She nodded as she was handed a note pad. Her eyes scanned over the sheet and immediately locked on the one that resembled a kite. A deep chill started at her scalp and ran down her body, making her shake for a second and closed her eyes. “That one,” she quietly mumbled as she pointed to the symbol and then handing the paper back to the man. “I mean,” she began, keeping her eyes closed, envisioning the brutal crime scene she had seen, “it was obviously a little, uh, messy, but I think that’s it.”

Her curiosity had been piqued. The man obviously was the right one for the case, and although he had not offered her much insight yet, she felt as though he could be trusted. After two weeks of being on edge, she let her thin frame slouch in the chair for a moment. She reached in her purse and a pulled out a small, silver flask, taking a swig of its contents, and then securing it back inside the large, black bag. After her mind registered the impression she must be making, she covered her mouth and sprung back up into a more respectable posture. “I’m so sorry, I…” her mind searched for the right words, “I guess after two weeks in solitude, I forgot how to act in public.” Great. She had become the tired, stoned, stripper turned widow who possibly had a drinking problem. Just the first impression she was hoping to make. Based on Blackgate’s job description, she was assuming that he had seen much stranger people, but that didn’t stop the dreaded feeling of embarrassment creeping up on her cheeks, casting a pink hue across them.

She rested her elbows on her thighs and let her face fall into her hands, lacing her fingers in to her hair. Without looking up, she began to speak. “I just want answers. I want whatever is in the house to fucking leave. I want to sleep without being felt up by something I can’t see.” She removed her face from her hands and looked back up to the eyes she had been trying not to look into since she got here. “Whatever you need from me – information, assistance – just let me know.” She smiled faintly at the man, nodding to confirm what she had just said. “I’ll try not to be such a trainwreck next time we meet.” 

Her eyes wondered around the apartment she had been sitting in. It was in shambles, and the thought of seeing it after it had been cleaned spotless nearly excited her. She snapped her eyes back on Thomas as she pulled her wallet out of her purse. “Um, if we could discuss payment, that’d be great. I...” she paused as she looked through the receipts and membership cards she had crammed in the large wallet, “If you’d like, I can clean for you too. Used to do it on the side when I first moved up here. Not that your apartment is dirty,” she squeezed her eyes closed to stop herself from continuing. “I forgot my manners.” She whipped out a check book and grabbed a pen off of his desk, waiting for him to rattle off an amount.