Page 84 of Little Hidden Fears

“I agree.”

“Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, what is it you want?”

Straight to the point.

I liked it.

“I was hoping we could take a quick peek inside Dawn’s apartment,” I said. “I’m looking for any clues to assist me in locating her.”

“You ever consider she up and left because she wanted to leave this place, start over, and the like? What makes you think she wants to be found?”

“If she’s alive, there’s a good chance she’s on the run, that she left because she didn’t think she had any other choice.”

“Now just hold on a minute. Why’d you say what you just did ...ifshe’s alive? Why wouldn’t she be?”

I put the comment to the side for now, changing subjects.

“You said the two of you are friends,” I said. “What do you know about the man she was dating?”

“What man? There’s no man. None I’ve ever seen around here, anyway.” There was a long pause, and then, “Except ...”

She tapped a finger to her lips.

“Except what?” I asked.

“A few times, right before she took off, Dawn didn’t come home after work. I know because the lights in her place didn’tcome on. I’m up at the crack of dawn, making the most of my day from the start, and a few times I noticed she got home at six, seven in the morning. She’d go into her apartment, change into her work clothes, and leave about an hour later. Always wondered where she’d been all night.”

“You didn’t ask her?”

“Didn’t want to seem nosy.”

She may not have wanted toseemnosy, but it was obvious she kept tabs on her neighbors—or Dawn, at least.

“When’s the last time you saw or talked to Dawn?” I asked.

“Let’s see now ... would have been about a week before Noelle Winters reported her missing. She stopped by here, looking for Dawn ... you know, before she was murdered.”

“What did the two of you talk about?”

“She asked if I’d seen Dawn, or if I knew where she was, and I told her I did not. She seemed real worried, kept saying Dawn was missing, and she needed to find her. Then she left.”

As much as I liked where the conversation was going, I needed to get inside Dawn’s apartment, and I hoped Ramona had warmed up to the idea.

“Would it be possible to have a look inside Dawn’s apartment?” I asked.

“Even if I wanted to let ya’ll in, I can’t. Privacy and all. Wouldn’t be right, and besides, I should be getting back to the office.”

Before I had a chance to reply, she’d turned, offering us a slight wave as she trotted off.

If I wanted to get inside Dawn’s place, I had to think fast.

“Hey, Ramona, I need to tell you something, but it needs to stay between us,” I said.

Knowing how attentive she was to Dawn’s goings-on, and I bet every resident who lived in the community—I was sure she’d jump at the chance to hear a bit of juicy gossip.

And I was right.

She marched back our way, saying, “Oh, I’m good at keeping secrets. I know so many things about the people who live here.”