Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 98398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
“Because the battery died,” she said, like it was obvious.
“Then you should plug it in and recharge it. It should be on. You should be reachable at all hours.”
I looked around some more, not really believing that she was alone. “Why are the lights all off?” My breath floated in front of my face. “And why is it so cold in here?”
I took another look around the apartment, not looking for a person, just taking in my surroundings. It was the saddest thing I had ever seen. The apartment looked like the beginning of a commercial asking for donations.
This brilliant, beautiful woman was living in squalor.
“Because my landlord decided that his tenants didn’t need electricity today.” She looked exhausted, like the fight in her had just drained out.
For a second, I felt guilty. Had I done that, had I been the one to break her?
No, I wasn’t the one who touched her electricity. I wasn’t the one freezing her out.
“What do you mean the landlord decided?” I asked.
“I mean, the landlord has been turning off the heat or the water or the electricity every couple of days for the last few months.”
“Why would your landlord turn off any of the utilities to the building? There are laws to protect you and other tenants from that. He could face not only fines but serious jail time for this type of abuse.”
“You think I don’t know that? I would bet money that even he knows it too, but that doesn’t mean he cares. We could take him to court, but nothing would ever come of it except I would lose what little shelter from the elements I have.”
She pulled the blanket tighter around her, and I realized she wasn’t hiding her clothes underneath. She was hiding the fact that she had my wool coat on, despite being inside.
She was cold.
This apartment was frigid, and I was in a tuxedo with a long cashmere coat over it. I was insulated from the elements, and I was cold. I could only imagine how cold she must have been.
This had to end now.
“Is there a specific reason he’s torturing his tenants?” I asked.
It could be an issue where the electricity pulled too much energy into the wiring, which needed to be updated. There were grants for older buildings that would handle that, but maybe he wasn’t aware. Or maybe a transformer needed to be fixed or there was something that could be handled quickly.
“Because he wants us to leave so he can sell it to some investor who’s going to flip it and turn it into overpriced condos. Probably already has a buyer or group of buyers lined up, some yuppies who think this is an up-and-coming neighborhood and are okay with the idea of gentrifying it.” She said it as if that was the most basic thing in the world and not extremely illegal. “Why are you here, Harrison?”
“So then, why do you still live here?” The question had to be asked.
“Because this is where I live, this is what I have to deal with, and this is what a lot of people who weren’t born with a trust fund have to deal with.”
“No, it’s not. What your landlord is doing is illegal. Just because you were born without privilege does not mean you have lesser rights than those of us who were. What’s his name?”
I asked this while looking around, taking my phone out of my breast pocket, ready to start the process to bring her landlord here immediately. It was hard not to notice how little she had in this apartment.
Paralegals did not earn a lot, but she should have been making more than to live like this. She should have been making more than enough to afford at least a warm studio in a better area, with a real kitchen and an actual bed.
She laughed.
Apparently, what I had said was hilarious. She actually doubled over laughing, clutching her stomach. After a few moments, she calmed down and wiped a tear from her eye.
“I’m not telling you his name. Now, please. Leave. You’ve seen how the other half lives. It’s terrible. Your little field trip to the other side of the tracks has concluded, and you can just leave me to it in peace.”
She shifted to stand directly in front of me like she was trying to keep my attention on her and not around the small room and the tattered, mismatched furniture that had probably already been battered and threadbare before she dragged it up the three stories to this shit hole.
“Okay, have it your way. Don’t tell me. I have resources to fix this on my own.”
I dialed Captain Raydar, knowing he would see this as another tip instead of the personal favor it was. After giving him the address, I told him I wanted the landlord found and brought to Eddie’s apartment in cuffs if necessary within the next fifteen minutes.