Disillusioned Read Online Free PDF Page B

time. She has some business
to attend to .
    Tessa's sensors rose to
attention. So, did you offer to accompany
her on her errands.
    She has to do some work at home, but it's
stuff that requires intense focus, so I would be a “pleasant”
distraction that she couldn't afford. “Pleasant” was her word.
Awesome, right?
    Truly awesome, Tessa
thought but didn't type. It's probably a
good thing that she turned you down. After seeing your place, she
might rethink your next date, if that's what you want to call
it .
    Not everyone is as neurotic
about cleanliness as your husband, he
jabbed. And we've already set our next
date; I just don't know when or where.
    Sounds like a sure
thing, Tessa ribbed. I gotta go. Gotta get ready for a party. Even typing the words to her brother made her clench her jaw
in irritation.
    I know how you love
that, Mike read her thoughts. See you in the morning. I assume I'm feeding the
dog?
    And watering the plants, Tessa agreed.
    Joy!
    G-o-o-d-b-y-e, Mike! Tessa more than hinted. Talk to you tomorrow, not
today.
    Lol. Bye.
    So Tessa could go forward
with her planned surveillance. Butterflies in her stomach, she headed out her door and toward apartment.
With any luck, she would arrive around the same time as Liset,
though not so coinciding as to run into the nanny. Most likely,
Tessa would find nothing interesting: Liset at home, watching TV.
Or maybe – Tessa tried to suppress her excitement – maybe she would
find something much more interesting.

Chapter 2
    Though she had felt few qualms about making
her decision to investigate Liset, as Tessa approached the
apartment building, she felt a little sheepish. She knew that
rationally, she had no leg to stand on to defend her paranoid
behavior. As she mounted the stairs to the second level, her
confidence faltered. The stairs led up a poorly-lit interior
stairwell which turned alternately north then south with a landing
in between. Tessa forced herself forward, as quietly as possible
lest someone notice her.
    Removing her shoes, she continued to the
third floor in her stocking feet, increasingly nervous that she
might make a noise. Just before she reached the top, the sound of a
voice arrested her. It spoke in Spanish, and she definitely knew
it. Circumstances had worked favorably for Tessa, and she had
arrived just in time to hear but not to see Liset. Straining her
ears to listen, Tessa refrained from breathing. The resulting
silence unveiled a one sided conversation in a whispered tone.
This, of course, increased Tessa's suspicions.
    “Estaba a su casa. El es loco, no? ” Liset's voice
queried. “ Ayudarle ? No, claramente no!”
    At his house, Tessa translated silently. Not going to help him? The words
meant nothing to Tessa, and when Liset pressed through the door out
of the stairway, Tessa crept stealthily up
to it, pressing her ear against the cold metal. After a moment, she
cracked the door slightly and peeked through just in time to see
Liset turn down a hallway lined with doors. Tessa tiptoed to the
hallway and peered briefly around the corner before pulling herself
back into the first corridor. She wondered if she would have the
courage to continue.
    When she finally ventured around the corner,
a narrow passageway greeted her straining eyes - a very dark
pathway, even darker than the stairwell, as most of the lights
weren’t functioning properly. Again, Tessa peered down the inky
passage until her eyes grew a little more accustomed to the dark,
then she began making her way down the hall. She pressed herself
against the wall so that she would be less conspicuous to any
peering eyes. To her consternation, she found no secure place to
hide. As she passed each doorway, she glanced into the pocket where
the door lay. Each niche lay about two feet deep, just enough for
Tessa to conceal herself. From these pockets, she could catch a
glimpse down the corridor before proceeding to the next
doorway.
    Finally, Tessa stopped her