Angels Fall

I put them in. Look." She dug out the single quarter. "That's all I have left because I used the rest to wash  and  dry my damn clothes. Who went down there?"
    "Look.just calm down. I didn't see anyone go down but you."
    "Maybe you went down."
    "Jesus, Reece." Genuine shock blew across Brenda's face. "Why would I do something like that? You need to get ahold of yourself. If you need more quarters, I can—"
    "I don't need anything."
    Rage and panic pounded through her, shortened her breath as she rushed out and jogged down the street with her basket of wet clothes.
    Get home, was all she could think. Get inside. Lock the door.
    At the beep of a horn, she stumbled, and whirled around, lifting the basket like a shield. She watched her own car slide into its habitual place near her steps. Lynt got out.
    "Didn't mean to startle you."
    She managed a nod. Why was he watching her that way, like she was some alien species? Why did people look at her that way?
    "Ah, tires look fine. They were just low. Real low. I put air in them for you."
    "Oh. Thanks. Thank you."
    "And. ah, since I was at it. I was going to check your spare for you. But…" She moistened her stiff lips. "Is there something wrong with the spare?"
    "The thing is…" He pulled on the brim of his hat, shifted his feet. "It's kind of buried in there."
    "I don't know what you mean." She made herself set the basket on the steps, cross over. "I don't have anything but emergency gear in there."
    When he hesitated, she took the key from him. popped the trunk.
    The smell came first. Garbage just going over. The trunk was full of it—eggshells, coffee grounds, wet, stained papers, empty cans. As it someone had dumped a full can of waste into it. 
    "I wasn't sure what you wanted me to do."
    "I didn't do this." She took a step back, then another. "I didn't do this. Did you?" That same sudden shock that had run across Brenda's face ran across Lynt's. " 'Course not, Reece. I found it like this."
    "Somebody  did  this. I didn't do this. Someone's doing this to me. Someone—"
    "I don't like shouting outside my place." Joanie came out the back, down the side of the building.
    "What's going on here? Well, for chris-sake.,what's all this?" She wrinkled her nose as she peered into the trunk.
    "I didn't do this," Reece began.
    "Well, I sure as hell didn't. Went to get her spare," Lynt said. "Found this. She's got some crazy idea I dumped all this garbage in here."
    "'She's just upset. Shit, Lynt, wouldn't you be if you had this happen? Kids," Joanie said mildly. "Bunch of asinine kids most likely. I ynt, I got some cans around back, some rubber gloves in the backroom. Give me a hand cleaning this out."
    "I'll do it." The words jerked out of Reece's raw throat. "I'm sorry, Lynt. I just don't understand—"
    "Go upstairs,"Joanie ordered Reece. "Go on. Lynt and Pete can deal with this. I'll be up in a minute. Don't argue with me," she added when Reece started to protest.
    "I'm sorry." Tired now, Reece dragged up the basket. "I'm sorry. I'll get your money."
    "No charge." Lynt waved it away. "It was nothing but air." Joanie gave Lynt's arm a pat as Reece went up the steps. "Go on back, will you, tell Pete to give you a hand with this. Got your next meal on the house."
    "How'd kids get the trunk open, Joanie? I can tell you it hasn't been forced."
    "God knows how kids do anything. Or why," she said before Lynt could voice the question. "But the fact is that trunk's full of stink and garbage. You and Pete take care of that." When Joanie went inside the apartment, Reece was sitting on the side of the daybed, the basket of wet laundry at her feet.
    "Soup smells good." Joanie stepped over, frowned at the basket "Those clothes'll mildew you don't at least hang them up. Why didn't you use the dryer?"
    "I thought I did. I know I did. But they were in the washer."
    "What the hell's all over them?"
    "Ink. Red ink. Someone put my red marker in the machine with them."
    Joanie puffed up her cheeks. She went over, got a saucer out of Reece's cupboard. She lit up a cigarette when she came back, sat on the bed beside Reece.
    "I'm going to have a cigarette, and you're going to tell me what's going on."
    "I don't know what's going on. But I know I put those clothes in the dryer, I put in the money, I pressed the button. But they were in the washer, wet, when I went back for them. I know I didn't put that garbage in the trunk of my car, but it's there. I didn't write all over the bathroom."
    "My