“Excuse me,” Boomer called as he looked into the lobby area of the apartment complex. “I saw the sign on the door saying you had apartments available for rent. Who do I talk to?”
“Oh, come on in,” an older woman called.
Boomer pulled the stroller in after him as he got a better look of the place. A teenager was setting up several computers for the older woman. The older woman immediately struck Boomer as the grandma to everyone she saw. The teen ignored Boomer while the older woman came over and appropriately cooed over the baby in the stroller.
“I’m Wilanna Owens,” the woman introduced herself. “My husband and I own this complex. I’ll be happy to answer any of your questions. We just remodeled.”
“How much?” Boomer asked.
“Price is possibly negotiable,” a voice said from behind.
Boomer turned around and spotted the man the voice belonged to. The man was studying Boomer as if to assess his ability. It was obvious to Boomer that this man was Mrs. Owens’ husband. He actually seemed like a decent man, despite his gruff appearance.
“How can price be possibly negotiable?” Boomer asked.
“Nero!” Wilanna chided. “Not everyone in this place has to work for you.”
“Hey, Tech,” a familiar voice called as the front door shut. “You ready?”
Turning his head, Boomer spotted the newcomer. “Carmine?”
“Boomer. What are you doing here?” Carmine asked, surprised. Then Carmine’s eyes drifted down to the stroller. “When did this happen?”
“Careful,” Boomer warned. “You just called my little princess a ‘this’. But I’ll let it slide for now. She’s five and a half months.”
He was about to brag about his daughter, but Boomer paused for a moment. Carmine caught his hesitation and nodded with a reassuring smile on his face. That was a relief to Boomer. He had not been sure how Carmine would react to a father cooing over his infant, but then Boomer realized that he had been needlessly worrying.
“I think she takes a little more after me,” Boomer said. “A good people watcher.”
“So, what have you been doing?” Carmine asked. Then Carmine studied Boomer carefully. “You’re a house wife?”
“Being a stay at home dad isn’t a crime,” Boomer teased. “My wife has the permanent job. I was able to find a part time job that actually let’s me take my little princess with me.”
“Doing what?”
“Undercover security,” Boomer said with a grin. “And before anyone freaks out, it’s undercover security for stores. I look for shoplifters for the actual security to deal with. No one suspects a dad in jeans and a sweatshirt making funny noises at his little girl.”
“Your acting and people watching skills put to good use,” Carmine observed.
“You’re the king of it,” Boomer countered. “That reminds me, when Rox finds out you’re in town she’s going to start trying to use you as a potential boyfriend detector again.”
“Hey, sorry to interrupt,” someone called from the door. “There is a crazy cult out there and all we have to go on is this symbol.”
Everyone turned to see two federal agents standing in the doorway. One was wearing slacks and a suit coat while the other was wearing jeans and a polo t-shirt. Boomer could still tell that the senior agent was the one in the jeans. The senior agent held up a folder and waved it around for a little bit before pulling out a printout of the symbol he had mentioned.
“Hey, I’ve seen that,” Boomer said. “They never shoplift, but they’ve been really bothering me anytime I see those guys in a store.”
“You’ve just made rent go from partially negotiable since you’re friends with Carmine,” Nero interrupted, “to completely negotiable since you have some good information.”
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