From Down Here Chapter 18
Lucy's feet make a lot of noise as she comes in the door. Kojo runs to her as Tim looks up from his seat on the couch. "What's wrong?"
Lucy makes a mad face. "When I gave the building manager notice that I was moving out, he came to take a look at the apartment. You remember the way Tamara painted her walls?"
"Yeah, they look like street art," Tim says.
"It's Tamara's art. It's the way she made the room her own. She needed that, especially after Jackson was killed. But anyway, the manager says that I can't get my security deposit back if it stays like that. Either I give up the money or paint over it."
"So talk to Nolan," Tim says. "He's done painting for you before. What's the big deal?"
Lucy's face looks madder. "The big deal is that painting over it is like painting over a piece of Tamara. It's cruel. Besides, whoever moves in there next might even like it. Or if they don't, they can paint the place, like I had to."
"What does your lease say, Lucy?" Tim asks.
"It says that the management can inspect for any damage before returning my deposit. Kojo's nails made scratches on the floor." Kojo yips at his name, but Lucy goes on talking to Tim. "Nolan helped me fix those. But painting the wall isn't damage."
"Lucy, unless what constitutes damage is spelled out in the lease, you'd have to take your landlord to court to get your deposit back. And if the landlord shows the judge pictures of Tamara's walls, you'd probably lose. Just from a cop's point of view, it looks like graffiti. Look, why don't you wait until she moves into her own place? It won't be Tamara's room anymore and you can paint it or ask Nolan to do it. With all the black Tamara used, it's going to take some work. But you'll get your deposit back, the manager can rent out the apartment and everyone will be happy. So how is Tamara doing on finding a place?" Tim asks.
Lucy pulls something out of the really cold place in the fridge and starts eating it. "That's another problem. You know how expensive apartments are in LA. She makes pretty good money as a sitter, but she hasn't been able to find anything she can afford, even with help with the first and last month."
"So how did you find your apartment?" Tim asks.
"You remember. It was a loft conversion and it was a mess when I got it. I had to fix it up a lot just to make it habitable. And I only got to do that because I got a call about someone dying in there and no one else wanted the place."
"I don't remember that."
"It was when you were recovering from your reaction to that experimental vaccine for that virus the terrorists brought in. I was riding with Lopez." Kojo barks at the mention of the familiar name.
"With Lopez, huh? How did the victim die? Shooting? Stabbing?"
"Nothing like that. He was homeless, squatting there. He was a vet. We could see he'd been very sick. He just died. Lopez thought he might have been one of the guys exposed to those burn pits."
Tim bangs his paw against the arm of the couch, looking very mad. "A homeless vet. How can this country treat the people who fought for it that way!" Kojo rubs against his legs and puts his head in Tim's lap. Tim strokes Kojo's fur but still looks mad.
Working yourself up won't help anything," Lucy says. "Maybe while you're stuck at home you can do something for homeless vets – call people, write letters or emails or something."
Tim scratches Kojo behind the ears. "That's not a bad idea, Lucy. And maybe I can do something about a place for Tamara, too. I met some real estate people when I was selling my father's house. They might have a lead. And Genny knows some people too. We can talk about it when she brings the boys to see Skye. At the mention of Genny's boys, Kojo's tail starts wagging.
"Then I better order two pizzas," Lucy says, looking a lot less mad.
Tim looks a lot less mad too. "With Tyler, better make it three."
When he hears the running paws of Genny's young ones, Kojo hurries to the door to greet them. They rush in when Lucy opens it. Tyler stops to pat Kojo but the littler one races to Skye. He picks her up and holds her in his arms. As far as Kojo can see, she isn't trying to get down. Her tail is wagging too. He thinks she likes the littler one. "Can we take her home now, Mom?" he asks.
"We'll see," Genny says. "I want to talk to Lucy and your Uncle Tim first."
Tim uses his paws to push himself up from his seat on the couch. "There's something Lucy and I want to talk to you about too, besides the puppy. You know Tamara, right?"
"She sat for us," the littler one says. "She's nice."
"Yes, she is," Lucy agrees. "And she needs to find an apartment – one she can afford."
"So we were wondering, with your real estate contacts, if you heard of a place," Tim continues.
Kojo barks as a familiar scent reaches his nose and a knock sounds on the door. "Pizza!" Lucy says.
Kojo watches as she takes the boxes with the good smells, including something called pepperoni. Sometimes Tim will give him some. Lucy opens the boxes on the table as the young ones rush over.
"You have to put Skye down and wash your hands," Genny tells the littler one.
He rubs his face against Skye and then puts her down on the paper. Kojo wonders if he'll wash in the bathroom like Lucy and Tim usually do, but he uses the sink in the kitchen before running back to grab his pizza."
Genny starts eating too, but then stops to talk. Kojo doesn't understand stopping eating to talk, but Lucy and Tim do it all the time. "You were asking about a cheap apartment for Tamara," she says.
Lucy's head goes up and down. "Yes!"
"I think I might know of something. I've been handling some paperwork for the conversion of a commercial building into small residential units. It's been kind of a mess. They had to move the air conditioner from the back of the building to the front and put in new ventilation. Then there was a bunch of wiring that had to be rerouted. The whole thing went months over schedule, but the inspectors are supposed to sign off on it this week. If they do, the LLC that owns the thing will be trying to rent the units as fast as they can."
"Where is it?" Lucy asks.
"Right on the edge of the fashion district," Genny says. "It's not the only building being converted there, but it's the only one close to ready."
"That's in Mid-Wilshire's jurisdiction," Lucy says. "I've seen those buildings. The homeless were using some of them as a place to squat."
"That's one of the reasons they're being converted," Genny says. "They're supposed to be affordable housing."
"Being around the homeless shouldn't bother Tamara," Tim says. "Doesn't she still hang out with a bunch of them?"
Lucy looks a little mad. "If you mean she still keeps in touch with her friends so she can help if they need something, yes. But she should love the idea that somebody's doing something about places to live. Genny, can you get all the information to me?"
Genny grabs one of the white things they call napkins. "It's at my office. But I can text it to you in the morning."
The littler one finishes his food and goes back to pick up Skye. "How about the puppy? Can we take her home now?" he asks Genny.
Genny looks at Tim. "Has she been keeping on the paper? You better tell me the truth."
"She's been OK," Tim says.
"And I've had her out for walks with Kojo and she's done it outside," Lucy adds. "She knows what she's supposed to do. And I've got the carrier I used to take her to the V-E-T. You can have it. And you can take the puppy milk mix and her solid food too."
"See, Mom, she'll have everything she needs," the littlest one says.
"All right," Genny says. "We can take her."
Kojo didn't understand a lot of what he heard, but he understands that Genny's young ones will be taking Skye. He wants them to be happy. And Skye likes the littler one. She should be happy too. But Kojo will miss having a friend.
