They headed up to her apartment, and she gave Gabe the key when he turned and held out his hand. She watched in fascination as they each readied themselves for some surprise, keeping her around the corner from her entryway as Gabe unlocked the door and let them inside.
Gabe and Lizzy went in first, clearing the apartment while Marc and Victoria waited outside with her. Once it was clear, Lizzy returned and motioned for them to enter.
Marc indicated she should proceed with definitive gestures to the speakers she kept in the kitchen as Gabe drew the curtains across all the windows in her apartment. She set up her phone with the playlist Victoria had hastily created and hit Play.
Music filled the apartment and they began to spread out. Victoria and Marc began in the living room while Lizzy started in the kitchen. Maylin followed Gabe into her bedroom.
He leaned close to her, his breath tickling her ear. “Don’t touch anything but look closely. Does anything look different, out of place? Is there any disturbed dust, or a place that looks like it’s been dusted more recently than the last time you cleaned? Look especially around the level of about five feet, anywhere someone would be standing at bookcases, picture frames, lamps, any kind of fixture.”
“Why five feet?” she asked in a low whisper.
Gabe shrugged. “Fairly optimal to catch conversation for people of average height.”
She was so going to regret bringing this up. “Would the person placing these things in my home take into account that I run somewhat shorter than average?”
Hello, she had to arch her back and tilt her head to look up at Gabe when he got into her personal space. Which he did kind of often. Whether she minded or not was something to think about later.
The corner of Gabe’s mouth lifted slowly. “We’ll check in a range give or take six inches and lower areas around places you’d be seated or laying down. Why don’t you update the others on the team and join me back here? Stay away from the windows, even with the curtains drawn.”
She pressed her lips together. The minute she turned her back, he was going to have the biggest grin on his face. She knew it. Couldn’t prove it. And for no good reason, she wanted a picture of it.
So not the time to be obsessing over the range of his facial expressions.
The sooner they found one or more of these bugs, the sooner they had their hands on physical evidence of whoever was trying to keep Maylin out of the way. More than likely, they were the same people responsible for An-mei’s disappearance, and Maylin wanted answers.
She cautiously headed back to the kitchen and passed her message on to Lizzy. Lizzy only nodded. “I always check. You and I are around the same height. Stick with Diaz and I’ll pass the message on to Marc and Victoria.”
If someone was actively listening in, Maylin guessed they’d be able to monitor multiple frequencies, maybe including whatever channel Gabe’s team was using. So it made sense for them to pass the verbal messages on this way, in low murmurs behind the music. It still felt like playing the telephone game or some other school time thing.
As she reached Gabe again, he kept her with him, his tall frame always between her and the windows and well away from them. He had her look carefully at all of her knickknacks and keepsakes, picture frames, and even her pillows. She stared at each item hard. Conflicted. On one hand she wanted to find something to help them. On the other hand, she was seriously hoping there weren’t video cameras in her room or bathroom. Please, please not her bathroom.
Too creepy for words.
She rubbed her upper arms as a chill went through her. A moment later, Gabe draped one of her jackets from her closet around her shoulders. She smiled up at him in thanks and he gave her a solemn nod. His eyes were warm and, she thought, maybe held a bit of sympathy.
Minutes later, it was Gabe who found the first one. It was tucked into the corner edge of her headboard, not much bigger than a long grain of rice, and clear. She wouldn’t have spotted it unless she’d gone into one of her insane spring-cleaning modes, and then she’d only have caught it with a cleaning cloth as opposed to actually seeing it.
He motioned for her not to touch it, marked it with a small colored sticky flag and resumed the search. As they stepped away from the device, he leaned close again. “We’ll let Marc handle taking it. He’s our communications expert.”
Her throat had gone dry, so she only nodded. When he stepped into the bathroom, he turned on the shower. Presumably to create similar noise interference as the music in the kitchen.
It was a small space, so she stood back and watched him check the clear light bulbs and light fixtures. He also checked the fire alarm. When he placed a sticky at the corner of the bathroom mirror, she shuddered, hoping it was an audio device and not video.
Please no video.