While Kevin kicked back on the sofa and channel-surfed, Alex fished around in the closet. "Hope you don't mind sleeping on my crummy couch," he called from the bedroom. "It's the best I can do, but at least you'll have clean sheets and blankets." He spied them wrapped in plastic at the far end of the top shelf.

"I'm fine with whatever!" Kevin yelled back. "You know me, Sis, I can sleep anywhere."

Alex grimaced. If only he did know the stranger on the couch, he wouldn't feel so stressed. The nightmare that gripped him just kept getting worse.

With sheets, blankets and pillows pulled from their wrappings piled to his eyebrows, Alex deposited the bedding on the chair. "Can you make up your bed or shall I?" Since when did his English become so proper?

"I can do it. No problem. Are you going to bed already?"

Alex feigned a big yawn. "Ahhh. I'm beat. I thought I'd turn in early so we can take in some sights tomorrow."

"Great. I'd like to see the big city. Do you mind if I watch a little TV before I turn in? It won't disturb you will it?"

"No, of course not. Watch as long as you'd like. Goodnight." Alex closed the bedroom door and plopped down on the side of the bed. "Great," he mumbled. "What'll I do now? I'm not even tired."

He eyed the telephone and picked it up. He dialed his own number.

"h.e.l.lo?" Cynthia answered after several rings, sounding half asleep.

"Cynthia, it's me."

"And?"

"I told your brother we'd do some sight-seeing tomorrow. You have to come."

"It's not like I had any other plans, Alex."

"I wanted to make sure you'd be there with me. Right now I'm holed up in your bedroom to make sure I don't screw up."

"What's Kevin doing?"

"Watching TV."

"You're certainly not being very hospitable, but I think I prefer that over you spilling the beans. Is he okay?"

"I gave him clean sheets and stuff. He's a big boy. He can entertain himself."

"So, if you're in the bedroom and he's in the living room, and you don't have a problem, tell me again why you called. I came home because I was tired, but because I've been worrying about leaving you two alone, I just now fell asleep."

"I called to hear my own voice I guess. I can't sleep either. I have to face tomorrow morning with him. What if he...."

"Okay...here's your voice telling you not to stress. Worry doesn't change anything, so try and get some sleep. Maybe you'll heed the advice since I haven't been able to convince myself. Just like working on the case, we have to take things as they come. Nothing's really changed since my brother arrived, so good night, Alex." She hung up.

He held the receiver away from his ear and stared at it. "That wasn't very nice considering I'm playing host...hostess to your brother. Now that you've brought up the case, I'll be lucky to catch forty winks."

The sound of screeching tires woke Alex. He leapt up and ran for the window before he was fully awake, then howled in pain when his foot collided with Cynthia's cedar chest at the end of the bed. A string of mumbled obscenities colored the air as he grabbed his injured toe and hopped around on one foot. He sucked in his breath, quite certain Cynthia wouldn't have uttered such foul words.

The noise outside no longer seemed important and he sat on the bed and inspected his throbbing digit. Great! I'll probably lose my ... her toenail. He already hated her shoes and this would only make finding a comfortable pair more challenging. Sounds from the living room indicated Kevin was awake.

Alex hurried to the bathroom, pulled Cynthia's frilly robe on, steeled himself for another day of Oscar-award winning acting and opened the bedroom door.

Kevin stood, folding his blankets.

"Good morning, Kevin. I hate to ask, knowing where you slept, but did you rest well?"

Kevin chuckled. "You of all people should know I can sleep on a bed of nails."

"It's a good thing. My sofa isn't quite that bad, but it's as close as I'd care to come...."

"What was all that noise a few minutes ago?"

"Oh, nothing, I stubbed my toe, but I think I'll live."

"Judging from what I heard, you've increased your vocabulary a bit."

"Sorry about that. I usually don't cuss, but...."

"Hey, you're an adult. No apology necessary. What's for breakfast? I'm starved." Kevin plopped down on the sofa and rubbed his stomach.

Alex gulped, grappling for an answer. He ate his own cooking but he wasn't sure he should foist it on an innocent victim. "How about we get dressed and go out for a bite?" he offered.

"Well, I guess we could do that, but I was kinda counting on some of your tasty hotcakes."

"Hotcakes?" What in the h.e.l.l were hotcakes? Pancakes? Finally, it dawned on him. "Oh! Hotcakes."

"Yep, with heaps of b.u.t.ter and loaded with your special vanilla syrup. My mouth is watering just talking about it."

A slight panic welled within Alex. Even if he faked a hotcake, he had no idea how to make vanilla syrup. The drooling look on Kevin's face made Alex believe steering him away from the kitchen might not be easy. "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't we give Alex a call and invite him to join us for breakfast out? We'll have pancakes tomorrow."

"You got a thing for him, huh, Sis? I had hoped we could visit a little without a third party. Besides, there's something a little strange about that guy. I just can't figure out what it is."

"Oh for heaven's sake, he's just a friend...and strange how?" Alex found Kevin's a.s.sessment a little insulting. "He's quite a good-looking fella don't you think?" He moved to the cabinets, opening doors and searching for coffee.

Kevin c.o.c.ked his head and looked up at Alex. "You don't ask one guy if he thinks another is good looking. Now, show me a pretty girl and I'm an authority."

"Well, you have to admit, he's a nice guy." The defensive side of Alex took over. He found the can he sought and filled the carafe with water, then filled the basket with grounds.

"Yeah, he seemed nice enough, but do we have to eat breakfast with him?"

"No...I guess not." Alex's stomach knotted. "But I did invite him to do some sightseeing with us. I'll just whip up something here...but...I'm fresh out of vanilla."

"Oh, Cyn, you knew I was coming." Kevin's mouth pulled into a pout.

