicion.

Pushing the button, I held the bucket under the cascade of ice-cubes and then returned to my task of pouring spirits into the martini shaker.



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