Page 15 of Skin Game

“Well, here we are. And here goes nothing,” Gabe grumbled, staring up at the house.

The structure was an older one, probably built during the post-1944 construction boom that many cities, including Seattle, experienced. A For Sale sign was stuck into the grass that grew along the parking strip.

“We’ve got this,” Casey said.

“Right. Okay.”

Taking another deep breath, Gabe headed up the cement stairs that shot from the sidewalk straight to a large front yard and then along a curved walkway that led them to yet another set of stairs. Definitely not ideal for an elderly person, so maybe this wasn’t a scam or some kind of ambush. That depressing thought had occurred to him last night: What if this was an elaborate setup by friends of the Colavitos? He didn’t think he’d ever quit looking over his shoulder for those assholes.

The front door opened before they could knock.

An older woman, probably somewhere between Althea’s and Elton’s ages, peered out at them. After glancing between Gabeand Casey, she spoke to Gabe. “You must be Heidi’s son, Gabriel. You have your mother’s skeptical expression, and it’s just not possible that the handsome redhead with you is related to Heidi. It’s lovely to meet you in person, Gabriel. My condolences on your mother’s passing.”

She was tiny, diminutive even. The temperature today was pleasant, with off-and-on sprinkles of rain, as was its custom during the first false spring in the Pacific Northwest. But the woman was bundled up as if there was frost on the ground and snow in the air. She even wore a pair of fingerless gloves.

Gabe climbed the stairs and stuck his hand out toward her. Shaking it with one gloved hand, she waved them both inside with the other.

The front door opened to a living room that had moving boxes stacked around its perimeter and a narrow pathway running through them. A shoulder-height wood mantel had Gabe suspecting a fireplace was hidden behind the boxes that extended into a dining area.

The boxes and lack of overhead lighting gave the rooms an uncomfortable, deserted feel, and any natural light was thwarted by heavy curtains that looked to Gabe to be decades old. The whole setup made him appreciate just how?—

Crap. He realized he still didn’t know what to call Heidi’s friend and their host. The letter had been signed with an indistinguishable squiggle.

“I missed your name,” he said, trailing after the older woman. “I mean, I could come up with something on my own, but I’d rather use your correct title.”

“Oh,” she exhaled the word as she turned and looked at him, her eyes moving upward. “That looks painful.”

Gabe shook his head. “Nah, just had a run-in with a hedge.”

“Looks like the hedge got the better of you. Anyway, just call me Lynn.”

Not, Gabe noticed,my name is Lynnbutcall me Lynn.

Sure. What was it with people lying to him about their names this week? Was it his face? If her name was Lynn, then he was buying several hundred dollars of Power Ball tickets the next time he stopped at the gas station. In fact, he’d have Casey stop at one on the way home this afternoon. On the other hand, maybe she had good reason to keep secrets. She was a friend of Heidi’s, after all.

But perhaps he was being paranoid, and Lynn really was her name. Why did he have the feeling she wasn’t being honest? Did it matter? He felt like his mother would have an opinion, but he couldn’t imagine what it was.

In spite of himself, Gabe asked, “How did you know Heidi?” Who knew, maybe the two of them had come up with pseudonyms together. That they’d met throughbusinessseemed obvious.

Lynn shot him a conspiratorial smile. “Oh, you know.” She waved a knit-covered hand. “We sort of found each other, you might say, back in the day. Kindred souls, I guess.”

Ah. Yep.

Let it be, Chance, you don’t need to know everything.

“She must have trusted you quite a bit if she left belongings she valued with you,” he persisted.

That odd smile emerged again. “We trusted each other and moved in the same circles for a bit of time. Years ago, when she left these things with me, she asked me to look up someone named Elton Cox if she passed before I did, said he’d know how to find you. Honestly, it’s a bit shocking to me that I’m still here and she’s not. This Elton person must be at least as old as I am, but I sent the letter anyway. And here we are in the nick of time!” She lifted her arms, dramatically gesturing at the stacks of moving boxes. “I was relieved to hear from you. I thought I might have left it until too late. The movers are coming tomorrow and most of this shit is going to the Goodwill. Now.” She brought herhands together with a muffled clap. “Do you boys need something to eat or drink? Or do you just want to grab the boxes and head out?”

Abruptly, Gabe wanted to get out of there and away from “Lynn” and secrets that didn’t want to be brought to light. Normally, he was the one who was very good—excellent, even—at pumping people for information. He’d been a reasonably successful grifter and could tell when someone was not going to easily give up whatever they knew. Lynn was definitely in that category. Plus, the house was oppressive and cold, and he wanted to be out of there. He glanced at Casey.

“I think,” Casey replied, correctly reading Gabe’s expression, “that we’ll pack up and get going, if you don’t mind.” Casey shoved his hand out for her to shake. “Sorry, my name’s Casey.”

She smiled and accepted his hand, saying, “It’s nice to meet you, Casey. Now, if you want to come this way, everything’s in the basement.”

They followed her into a dimly lit kitchen and out into a hall on the other side, where she opened a door to yet another set of stairs, this one disappearing into a murky and without a doubt cobweb-infested darkness.

Fucking spiders.