Page 5 of Unexpected Danger
The operator was keeping tabs, but Londyn barely heard a word she said.
Finally, she noticed lights again coming down the street. She cautiously edged near the window and quickly peeked out before retreating. A police car was parked in front of the apartments. Londyn released the breath she’d been holding and returned her gun to the drawer.
“Officers have arrived,” said the operator. “They’ll do a perimeter check outside, then come to your door to ask you some questions.”
“Thank you.” Londyn disconnected, unlocked the bedroom door, and waited until the officers knocked on the front door.
She peeked through the peephole, then opened it, and the officers introduced themselves. “We’d like to get some information,” said the burly bald one, who introduced himself as Officer Gann. He asked her some generic questions about her name, age, and the length of time she’d resided in the apartment.
“Can you tell us what happened?” This, from the shorter, squattier officer named Nelson.
Londyn reiterated her story of how she’d seen the man across the street last night, the texts she’d received, and how she’d reported that to the police station earlier that day. Her words tumbling from her mouth as though she were an auctioneer, Londyn told the officers what had just happened.
“Can you give us a physical description?”
“It was dark, but I did notice he or she was wearing a black sweatshirt with a hood and a black mask. Or maybe the hoodie was navy.” She clasped her hands so tightly her knuckles turnedwhite. Her stomach clenched. What if the person had gotten in? “He was wearing dark colored clothing and a mask.”
“You mentioned it was a he.”
“I guess I was just assuming. I think, yes, I think it was a man.”
“What about his build?”
“Slim from what I could see. He was taller than me. Maybe six feet?” How could she not have done a better job gathering such critical information?
Officer Gann jotted down notes. “We didn’t see anyone outside, so he must have retreated when he heard us coming. Do you know of anyone who would do this?”
“No.”
“Any enemies?”
“I haven’t lived here very long. Probably not long enough to make enemies. Unless…” The thought hit her suddenly.
“Yes?”
“I work for a company that handles the billing for several doctors and clinics. Maybe someone was unhappy with me because I was attempting to collect payment. Or maybe it’s someone who was already turned over to collections.”
Officer Nelson tilted his head. “Anyone in particular lately who might be unhappy with you?”
“There is one who comes to mind. He has refused to pay his outstanding debt, although we’ve done all we can to work with him.”
“Do you have a name for us?”
“Yes. BJ Nuss.”
“Has Mr. Nuss threatened you in any way?”
Londyn attempted to recall the most recent conversation she had with Mr. Nuss last week. It hadn’t been a pleasant one. “We’ve talked several times, beginning with a plan for him to make payments toward his sizable bill. He has failed to remit anypayments since our agreement. After a lengthy discussion where I informed him that we unfortunately had to turn him over to collections, he yelled some obscenities before ending the call by telling me that if I did not find a way to get the bill back from collections, I would pay a steep price.” As she said the words, she realized how much of a motive Mr. Nuss, whom she’d never met, had.
“Have you ever seen this Mr. Nuss?”
“I have not.”
“Is it common for you or your coworkers to receive threats if you turn someone over to collections?”
Had she ever heard of such an occurrence before? She hadn’t, at least not from Jasmine or Dustin, although her boss, Sonja, mentioned some problematic people. “Not that I’m aware of, but I’m sure it does happen. There’s probably a reason why this isn’t the most coveted job out there. We do our best to work with people and give them several chances, especially since we know times are hard and medical expenses can be steep, but even though my supervisor gives us some leeway, at some point, our hands are tied.”
“Have you had any other issues lately with someone trying to break in?”
