Page 58 of Deadly Lineage
“Creepy?” Boone answered defensively when I’d been quiet too long.
“Handy,” I finally answered. “I was just thinking that kind of knowledge would be useful.”
“Why? The victim’s already dead. Not much to do about it at that point.” Boone sounded genuinely curious.
“Being mentally prepared is nice.” I finally turned enough that I could see Boone’s startled, then understanding expression.
“I think I get it. I don’t mind mice and rats, but they scare the shit out of me when I don’t expect to see them. If I know they’re there, I find them cute.”
I didn’t think I’d ever find a dead bodycute,but the comparison was good enough. “Okay, no body on the other side. You ready to go in and see what is?”
“As I said earlier, after you.” Boone’s lip twitched into a grin. If we’d been nearly anywhere else, I would have closed the distance and captured those lips. Boone had the type of lips that were made for kissing. I figured they hadn’t been test-driven enough and planned on changing that in the near future.
Dragging my gaze away from Boone’s very kissable lips, I turned the doorknob and opened the entryway. The door swung open with an audible groan.
“Sounds just as reluctant as my screen door,” Boone lamented.
I huffed something unintelligible and walked into the dim room. The drapes were pulled, shutting out the burningMississippi summer sun. The apartment complex might appear to be falling apart, but the window-mounted air-conditioning unit still ran strong.
Flipping the light switch, I said, “Electricity is still on.” I didn’t think Remington had been dead long enough that he’d have overdue bills, but the power being on indicated he’d been good about paying his bills while alive.
I moved deeper into the studio apartment. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the apartment was neat, but it wasn’t filthy either. It was also decently picked up. There weren’t any horrible odors, but that might be because Remington was a panther shifter and was probably sensitive to smells. I wasn’t sure how strong their noses were, but no doubt his sense of smell would have been about a thousand times better than mine.
“He took care of the place,” Boone said while walking toward the bed. Melancholy took over his earlier teasing tone. “He didn’t have much, but what he did have, Linus looked after.”
I glanced Boone’s direction and was relieved to see he’d taken my instruction to heart and wasn’t touching anything.
“I don’t know if it’s sad or not,” Boone said, the dreariness still coloring his voice indicating otherwise. “I mean, some individuals like living the loner kind of life. They enjoy moving around and having few attachments. If that’s what Linus liked, then who am I to judge?”
I didn’t think Boone was judging. What I did think was that wasn’t the kind of life he found appealing. “Not my cup of tea either,” I said, and Boone turned my direction, a spark of…something, in his eyes.
“No?”
With a head shake, I answered, “I come from a decent-sized family. Nothing huge, but family gatherings when I was a kid were plentiful. I’m not saying I want that kind of chaos every day, but I like having roots and a solid support base.” Mysupport base might be physically far away, but I carried them with me where it counted and knew that when the shit hit the fan, I always had a safe place to land.
Boone’s gaze turned soft. “Yeah. I mean, I don’t have much, but I’ve got Momma and Pops. Pops is across the country, but you and I both know he’d be here in a heartbeat if I needed him.”
Oh, I was very well aware.“I don’t think they’re all you’ve got. You seem to have Mrs. Hart and her ankle biter wrapped around your finger.”
Boone tilted his head back and laughed. The motion exposed the slender length of his neck. He had a very shapely neck.
“Ankle biter?I don’t know if Mrs. Hart wouldtskyou or agree. It probably depends on the situation. I’m not sure what it says about me that I’ve managed to win over Miss Pattycakes.”
“I think is says a lot. Miss Patty seems like a very discerning dog.”
Boone laughed again and I realized I wouldn’t mind hearing more of that joyous sound.
“If you hadn’t noticed, you’ve also got me. No matter where this thing between us goes, I’ve got your back, Erasmus.” Standing inside a murder victim’s apartment probably wasn’t the best venue to bare your heart. Then again, this was Erasmus Boone we were talking about. Between his species and my chosen profession, the dead were our home court.
Cheeks flushing, Boone dropped his head and nodded. “Thanks, Franklin.” Blowing out a breath, Boone raised his head and said, “After the hubbub around my house last night, I might need all the support I can get. Needless to say, besides Mrs. Hart and herankle biter, the rest of my neighbors aren’t pleased. I wouldn’t be surprised if I get called to a neighborhood meeting soon.”
“What does that mean?” Righteous anger boiled low in my gut. “What happened wasn’t your fault, and the Fair HousingAct means you can live wherever the hell you want.” What was wrong with people? God, if I had the answer to that, I’d probably be the wealthiest man alive. I’d also probably be the most frustrated too. Knowing the root of a problem didn’t automatically lead to its solution.
Boone’s casual shrug didn’t fool me. He was worried. “I’m not sure what they can do beyond try and make my life miserable. I suppose there’s more than one way to get someone out of their house.”
My anger jumped a few notches into the land of fury. “You let me know if they start pulling any stupid shit. Iwillget involved and theywillbe very sorry.” I had no idea what I planned on doing, only that I had friends—legal and not so legal—with their sticky fingers on a lot of computer keys. The right person could do a lot of damage in a darkened room behind an otherwise unassuming desk.
Boone’s slack jaw tightened before relaxing. “Thanks, Franklin. I’ll put that reminder on my welcome mat.”
