over her head. Within a few minutes she’d managed to tuck and comb away any sign that the hair wasn’t her own. She shook her head several times, fluffed the edges, and turned to smile at him. “What do you think?” Her question was said with her perfect American accent.
He walked over to her and touched the edges. Before she could protest, he leaned down and kissed her. “Not bad, Jennifer.”
Sitting in the passenger seat of an economy rental car while AJ drove them from the airport to Amelia’s condo offered Sasha the opportunity to watch his emotions. The closer they came to his sister’s place, the harder he gripped the wheel.
“You certain your parents haven’t gone in and cleared the place out?”
AJ shrugged. “I told them I’d do it. My mom wasn’t in a place to do anything when I left.”
“Your dad?”
“I never could read the man. Hopefully you’ll have better luck.” They’d picked up a dozen empty boxes that were in the trunk of the car. While they looked for any possible clue that Amelia may have left behind, they’d disguise their effort by packing some of her belongings.
He turned into a shared driveway and pulled into a parking space beside a compact car.
“Hers?” Sasha asked.
AJ nodded.
She placed her hand over his and squeezed.
He grasped ahold and held on.
“Ready?”
“Fall apart later, right?”
She could practically taste his pain. “That’s right.”
He faked a smile and pushed out of the car.
The second they were out, Sasha placed her hand in his and held on like a good girlfriend who was being supportive to her guy would.
They walked into the building and took the elevator up to Amelia’s condo on the third floor.
Bits of the police tape hung from the entry. Evidence that the condo had been through a police investigation started at the door. Black powder used for dusting for prints peppered the frame.
AJ hesitated, then pushed past the door, and walked inside.
Once they were secure, she let loose his hand and dropped the smile.
The condo looked like it had been overturned and then someone attempted to put it back together. Mail overflowed the box sitting by the mail slot.
Sasha started doing her thing. “How long did she live here?”
“Since she took the position at the UN. Five years. She wanted a place she could lock up and leave when she was traveling.” AJ picked up the mail that had fallen onto the floor and took it to the countertop separating the kitchen from the living room.
Clean lines, nothing fussy about the furniture. The monochromatic beige and shades of white reminded Sasha of the dorms at Richter. The only pops of color were two bright green pillows on the sofa and a framed picture hanging on the opposite wall. Sasha peered closer, recognized Amelia. “Do you know who is in this picture with your sister?”
AJ looked up from the mail. “No idea.”
The phone rang, piercing the silence in the room.
AJ and Sasha both stared at it. When he moved to answer, she held up a hand, stopping him. The answering machine picked up in three rings, a woman’s voice Sasha assumed was Amelia’s greeted the caller. “You’ve reached me, you know what to do.” A computer generated voice told Sasha that a solicitor, and not a person, was on the line. “This is the League of Disabled Veterans, we have you on file as a concerned patriot who has donated to our organization in the past. With the holidays fast approaching, we would like to reach out and—”
AJ moved to pick up the line. “Damn money sucking—”
Sasha stopped him before he could say more. “It’s okay, honey. They don’t know.” She adopted her Jennifer voice and placed a finger over her lips to shush AJ before he asked any questions.
The answering machine finished the recording, and Sasha pressed the playback button. “You have two unheard messages.” They listened to the first message, which was a series of tones, as if a fax machine had called in, and then the veterans call they’d just heard.
“What?” AJ asked.
Sasha picked up the phone, listened for the dial tone. Nothing.
“Does your sister have a radio? I think music will help us get through this, don’t you?”
AJ moved through the room, ducked into the hall, and returned with a portable speaker and proceeded to connect his cell phone to the Bluetooth. Within two minutes music drowned out the silence.
She moved closer to AJ, lifted her lips to his ears. “Someone has been checking and erasing Amelia’s