Page 88 of Jep

When he reached for the door handle, so did she.

“Hang on a second,” he said, grabbing her arm.

“I’m not staying in the car, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“I’d rather you did.”

“I’m sure you would, but you’re only here because of the information I provided. And we agreed my eyes on this would be helpful.”

“That is all true, but now that we’re here?—”

“Jade’s my sister, so I’m going in.”

“What does her being your sister have to do with anything?”

Em took a deep breath. “The stuff she said when I saw her was…difficult. It wasn’t the picture I had painted of her for so long. I need to see. I need to understand what drove her to the place she’s at now. How she could fall into this deep, depressing hole where she became willing to carry out atrocities.”

“Have you considered that you might not like what you find?”

“I still want to know. I need to. So unless you handcuff me to the steering wheel, I’m going in.”

“I do have handcuffs.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Maybe not, but that doesn’t stop me from considering it. I’ll tell you what. If you let me go in first and clear the apartment, I’ll come back and get you.”

“Okay, deal.” She reached for the door handle again.

“You said you’d wait.”

“What? Here? Why?”

“Because that’s what we agreed on.”

“I’ll wait in the lobby.” She got out before he could grab her again.

“You are impossible,” he mumbled as he got out of the car and followed her to the front door. “Let me check the lobby first.”

“You think someone’s waiting for us on the other side of that door?”

He gave her a look that she must have understood, because she leaned against the brick wall and sulked.

“Thank you,” he said as someone came out, and he slipped inside before the door closed.

It was a small space with a vinyl parquet floor curling on itself at the corners.

A cluster of mailboxes was set into one wall next to a flight of stairs leading up. He opened a door in the other wall and found another flight of stairs that led into a dark basement. He would have checked it if he hadn’t remembered Em’s words about the probability someone was waiting for them. If it had been just him on site, he wouldn’t have bothered because he was sure it was clear. When Lawson sent a team in, they’d tear the place apart if they had to.

He opened the front door and tucked his head out. “You can come in now.”

“Didn’t find any scary monsters?”

“Funny.”

“I thought so.” She joined him inside. “You know how to pick locks, right?”

“Why do I suddenly feel like that’s the only reason you brought me?”

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