Page 87 of The Me I Left Behind

“Hi. We called earlier. Max Oliver’s unit? I’m his wife.”

The woman behind the counter nodded. According to the embroidered name on her denim shirt, her name was Louise. “Of course. May I see your I.D.?”

Maggie handed over her driver’s license. The woman took a quick glance and gave it back. “Unit forty-two. It’s down the row to your left, near the end. You need a key? I understand your husband is out of the country.”

“Yes,” Maggie said. “On both counts.”

Louise fished a key and a slip of paper out of an envelope. “Just sign here that you’re accessing the unit today.”

Maggie glanced at Julia, who nodded back. She took that nod as an okay to sign.

She did, and Louise handed over the key. “That’s his spare so don’t lose it. I’ll need it back before you leave.”

“I can’t keep it? I might need to come back in a day or two.”

Louise hesitated. “I suppose it will be okay, since he’s not available. To be honest, I’ve worked here for eight years, and I’venever seen Mr. Oliver come in, so I doubt he’ll need the spare. We have a universal key if we need it.”

Julia stepped up to the counter. “So, Max never comes by?”

“Unless he comes at night. Some people do. We keep it well lit.”

That was intriguing. Maggie leaned closer to Louise. “Can you tell me how long he’s had this unit? I’m looking for something we stored years ago and just wondering.”

Louise flipped the key envelope over. “Looks like this account was opened in July 2002.” She looked at Maggie. “Wow, that’s quite a long time.”

“Yes.”It certainly is.

“How does he pay?” Julia asked.

Louise cocked a brow and frowned, and Maggie was uncertain if Louise would respond.

“Just curious, if he doesn’t come in,” she added.

Louise pointed to a line on the envelope. “Says here by credit card. Automatic withdrawal.”

Convenient. “Well, thanks. I appreciate your help. We’ll check back in before we leave.” Maggie glanced at Julia. “Ready?”

They drove to the storage unit, opened the heavy-duty padlock, and lifted the garage-type door. It rolled back and sunlight streamed inside, creating rays illuminated with dust motes.

Both women stood in the doorway, looking into the unit.

“Wow,” Julia said after a minute. “Super dusty.”

“I don’t know where to start,” Maggie added.

The unit was definitely not big enough to stash an Escalade, but it was big enough to store a row of large plastic boxes with labels neatly stacked along one side, and on the other, two filing cabinets, a desk, and a floor-to-ceiling utility shelf filled with banker’s boxes and other items.

“What is this?” Julia stepped further into the unit. “No one has definitely been here for a while, but my guess is that at some point, this was a makeshift office.”

Maggie wandered deeper, past the desk and utility shelf to the corner. “And possibly, an impromptu place to spend the night.”

“What?” Julia caught up with her. “Why the fuck would Max need a cot and pillows and a sleeping bag in here?”

“No clue. Weird.”

Julia turned back to the desk. “No weirder than the 2002 desktop calendar and Franklin Covey planner—both of which I am taking with me, I might add—and…” She reached for an item on the desk, turning it over. “Oh, hell.”

Maggie pivoted back. “What is it?”