It wasn't there. Which meant, he was wearing it.
Frustrated already, Jessi returned to her rules. A flash of black in the corner of her eye drew her attention to the cat darting down one hall. She checked her watch. She had an hour before the feline was due for dinner and wine.
The house was clean, the laundry done, and the owner gone. Bored after another tour around, she returned to the office to examine the books lining one wall.
"Human philosophy, theoretical physics, poetry, Italian Masters, romance." She snorted at the strange assortment of books. Each shelf was labeled, the books alphabetized by shelf and each one perfectly perched on the edge. "Human psychology. As opposed to what? Cat philosophy and psychology? Weird."
She almost laughed, feeling overwhelmed by her task and uneasy in the stranger's house.
With two teens in the house, no part of her apartment was neat or orderly. Seeing even his books standing rigidly at attention made her uncomfortable. Everything in this place screamed creepy order, which made her wonder what was wrong with the owner. Did he need order in his world, because he was like Ashley, creative and absent-minded?
She pushed one book in then tugged out another to read until it was time to feed the cat. The tiny bit of disorder helped her relax. Satisfied, she returned to the living area and plopped down on a couch too rigid to be comfortable.
Half an hour later, she set the book on the table beside the couch, prepped the cat's meal and went in search of the beast. The doors to the guest bedrooms and study were closed, but the door to the owner's suite was open wide enough for the feline to slip through.
Jessi entered and looked around, recalling she couldn't find anything in the dark room without a flashlight. She retrieved her penlight once more and walked around the room, finally kneeling to look under the bed.
Its eyes glowed back at her. She frowned. What kind of cat had red eyes?
"Here, kitty, kitty," she called in a sweet tone.
It didn't budge. Jessi reached under the bed to try to grab it. The cat backed away, beyond her reach. Sighing, Jessi tried tapping the ground, waving her fingers, even using her ponytail to try to lure the cat out. Nothing made the cat want to move.
She left the bedroom for a broom and explored the house completely, unable to find the cleaning closet. Out of options, she took the cat's food and wine into the bedroom and put them on the floor beside the bed.