Page 58 of Caffeine & Chaos
“You’re right, okay, never mind about that,” Nadia conceded.
“Are you going to clue me in on why the cops are suddenly after you?” Mandy asked with a tone that suggested Nadia should cut to the chase.
“My apartment was broken into,” Nadia said flatly, “or I guess, not really broken into, but somehow someone got in and ransacked the place according to the detective. I’m not even sure what’s been taken yet, or how bad it is. I’m waiting to hear back from him on whether I’m allowed to go home to see the damage,” Nadia sagged into a nearby chair as the excitement of seeing Mandy faded, replaced by the daunting reality of having to confront her home situation.
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Mandy said, twisting up her face as she settled into the chair across from Nadia. “When I come to visit you, I have to go through the doorman first. There’s a sign-in procedure. How could that happen?”
“I don’t know, and last I spoke to the detective, neither did they,” Nadia replied.
Just then, her phone began to buzz loudly on the table. It was the detective calling.
“Hello,” Nadia answered, her voice betraying the butterflies that were swirling in her stomach.
“Hi Nadia, this is Detective Aldana. We’ve heard back from the doorman who was on shift the night your apartment was broken into, and it looks like there was one non-resident sign in that night, from a parcel company.”
“That’s not unusual”, Nadia said, “there are often packages coming and going from the building. I’m surprised it was only one to be honest.”
“Well, the thing is, that the company he listed on the sign in sheet has no employee that matches the name he gave, nor the description. It looks like someone pulled a fast one to gain entry to the building,” he said.
“There are camera’s everywhere in the building, surely one of those caught a glimpse of him?” Nadia asked, trying to imagine what might have been taken from her place.
“Well, he was smart, he hid his face well with a ball cap and long hair, but the doorman got a good look at him and was able to give us a description. You don’t need to come down to the precinct for questioning, we’ve got a suspect on tape.”
Nadia sighed with relief, silently thanking the detective for sparing her the headache. “Does this mean I am free to go to my apartment?” Nadia asked.
“Yes, it’s not a pretty sight, but we’ve already gotten everything we can get from the place. It looks like the perp used gloves, so we don’t have a lot to go on,” he cleared his throat and then continued, “we will need you to provide us with a list of what was taken once you’ve had a chance to look around. We’ll also need a list of any ex-boyfriends or male friends who might have been to your apartment before.”
Nadia’s blood ran cold. “I never bring men to my apartment. Why would you need that?”
“It’s standard procedure,” he paused before continuing, “Also, it’s hard to tell in the video footage, but it looks like this guy might have had a key. He stuck something in the lock, so he either had a key or a very sophisticated lock picking device,” the detective paused, before continuing, “just let us know if anyone comes to mind, and get that lock changed ASAP.”
Nadia racked her brain trying to imagine how a strange man could have gotten a key to her apartment.
“I’m going to send you the clearest still frames of the video once our team has scrubbed the footage of as much grain as possible. Maybe we’ll get lucky, and you’ll be able to provide an ID.”
Nadia thanked the detective again and ended the call.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Mandy said, leaning over the table to gently rub her forearm, “what is it?”
“The detective thinks it might have been targeted at me. He said the guy who got in, might have had a key,” Nadia said in disbelief.
“How would that happen? Have you ever even had a guy to your apartment?” Mandy asked.
“Never,” Nadia confirmed. She folded her arms across herself protectively and searched the street outside the window, seeking the reassurance of spotting one of the “goons” she was previously opposed to Ryan providing. Perhaps he wasn’t being paranoid after all.
Damn it, she’d forgotten about Ryan. She realized she would have to update him, and when she did, he would be on the next flight back to Miami, ready to swoop in and protect her. As much as she longed for his presence in that moment, she also knew it would jeopardize the fragile progress he had made with his family.
“Nadia?” Mandy beckoned, concern flashing across her face.
Nadia looked up at her, visibly shaking off the daze she was in, her mind still racing with thoughts of Ryan and the realization that the break-in at her apartment wasn’t just a random act.
“What now?” Mandy asked.
“I can go to the apartment. I’ll need to take a good look around, obviously fix the place up too, and then I’m supposed to put together a list of what was stolen and give it to the MPD,” Nadia paused and rubbed her brow tiredly, “as much as I want to get my place sorted out, I don’t think I can face it today. Can I stay at your place tonight? That will give me time to get a locksmith out to the apartment as well.”
“Of course!” Mandy grinned widely, “it’s been a minute since we had a girls’ night anyway. Just remember, I don’t have any of that fancy shit you’re used to,” Mandy said, still grinning.
“Who needs fancy shit when you’ve got good friends and good wine?” Nadia replied, returning Mandy’s wide grin.