Read The Case of the Lady in Apartment 308 for Free Online

a homeboy.”
    She responded, “Marriage doesn’t interest me, at all!”
    That was clear enough. Ed felt somewhat deflated. Why? He wasn’t seriously interested. But he considered her silently sitting across from him. Her eyes were downcast as she slowly, silently relished the sherbet.
    It came to him that, while she had been emphatic about marriage, she hadn’t rejected an affair.
    And she had had two meals with him.
    He perked up a little. But she rose and said, “That was nice.” And again she strode out of the basement, leaving the used dishes on the table.
    Ed thought maybe he ought to find a more suitable place to feed her.
    Where?
    It was the evening after that when Rudolf and Amy Smith invited Ed to go fishing early, early the nextmorning. “We’ll have breakfast on the boat. We’ll get back here about eight that morning.”
    And before he realized what his tongue was doing, he asked, “May I invite someone along?”
    Rudolf perked up, but his wife elbowed him, and it was she who said, “’Course.”
    So Ed drove back to the apartment house and went up to the third floor. What if she was out on a date? So he wasn’t anticipating any reply to his knock.
    However, Marcia came immediately to the door and looked up at him as if she had expected someone. No big smile, just surprise he wasn’t someone else. Who?
    She asked, “Yes?”
    That was all the greeting she gave him. And he indicated he was willing to enter the apartment and visit, but she stood firmly in the door.
    So he stood there crowding the partially open door and gave his invitation. “Two people I know have a boat on the river. And they’ve invited me to go along tomorrow morning about six. We’ll have breakfast on board, and Amy is a good cook.” That’s how he told her another woman would be along. “We’ll dock about eight. Would you like to come along?”
    She didn’t move. But she looked at him soberly. Then she said, “Okay.”
    She’d agreed! But she hadn’t smiled or moved out of the blocking manner by the door. She said, “I’ll be at the dock at a quarter of six?”
    “I’ll come by for you.”
    “Okay. I’ll be by the front door.”
    “I’m so glad you want to go along. It’ll be nice.”
    “Okay.” She moved the door a little to indicate the conversation was finished.
    Ed stepped back. “I’ll see you in the morning at the front door.”
    “Yes.” And she began to close the door.
    He said, “I’ll bring the poles and bait.” He smiled as if she would think he was bait for her.
    She made no reply but began to close her door. The contact was over.
    Ed had looked. He couldn’t see that anyone else was in her apartment, but the door hadn’t been all the way open.
    As Ed stepped back into the actual hall, her door closed altogether. She hadn’t smiled or said thanks or even tried to appear friendly.
    Ed went down the two flights of stairs and out to his car. He got into it and considered. She really wasn’t eager about him. Why did he pursue her? He didn’t know.
    Was it the challenge?
    Surely he wasn’t the kind of man who just had to see if he could attract some reluctant woman. Was he guilty of such conduct? Yeah.
    He realized he’d been doing such foolishness all his life. He’d been doing that ever since he realized girls were wonderfully different from boys.
    He was deliberately trying to attract a woman who wasn’t at all interested…almost not at all. She was going fishing with him. Yeah. With him and theSmiths. With another couple in a small boat, what did she have to worry about?
    Why did she bother at all? With her nothing company at two meals, and now a fishing trip, what was the threat that lured her?
    And he knew. Just like that, it came to him!
    She wasn’t going to pay her rent! Yeah. That was it, exactly! When it came due, she wouldn’t pay. She was one of those.
    Disgruntled, he drove back to the compound. He parked his car and then walked over to see the Smiths. Ed said,