“We’re not only dealing with scumbags,” Mim said, “we’re dealing with murderers.”
“Is this a bad time to mention I’m pretty sure I know how to crack the safe?” Gerry said.
Sam scowled at him.
“It, uhh… has an electronic lock, so all you’ll need is a specific kind of magnet. I already ordered one.”
“Peachy.”
“Anything else you haven’t told us yet, Sammy?” Mim asked.
Sam bit his lip.
“Sam.”
“His neighbors are a cop and a reporter.”
“Fuck!” Mim cried. “We are so crashing and burning.”
“No, we’re not. I’ll get us through this. I’ll finish the job.”
“But you’re going to give yourself away if you keep falling for this guy.”
“I’m not falling for him, he’s just… easy to like. It has to be a lie, though. The Cramers still said they’d heard he was dirty. There has to be something I’m missing. Maybe he’s just a talented actor.”
“Sure, buddy, maybe,” Gerry said.
But Mim shook her head. “I wish you sounded like you believed that.”
“Forget the Cramers,” Sam said plainly. “Start looking into Ed. Find me something. Anything. He can’t be as innocent as he seems.”
Ed was not as innocent as he pretended. He should have let Sam go after two weeks. He should have let him go sooner. But they were halfway into week three, and he still didn’t want him to leave.
It couldn’t be his imagination that Sam seemed relieved every time he asked for another extension.
“Comic books?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve invested $20,000 in comic books?”
“They’re collectibles!”
Sam blinked rapidly, as if to avoid rolling his eyes.
“Is it that bad?” Ed deflated in his seat.
They were in the upstairs office at Ed’s hand-carved desk, Sam in the roller chair, while Ed sat in the antique straight-back he’d pulled over from beside the large globe that opened into a hidden liquor cabinet. Most of Ed’s possessions weren’t from extravagant spending, though, just treasured favorites he’d had for years.
The comics, on the other hand….
“If you invested for enjoyment and like every single issue you own, that’s your prerogative. If you invested for future gains, most of these are worth pennies now.” Sam gestured at the computer screen listing Ed’s impressive collection, which he currently had in storage but was hoping to move into the library soon.
“They’re all really good!” Ed said. “Most of them.”
Sam stared at him patiently.
“Some of them? What’s so terrible about comics, anyway? You’re young. You still like them, don’t you?”
“You’re not that much older than me, Eddie.”
“I’m… older than I look,” Ed said, averting his gaze to the floor. He forgot sometimes how young Sam was, given how good he was at his job.
“I like comics fine, but they’re not a sound investment. You hired me to help organize your life. That includes investments, and comics are speculative at best, tricky to manage, far from liquid, and rife with fraud.”
“Sorry. I’ll stop buying so many.” He just had a habit of clinging to the rare occasion when something modern struck his fancy instead of something from the past.
“It’s your money. You don’t have to apologize.”
“But I’m giving you so much work to do!”
“That’s what you pay me for, remember? But no more binging.”
“I promise. I just wish I wasn’t so bad at this.”
“You’ll learn. Or keep making excuses to keep me longer.”
Ed looked at Sam with a start. He was grinning, only joking, but he didn’t realize how right he was.
A chime at the door interrupted anything else they might have said.
“I’ll get it,” Sam offered, like he always did, rising from the desk to head downstairs.
Ed followed a moment later, swift and stealthy so Sam wouldn’t notice him, and hid in the dining room to watch.
“Mr. and Mrs. Neu-Ryan,” Sam greeted at the door. “Always a pleasure.”
Them again. They never took the hint.
“Hi, Sam.” Marie smiled.
“We’re so glad we caught you,” Daniel said, all smiles and friendliness too. “Is Mr. Simons in?”
“Just missed him. Maybe next time.”
Sam never said otherwise, even though Ed hadn’t asked him to lie.
Daniel held a nondescript box and lifted the lid to show off a pie—coconut cream, Ed would guess. “We made one too many for the station’s potluck today. It’s meant for both of you, if you’ll take it.”
“Thanks. I’m sure Ed will appreciate the gesture once he gets home.”
Doubtful.
“We also wanted to drop off your invitations,” Marie said.
“For what?”
“Our annual barbecue.” She handed him two handsomely scripted envelopes. “One for each of you.”
“I’ll pass on the message, but with Ed’s condition, he might not go for it.”
“The sun sensitivity, sure, but we hope he’ll make an exception,” Daniel said. “There’ll be plenty to do indoors too. I can’t believe we still haven’t met him yet. We know you’re scheduled to end your time here soon, but you’re more than welcome to come to the barbecue even if your contract’s over by then.”
“It definitely will be. I’m already overstaying my welcome.”
“Nonsense,” Marie said. “Mr. Simons clearly doesn’t think so if he keeps requesting you longer. Maybe this could turn into a full-time position.”
“I don’t think that’s possible. I have another contract starting soon. I really can’t stay after this week.”
Sam had been saying that since last Friday, that he couldn’t extend his time too many more days or his other employers might give him the ax, but Ed was still torn. He knew the danger increased every day Sam was with him, being in his home, a part of his life, but the unique hunger Ed felt around him wasn’t going away.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so drawn to someone.
“Seriously, Sam, think about it,” Daniel said, stepping up to the threshold to speak more hushed, even though, as far as they knew, there was no one to overhear them. “With all the missing persons lately, we worry Mr. Simons might become a target, living out here alone in such a nice house with so much… stuff.” He eyed the lavish antiques visible from the foyer. “It’s not quite public yet, but… we found another body.”
Having a homicide detective next door was troublesome, but it was sweet that he seemed genuinely concerned for Ed, even if that concern was misplaced.
“I appreciate the warning, but you can relax,” Sam said. “The security around here has been one of my top priorities. Thanks for the pie and invites. I’m sure we’ll see each other soon.”
Daniel nodded, but then scrunched his brow before stepping back as he looked once more around the foyer. “He really keeps it dark in there, doesn’t he?”