Stephanie Greene (Apt. 309)

Stephanie pulled the box from its hiding place, spilling the contents across the floor and revealing the stud finder, photos, and mysterious note to Oliver. He reluctantly picked up one of the photos of his wife and turned it over to find a date, location, and rose printed on the back. “What does this have to do with the hammer?” “The same rose marks! Look.” She pointed out the logo on the hammer they’d found at the power plant, and sure enough, the rose was identical to those on the photos. “Maybe it’s a coincidence.” Stephanie shook her head. “Not with the other stuff: the stud finder, the note. Read it,” she insisted. He did so. “Good luck? With what?” “You know this used to be Mr. Evans’ apartment, right?” “So what? People move into other people’s apartments all the time.” She ignored him. “I think there’s something in the walls.” “Or someone wants us to hang a picture.” “No.” She removed herself from the couch and sat next to Oliver on the floor. Her tone fell to a whisper. “Mr. ...

“I just don’t understand Stephanie,” Oliver snapped. “For God’s sake, it’s been a week! Where is animal control? Where is that goddamn power company’s apology? I’ve been listening to those horrible creatures all week, and nothing! It’s driving me insane. Up to my knees in rain and frogs…” Stephanie nodded, pretending to listen to Oliver’s rant. Secretly, she hadn’t minded the frogs. The constant background noise had provided company in the time she spent alone, contemplating the mysterious package delivered over a week ago. She’d discreetly asked Bea about the sender, trading anecdotes about the church infants for mailroom gossip. Someone else in the building, an Aydar Salimov, had received a package at the same time. It certainly didn’t seem like just a coincidence, judging by the lack of mail in Bea’s mailroom. She’d also mentioned holiday mail being lighter than usual. “Wouldn’t you agree, darling?” She nodded again before drifting back into her own mind. Should she reach ou...