Goodtale
I am a real estate agent. For the past three years, I have been the top seller in the industry.
It is not because I am a smooth talker; it is because I can hear houses speak.
The houses will chatter about a hollow wall, a leaking pipe, or a window with a bad seal.
During move-out inspections, I point out exactly what tenants try to hide. When showing a place to renters, I warn them about hidden red flags.
I have been doing this so long that both sides treat me like family.
Then, one Friday, a regular client, Eleanor Wilson, shows up. "Devan, the tenants at the Eastmere place are moving out."
Eleanor is in her 60s. Her husband is long gone, and she lives off the rental income. She is a sweet soul. She charges 20% below market rate and even makes cookies for her tenants during the holidays.
The couple moving out this time is Henry Johnson and his wife. They run a fruit stand at the local market and have a six-year-old daughter, Lea Johnson.
"Lea is missing," Eleanor says, her eyes welling with tears.
"She vanished outside the market last month. Just like that, in the blink of an eye. Henry and his wife have been searching for a month. They're worn out and broke. They just can't take it anymore."
A heaviness settles in my chest at her words. I grab the keys and head out with her.
Eleanor gasps for air with every flight of stairs we climb.
I walk ahead of her. The moment I slide the key into the lock of Apartment 602, the doorknob vibrates violently against my palm.
A second later, I dial 911. "I want to report a case of murder. There's a hidden body on the sixth floor of 18 Montclair Heights, Eastmere. The victim is their daughter."