"Sorry, but I didn't make it to the market." Alex's mind whirred. What exactly could he whip up?

"No worry. I'm sure whatever you make will taste great. While you cook, I'm gonna jump in the shower." He disappeared into the bedroom.

Alex took a deep breath. "Yeah, well don't be too sure you'll like what you're served," he muttered. "And I'm pretty sure you're about to discover another of this place's shortcomings.

While the coffee brewed, he searched the refrigerator for something simple he could make like scrambled eggs. Inside resembled old Mother Hubbard's cupboard; no eggs, no bacon, nothing but an overload of vegetables and two beers. A salad for breakfast seemed a little far-fetched.

The cupboard didn't offer many options either. In fact, he found only one thing suitable for breakfast, cold cereal. At least he'd seen milk tucked behind his beer. He pulled out the box of corn flakes and placed it on the table, then set the quart of milk next to it. He recalled seeing the sugar dispenser next to the coffee pot, and with bowls and spoons, the table was set. He quickly smelled the milk, noted the expiration date hadn't pa.s.sed, and released a long breath.

Kevin came into the kitchen towel drying his curly hair. His unb.u.t.toned, wrinkled shirt showed evidence of something recently packed in a suitcase. "Boy, Sis, your shower sucks. I've gotten wet faster by fixing leaks."

Alex gestured toward the table. "I know, but no one's in a hurry to fix it. It's not like there's a waiting list of people wanting to rent here."

"Well, I can see why," he said hanging his towel on the coat closet doork.n.o.b.

"Sit down and eat. I'm afraid breakfast is almost as dismal as your shower...I guess shopping is going to the top of my priority list. I'm really sorry, but I'll make sure you get something good for lunch. I hear there's a great seafood place on the wharf."

Kevin filled his bowl with cereal and hungrily picked up his spoon. "This is great. I haven't had corn flakes in years."

"Really?" Alex raised a brow then recalled his own daily menu. "Coffee?"

"No thanks, I'm not much on the taste."

Neither was Alex, but he'd acquired quite a caffeine habit while on the job. He sat in the other dinette chair. "I thought bachelors lived on boxed and canned foods."

"I'm lucky," Kevin admitted. "I eat at Sara's most of the time. She was so sorry she couldn't come and said to tell you you'd better not bow out on being her maid of honor."

Visions of wedding garb flashed through Alex's mind. Great...chiffon and another pair of feet killers. "When are you getting married? If you told me, I forgot."

Kevin swallowed a mouthful. "Next September. You are still planning to come, aren't you?"

Next year! The vice grip on Alex's gut relaxed. "Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world." Come h.e.l.l or high water, he intended to find a way to get back into his own skin long before a year pa.s.sed.

"By the way, did you know that old Mrs. Stevens died last month?" Kevin took another bite of cereal.

Alex tensed. He didn't even know the woman, but perhaps condolences would satisfy the conversation. "I'm sorry to hear that. She was such a nice lady."

Kevin pierced him with a glare. "Are you nuts? That old bat...."

A knock on the door stopped Kevin cold. Thankful for the interruption, Alex opened the door, peered out into the hallway and saw the super. The hair on Alex's arms stood on end. Everything about this man screamed phony.

"Can I help you?" Alex asked, suspicion niggling at the back of his mind.

The super didn't respond. If he wasn't mistaken, Alex believed he detected surprise on the man's face at finding someone at home.

"You wanted something?" Alex prompted.

"I...I just came by to see if your deadbolt is working."

Sure he did. What did he really want? "It's working just fine. See?" Alex clicked the lock open and closed as proof.

"Good," the super muttered as he spun on his heel and hurried down the hallway.

Alex closed the door and turned around.

"Who was that?" Kevin asked. "Strange looking bird from what I glimpsed."

"The building superintendent."

"Does he always hide behind that iceberg some might call a personality?"

"Yeah...and strange isn't the only word to describe him." Alex clucked his tongue against his teeth. If Kevin picked up on something with only one observation, then determination spurred Alex to find out more about the super and what he was hiding.

The same question kept restraining him. How?

Chapter Eighteen.

Kevin lounged against the wall while Alex rapped on the door. When Cynthia answered, she viewed them with wide eyes. "I didn't realize you'd be here so early. I'm not even dressed yet."

Alex fought the urge to laugh at her stubbly face and disarrayed hair, but restrained himself. Instead, he pushed the door open and waltzed past her. "We'll just come in and wait for you. You don't mind, do ya?"

"N-no, of course not." Cynthia stuttered. "Why don't you come in...oh, you are in," she said glibly.

She turned to her brother. "Good Morning, Kevin. Did you sleep well? Have a seat, I'll be ready in two shakes of a lamb's tail."

Kevin's brow rose. "That's funny."

"What's funny?" Cynthia asked.

"That's the same thing Sis says all the time." He glanced at Alex and smiled. "I haven't heard anyone else use that phrase in a long time."

Cynthia swallowed "Yeah...well...I guess I must be spending too much time with your sister, then."

While the siblings bantered back and forth, Alex scanned his apartment. It looked nothing like when he left it. The place was immaculate. He went to the window and looked down at the street, running a sly finger along the clean sill. "Hey, Alex, did you hire a maid?" he razzed.

"No, I just cleaned up after the pig that used to live here. Quite a difference don't you think?"

"I..." He struggled for a comeback.

"Alex, would you mind if I used your bathroom?"

Thank goodness Kevin erased the need to spar with Cynthia.

She motioned toward the bedroom. "Not at all. It's in the same place as your sister's."

As soon as Kevin left the room, Cynthia marched across and stood toe-to-toe with Alex. "Why don't you channel you energy toward finding a solution to this problem instead of being insulting?" she whispered.