Page 40 of Mountain Void

“No,” Lorenz agreed. “We don’t, either. Did you see anything—“

“The property line runs straight through,” the man continued, ignoring Lorenz. He jabbed a finger toward the concrete. “This needs to be cleaned up, and I’m not going to be the one paying for—“

Lorenz stepped forward, but one of the gendarmes was quicker. “The priority, Sir, is to find out who trespassed and defaced this property,” he cut in smoothly, redirecting the conversation. “Maybe you saw or heard something.”

“I didn’t. As I already told you, I was trying to sleep.”

“How about earlier?” Lorenz asked.

The neighbor’s glassy blue eyes turned to look at him. “And you are?”

“Lieutenant Van der Berg,” Lorenz said. “Perhaps you’d like to continue the conversation down at the gendarmerie, Mr. Brody?”

For the first time, Charlie’s neighbor looked nervous. “No. No need. Earlier, I was watching a movie. In my bedroom. On the other side of the house. I didn’t see or hear anything.”

The gendarmes stepped in neatly to ask questions, but Charlie wasn’t listening anymore. She stared at the red paint beneath their feet. At the dripping lines that made up such an ugly message.

Someone had been here, stood right where she was standing, and thought of her as they wrote each letter.

As if he could sense her discomfort, Lorenz stood closer. “It’s going to be okay, Charlie.”

Eventually, the neighbor was dismissed. He left, still grumbling something about the cleaning under his breath. Then the officers left. The street fell quiet again.

“I’ll need something to clean this with,” Charlie said.

“You’re not staying here tonight,” Lorenz said, his voice firm.

Charlie hesitated. As much as she couldn’t bear to sleep right next to that word, it wasn’t right to make him responsible for her. She stood on her own two feet. She made her own decisions.

She exhaled shakily. “I—“

“Please come home with me, Charlie. Tomorrow, we’ll figure this out.”

Her eyes went down to the bold, deliberate lines.

Someone had been here.

Outside her house.

“Okay,” she said quietly.

“Come on, let’s grab whatever you need.”

14

Lorenz

“Have you lived here long?” Charlie asked, looking out the window onto the town below.

She looked resplendent, standing there in that little black dress, but there was something guarded in the way she held herself, her shoulders drawn in, her arms stiffly by her side. He didn’t want her guarded. Not around him. Not ever.

He searched her expression for some clue as to what she thought of his apartment, but found none.

Following her gaze, he looked around the room as if he were seeing it for the first time.

He hadn’t put any time or effort into decorating the place. The couch was deep enough to fall asleep on after a night shift. The television was large enough to watch ski races from across the room. The blackout blinds kept the apartment dark enough for daytime sleep when he needed it.

Everything had a purpose, but nothing had been chosen because it was beautiful. The thought that someone might or might not like his apartment had never mattered to him before.