“What? They were what?”
“It was almost as though they were suspicious. Of her.”
“But did Black die of natural causes or not?”
“The police were fairly certain that was the case. But not completely.”
“Did they ask anything else? About Giselle? About me?”
I feel something slither in my stomach, as though a sleeping dragon were just roused from its torpor. “Rodney,” I say, with an edge in my voice that I have trouble hiding. “Why would they ask about you?”
“That was stupid,” he says. “No idea why I said that. Forget it.”
He pulls his hands away and I immediately wish he would put them back.
“I guess I’m just worried. For Giselle. For the hotel. For all of us, really.”
It occurs to me then that I’m missing something. Every year at Christmas, Gran and I would set up a card table in the living room and work on a puzzle together as we listened to Christmas carols on the radio. The harder the puzzle, the happier we were. And I’m feeling the same sensation I felt when Gran and I were challenged by a really hard puzzle. It’s as if I’m not quite putting the pieces together properly.
Then it occurs to me. “You said you don’t know Giselle well. Is that correct?”
He sighs. I know what this means. I’ve exasperated him, even though I didn’t mean to.
“Can’t a guy be concerned for someone who seems like a nice person?” he asks. There’s a sharp clip to his consonants that reminds me of Cheryl when she’s up to something unsanitary.
I must course-correct before I put Rodney off me entirely. “I’m sorry,” I say, smiling widely and leaning forward in my chair. “You have every right to be concerned. It’s just the way you are. You care about others.”
“Exactly.” He reaches into his back pocket and takes out his phone. “Molly, take my number,” he says.
A frisson of excitement flitters through me, removing any and all slithering doubt. “You want me to have your phone number?” I’ve done it. I’ve mended fences. Our date is back on track.
“If anything happens—like the police bother you again or ask too many questions—you just let me know. I’ll be there for you.”
I take out my phone and we exchange numbers. When I write my name in his phone, I feel inclined to add an identifier. “Molly, Maid and Friend,” I type. I even add a heart emoji at the end as a declaration of amorous intent.
My hands feel jittery as I pass back his phone. I’m hoping he’ll look at my entry and see the heart, but he doesn’t.
Mr. Snow enters the restaurant then. I see him by the bar, grabbing some paperwork before leaving. Rodney is slouching in the seat opposite me. He should not be shy about remaining in the workplace after the end of his shift—Mr. Snow says that’s a sign of an A++ employee.
“Listen, I’ve gotta go,” Rodney says. “You’ll call if anything comes up?”
“I will,” I say. “I most definitely will make phone contact.”
He gets up from the booth and I follow him out the lobby and through the front doors. Mr. Preston is just outside the entrance.
I wave and he tips his hat.
“Hey, any cabs around here?” Rodney asks.
“Of course,” Mr. Preston says. He walks to the street, blows his whistle, and waves down a taxi. When it pulls over, Mr. Preston opens the back door. “In you go, Molly,” he says.
“No, no,” Rodney replies. “The cab’s for me. You’re going…somewhere else, right, Molly?”
“I’m going east,” I say.
“Right. I’m west. Have a good night!”
Rodney gets in and Mr. Preston closes the door. As the taxi pulls away, Rodney waves at me through the window.
“I’ll call you!” I yell after him.
Mr. Preston stands beside me. “Molly,” he says. “Be careful with that one.”
“With Rodney? Why?” I ask.
“Because that, dear girl, is a frog. And not all frogs turn out to be princes.”
Chapter 9
I walk home briskly, full of energy and butterflies from my time with Rodney. I think back to Mr. Preston’s uncharitable comment about frogs and princes. It occurs to me how easy it is to misjudge people. Even an upstanding man like Mr. Preston can sometimes get it wrong. Minus the smooth chest, Rodney entirely lacks amphibious qualities. My chiefest hope is that while he is not a frog, Rodney will turn out to be the prince of my very own fairy tale.
I wonder to myself what the etiquette is around wait times before I dial Rodney’s phone number. Should I call him immediately to thank him for our date or should I wait until tomorrow? Perhaps I should text him instead? My only experience with such matters was with Wilbur, who despised talking on the phone and used text messages for time- or task-related correspondence only: “Expected arrival time: 7:03,” “Bananas on sale: 0.49 cents. Buy while quantities last.” If Gran were still around, I’d ask for advice, but that is no longer an option.
As I approach my building, I notice a familiar figure standing outside the front doors. For a moment I’m sure I’m hallucinating, but as I get closer, I see it really is her. She’s wearing her large dark sunglasses and carrying her pretty yellow purse.
“Giselle?” I say as I approach.
“Oh, thank God. Molly, I’m so glad to see you.” Before I can say anything else, she opens her arms and hugs me tight. I’m at a loss for words, mostly because I can barely breathe. She releases me, tips her sunglasses back so I can see her red-rimmed eyes. “Can I come in?”
“Of course,” I say. “I can’t believe you’re here. I’m…I’m so pleased to see you.”
“Not as pleased as I am to see you,” she says.
I rummage through my pockets and manage to find my keys. My hands shake a little as I open the door and invite her into my building.
She steps in gingerly and looks around the lobby. Crumpled flyers litter the ground, surrounded by muddy footprints and cigarette butts—such a filthy habit. Her face registers disdain at the mess, so much so that I can read it clearly.
“It’s unfortunate, isn’t it? I do wish every tenant would participate in keeping the entrance clean. I think you’ll find Gran’s…my apartment much more sanitary,” I say.
I guide her through the entrance and toward the stairwell.
She looks up the looming staircase. “What floor are you on?” she asks.
“Fifth,” I say.
“Can we take the elevator?”
“I do apologize. There isn’t one.”
“Wow,” she says, but she joins me in marching up the stairs even though she’s wearing impossibly high heels. We make it to the fifth landing and I rush ahead of her to open the broken fire door. It creaks as I pull it. She steps through and we emerge onto my floor. I’m suddenly aware of the dim lighting and burnt bulbs, the peeling wallpaper and the general tattiness of these corridors. Of course, Mr. Rosso, my landlord, hears us approach and chooses precisely that moment to emerge from his apartment.
“Molly,” he says. “On your good Gran’s grave, when are you going to pay me what’s owed?”
I feel a blast of heat rise to my face. “This week. Rest assured. You’ll get what’s coming to you.” I imagine a big red bucket full of soapy water and pushing his bulbous head into it.
Giselle and I keep walking by him. Once we’re past, she rolls her eyes comically, which to me is a great relief, since I was concerned she’d think poorly of me for not keeping up with my rent. Clearly, that’s not what she’s thinking at all.