Whispers in the Dark by Chris Eboch

Author:Chris Eboch [Chris Eboch]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2012-04-20T17:35:34+00:00

Chapter 16

Obviously Sean had money, which wasn’t a bad thing, but the personality of his apartment had little appeal for me. Expensive toys but no warmth, nothing personal, nothing that said he had friends or family or hobbies beyond TV and video games. He seemed to have every kind of video-game console known to man, and racks of games, heavy on the world building and role-playing types.

I tried to remember the man who had talked with such interest and enthusiasm about the Southwest on our hike, but it didn’t seem like that man lived here. Did that make Sean complex or had his enthusiasm been a lie? It wouldn’t be the first time a man had pretended interest in a woman’s work to impress her.

At first I listened nervously for any sound at the door, ready to dash back to the couch and look bored. But as the minutes passed uninterrupted, I started enjoying my role as private detective. In some ways it was like an archaeology dig—try to find clues that help you see a larger picture, without disturbing the surrounding terrain.

Unfortunately, Sean didn’t give me much to work with. The bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen held just enough to suggest that someone really did live there. Sean wore briefs in a variety of colors, with an expensively casual wardrobe on top. The bathroom medicine cabinet held three kinds of aftershave and the usual assortment of aspirin, mouthwash, and other basics. He couldn’t have cooked much, given the lack of pots and pans, but he had a stack of takeout and delivery menus that must have represented every eatery within fifty miles.

I opened a door off the living room, expecting a closet. I found a small office. I hesitated, as it seemed even more invasive to investigate there, but after the way he’d abandoned me, I wasn’t at my most considerate. I peeked out the peephole in the front door to make sure the hall was empty and wondered if I’d hear the elevator arriving. Then I went into his office.

Bookshelves held books on politics, probably left over from his studies, plus some true crime hard covers and rather trashy looking spy novels.

The file cabinet was locked. A safe, squatting in the corner like a metal troll, was locked. If he had personal information from his clients, it made sense to keep his records secure, but it was annoying, like not being able to get permission to excavate an area you just knew had the key to your thesis.

His desk had some business cards and letterhead with his name and address, so apparently he really did live and work there. The desk drawers held only office supplies.

I considered turning on the computer, but anyone so concerned with security would no doubt have passwords. Besides, it would be hard to get a computer shut down quickly if I heard him at the door.

I sat in his executive-style office chair, staring at the dark screen. I felt like I was missing something. Well, I was missing a lot, obviously—any clue to who Sean really was.

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