Invasion of Privacy

once in a blue moon.”
    “Has he always been treated well by the Hendrix people?”
    “I doubt he’s met any, except for maybe running into Paulie. He’s the retarded kid does the lawns and all.”
    “How about your DEALINGS WITH THE HENDRIX COMPANY?”
    “They’ve been fine, only they want to be paid.”
    “Paid?”
    “Yeah. After I couldn’t work at the paper anymore, I got unemployment. You ever had to live on that?”
    “Years ago.”
    “Well, let me tell you, it still isn’t much. I can barely cover the mortgage, bread, and water. I’m in hock up to my ears, and I don’t know how long we can hold on.”
    Elmendorf said it awfully matter-of-factly. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
    “Yeah, well, for your form and all, the Hendrix guy has been pretty good, considering how much Kira and me owe. He hasn’t been pounding on the door with the sheriff, anyway, and all his letters and calls are pretty decent.” That didn’t square with my impression of him, but you never know where people’s hearts lie. “Have they been helpful in accommodating your disability?”
    “I can’t get the VA to recognize I’m disabled, I don’t see Hendrix having to, but I’ve never asked them, other than to explain how come we’re not current on the bills.”
    “Ever visited the Hendrix offices?”
    “No.”
    “How does Hendrix handle COMPLAINTS?”
    “You mean, like from me if there’s a leak or something?”
    “Yes.”
    “We haven’t called him recently. I mean, we’re so far behind in our monthly maintenance, I figure, don’t kick the sleeping dog, right?”
    I could see his point. “NEIGHBORS is the next entry, and, as I said, I’ll keep whatever you say confidential.”
    “Look, buddy, I worked on a newspaper, okay? I know how the reporters I’d go out with felt about confidential sources and all. Even if you’re as good about it as they were, I got to tell you, I could care less what my neighbors think of me or think I said to you. They want to sue me, they can sue me. I got diddly squat for them to come after.”
    Good. Work toward Andrew Dees gradually. “How about the Stepanians?”
    “Nice, like I said. The husband, Steve, he’s kind of uptight too, but it seems to me they try to be good citizens. School committee, condo board, and Lana spells Kira once in a while so the poor kid can have something resembling a life for herself instead of having to look after me all the time.”
    Glancing toward the braces, I said, “Can you make it up and down stairs?”
    “Barely. And I try it more than twice a day, I’m dogshit the next morning. Like I’m not puppy shit now, you know?”
    “How about Andrew Dees?”
    “Christ, you’d just about have to describe him to me. I mean, these windows look out the back, but I can’t see his deck, and I haven’t been out front for months. I shook hands with him once, saw him another time with a good-looking woman, something foreign about her. But I can’t see where that helps you with your condo association any.” It wouldn’t. “So you don’t know HOMETOWN?”
    “No. Wait a minute... No, I got the feeling Midwest somewheres, but that’s probably from his accent.”
    “What about EDUCATION?”
    “We never got to talking about that. Like I said, it was just a handshake kind of thing. ‘Welcome to the Willows,’ you know?”
    “And other than the woman, nobody visiting him?” Elmendorf seemed taken aback. “What does that have to do with how Hendrix manages the complex?”
    “Just toward the FAMILY VISITING angle.”
    “Well, I don’t see it, but you’d have to ask him.”
    I didn’t want Elmendorf thinking I was focusing on Dees . “How about the Robinettes?”
    “Depends on whether you like rap music.”
    “I’m sorry?”
    “The Afro music Jamey plays on his ghetto blaster. Account of my nerves, Kira uses that Walkman thing so I can’t hear it, but she’s always having to go next door, pound on the door to get him to turn his shit the fuck down.”
    I didn’t like the racist undertones from Elmendorf. “You don’t know anything more about them?”
    “The woman doesn’t seem to work, but they’ve got a pretty new car, so maybe she’s figured out a way for the government to recognize some disability of hers. What do you think?”
    “Haven’t met her yet,” I said quietly. “I wonder if you’d mind signing this.”
    “What is it?”
    I gave him my filled-in form. “The questionnaire we’ve been going over. Just