Page 149 of Exposé

"That was for a little peace and quiet, but it's for a good cause. I'm supposed to be there. I know it." I put my hands before me and begged. "Please, Martha."

Martha grabbed her stamped-out cigarette, placed it between her lips, and dug into her desk drawer. She pulled out a lighter, her head shaking, then lit the end.

"I'll be quick. In and out. You won’t even know I was there. I just need to see what's going on behind that door."

She drew in a long drag and exhaled, delaying the inevitable answer. The smoke filled the air like a fog machine on Halloween night, and my hope dwindled as she took a second drag, her head tipped back.

"Alright."

"Alright? Does that mean yes?" I jumped, my heart lodged in my throat.

"You have five minutes. You bring me the key. You talk to no one. Do you understand?"

I nodded. "Yes." Stepping further into the office as she turned toward the filing cabinet, I touched her desk with a single finger and grimaced.

My finger left a dust track two inches from the edge.

Martha turned with a key dangling in her fingers, her cigarette pressed between her lips. "If you are caught in there, I will deny ever giving you the key."

"You got it." I ran my finger over my chest, keeping it a healthy distance away from my clothes. "Our secret dies with me."

"Jesus. Don't be so dramatic." She tossed me the key, and I darted out of the office.

"I'll be right back," I hollered over my shoulder.

Taking two steps at a time, I rushed down the hall still barren and dilapidated, pausing at the door with the crooked numbers.

Knocking, I pressed my ear to the door and waited.

Silence reigned supreme.

I smiled, drove the key into the lock, pushed the door open, and slipped inside. Scanning the studio apartment similar to mine but void of anything personal, I closed the door behind me.

Meow.

A large, orange cat jogged toward me, its belly fat swaying to the side. The cat paused before me, then bumped its head against my shin with another pathetic meow as I tucked the key into my pocket.

"Well, hello, little one." I bent down and scratched it between the ears as it turned, giving me its butt and tail. "Sorry, but I'm in a hurry."

Standing, I rubbed my hands together, then ventured into the small space.

A bed sat off to the left with a desk beside it, the screens black. The curtained window blocked any light, and a familiar scent rushed beneath my nose.

I've smelled that before.

What is that?

I slipped into the bathroom on my right and opened the medicine cabinet.

Toothbrush.

Paste.

Floss

Listerine.

Sounds like I'm making a shopping list.

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