Johnny paused to check his reflection in the rearview mirror before getting out of his Rover, just to make sure his teeth were clean and his hair was lying right. He usually had dinner once a week with the DeSotos, and even though he felt like they were his family, he still wanted to look his best for Joanne.
You must be getting vain in your old age, he thought wryly.
Jennifer and Chris met him at the door with an enthusiasm that warmed his heart. He waved hello to Joanne, who was busy in the kitchen, as the kids led him into the backyard where Roy waited with a Frisbee. The guys tossed the neon green disc around for nearly ten minutes before Jennifer began to pout. The blonde-haired girl had waited as patiently as a six year old could before starting to whine for her "uncle's" attention.
"It's OK if you want to go with her, Uncle Johnny," Chris said confidentially. "She wants to show you something."
"That's big of you, buddy." John mussed the boy's hair playfully as they headed inside.
"Uncle Johnny, come see!" Jennifer exclaimed happily.
"What is it, sweetheart?" he asked.
She took him up to her bedroom where all of her most recent watercolor pictures were on display. Johnny examined each one and expressed the appropriate awe until Joanne called them down to dinner.
She had prepared a spinach salad with warm bacon dressing followed by pork chops and Spanish rice made with a perfect blend of garlic, tomatoes, and peppers. June meant strawberries in Southern California, so fresh shortcake completed the meal.
When they finished, Joanne excused the children to go play. Roy stood to get a new bottle of wine and poured his wife and best friend each a glass.
"Jo, if you keep feeding me like this, I'll have to move in." John stretched and patted his stomach appreciatively.
"You're always welcome, Johnny," Joanne replied. Roy slid his arm around her shoulders.
"It was really good, sweetheart." He leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Thanks for making it."
John looked a little wistful as he watched the happy couple. "Maybe there's something to be said about being married…"
Joanne's sputtering cough turned into delightful laughter. "If I hadn't heard it with my own ears, John Gage, I wouldn't have believed those words came from your mouth!"
Amused, Roy took a sip of his drink. "Don't believe it, Jo. Johnny isn't done playing the field."
His partner nodded in agreement. "There are just too many pretty ladies out there."
"Say, Johnny," Roy said. "Did you ever get a response to the ad you ran in the paper about the pocket watch?"
"What pocket watch?" Joanne asked.
Roy glanced over his shoulder to make sure the children weren't coming back into the room. "Didn't I tell you? Johnny found a pocket watch in Emerson Park… you know, where we found the body," he whispered.
Joanne sat up straight in alarm and turned her attention to John. "You found a watch where someone was murdered and didn't turn it in to the police?"
Shaking his head, Johnny set his glass down. "I didn't find it by the fire. It was a couple of miles away where we were parked. And no, Roy, no one has called about the lost-and-found ad."
"I still think you should give it to the police." Joanne's green eyes shone with worry. "It might be connected somehow to that poor woman."
"Tell you what. I'll give Vince Howard a call to get his opinion. Will that make you feel better?"
She started to speak, but Chris ran excitedly into the room. "Uncle Johnny! Look what I got for my birthday!" The boy held up the box to a brand new Game of Life. "Wanna play?"
"Sure, kiddo," John said agreeably.
"You guys go on. I'll just clean up a little in here," Jo said.
Chris, Roy, and John went to the living room where the game was already set up. Jennifer agreed to be Johnny's partner and serve as "driver" of his game piece. After Joanne had put the leftovers away, making sure to pack some for Johnny to take home, she arrived in the living room in time to play in the second game. Everyone laughed when Johnny ended up with two sets of twin girls.
"Kids, it's bedtime," Roy said and both children groaned.
"Can we have a story?" Jennifer asked. "Can Uncle Johnny read us a story?"
"Yeah, can we?" begged Chris.
The children turned their wide blue eyes to their parents.
"One story," Joanne said. "And that's only if Uncle Johnny agrees and only after you're in your pajamas and your teeth are brushed!"
Roy smiled as the kids raced each other out of the room. "They love it when you come over, Johnny."
"Well, I love spending time with them." John trailed after his adopted niece and nephew. "Chris, Jen—can we read The Cat in the Hat?"
The DeSotos began putting the game away. With one hand, Joanne smoothed down her pixie-cut red hair, something she always did when she felt nervous. The gesture wasn't lost on Roy.
"What is it, Jo?"
"That watch," she said quietly. "Even if he found it far away from the fire, I don't like it that he has it."
"When we go on duty next, I'll remind him to call Vince." Roy pulled his wife into a warm hug. "It's sweet of you to worry about him."
Joanne pushed away in mock anger. "Roy DeSoto, you know he's the closest thing I have to a little brother. Of course I'm going to worry about him!"
After tucking the kids in and saying goodnight to his best friends, John leisurely drove home. As he pulled into his small apartment complex, John couldn't believe he still felt full. He had an unusually fast metabolism and was often teased for constantly being hungry. It was rare when a meal stayed with him for several hours, but then again, Joanne was a rare cook.
Parking in his regular spot under some fragrant eucalyptus trees, John grabbed the Tupperware containers of food Joanne had given him and walked to the back entrance. He was surprised to see the latch on the wooden gate broken and made a mental note to tell his landlords, Mr. and Mrs. Morgan.
He had been lucky to find these older mom-and-pop-run apartments when he first moved to L.A. His affordable rent only went up modestly once a year, and it was a quiet neighborhood. The Morgans lived onsite in the first apartment and repairs, which unfortunately had to be called in more often than not, were made quickly. Once in a while Johnny wished he lived in a modern complex with newer plumbing and better insulation, but for right now this place suited his needs.
In the U-shaped complex, John's apartment was on the second floor in the corner. He didn't have the best view from his living room, but if he stood in front of the large picture window and looked to one side, he could see the swimming pool in the quad. And since his closest neighbor had moved out two months earlier, he had the corner basically to himself.
Walking into the dark apartment, the first thing John noticed was an unfamiliar scent in the air. It was unusual, like rotting citrus fruit. Johnny paused, then flipped on the lights.
For several seconds, he stood frozen as he assessed his home. Half Native American, Johnny had a reputation in the department for being able to sense changes in the atmosphere, which benefitted him and his coworkers immensely when he "felt" if a fire was about to flash. But even though he could sense something, his apartment looked the same.
Closing and locking the door behind him, John went to the small galley kitchen and put the leftovers in the refrigerator. The strange aroma was present but not as strong. He sniffed inside the icebox but didn't see anything going bad.
Johnny cautiously walked to the bathroom and turned on the lights then repeated his actions in his bedroom. Standing in the doorway, he noticed a couple of dresser drawers slightly ajar. Had he left them open like that?
Something was off, something he couldn't put his finger on. John entered the room slowly; the fruity scent was stronger in here. He opened his closet and after finding no one there, he dropped to his knees and looked under his king-sized bed.
Slowly, John came to his feet and put his hands on his hips. A sudden rattling noise caused him to jump, but it was only the blinds in the window softly swaying in the breeze. Confused, he rubbed his forehead. "I swear I closed that."
He moved the sheer curtain panels to one side and pulled up the blinds to find the sliding window facing the quad open. The screen, while intact, was as loose and flimsy as it always had been. He closed and latched the window, jiggling it a few times to make sure it was secure. Silently, Johnny stared out into the darkness. Everything looked normal, but he couldn't escape the uneasy feeling he had. Slowly releasing the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, Johnny lowered the blinds and turned to go watch television in the living room.
As he left the bedroom, John didn't notice the strange cough drop wrapper he stepped on.