Today was a slightly cold. Putting on a thick jacket, Bryan left the hotel and went downstairs. He was going to resume his house hunting today. He didn't take his bike and decided to go by public transport.
His aim today wasn't actually to search for a house. He was meeting up with old Steve, who would then take him to look at houses he had picked out and he felt it was weird for an old man like him to sit on a sport bike...
It took only some few minutes to arrive at the spot the man had told him to meet. They exchanged a few words and talked about some issues that were really of no importance to Bryan.
Just have to be polite, he consoled himself.
After taking a cab, they arrived at Raymond Street, just south of the main bridge.
It was a smaller street and was also mostly "isolated" from the rest of the bustling city. It seemed this street had a fetish for being calm and quiet.
This might have been the reason why most residents moved out as they couldn't stand the lonely feel of the street which seemed like a deserted town except for a few people walking around. This might have led to the landlords lowering their asking prices and conditions for houses here so as to attract more residents.
For Bryan, this area was a good hideout. He liked that very few people made contact here because of the low population.
The first houses they checked, although had lower prices, didn't appeal to Bryan. He needed a house with more exits, just in case. He went through two more houses but still rejected them.
"Seriously, you have very high demands." Old Steve said plainly without a hint of irritation in his voice.
"Probably. But I prefer houses with more exits."
Old Steve nodded as if to say he understood his reason. He didn't pursue further as he thought for a bit before snapping his finger,
"I know a landlord who has a piece of property just down this street. It should match your taste!"
"Okay, let's check it out."
And if it doesn't match my "taste"... Bryan stalled his thoughts and followed the good man who was willing to leave his business for a day and follow him, a stranger, around the city.
After several minutes of walking down the street and making a few turns, they finally arrived at the property. It was a small three room house with a small porch at the front.
He met the owner and he showed around the house. Bryan was pretty satisfied with the house. It had three exits and a glass window at the back which wasn't protected. He wasn't sure what those exits were meant for. Even he found it weird that he was looking for a house with many exits as if he was into some kind of shady deals.
Of course he was doing something shady, which was why he couldn't help but think about the motive of the landlord when he asked for three exits.
"...it also has a little gas absorber over here. This is useful at sometimes. It can suck out the air in the room and let in fresh air..." The landlord continued his presentation. To Bryan this was not the most important thing. He didn't even need the chimney thingy as the room had an a.c.
After signing the contract, he made the payment for three months. He wasn't sure how long he would be in Haston city. If the time needed to crack this case exceeded three months, he would sign up for another two months.
Or if the case is solved before three months or he gets recalled back to Wakeville, he would do nothing but leave.
....
After that, Bryan invited old Steve for a meal to show his appreciation. They found a restaurant and ate there.
"...sometimes he would come home drunk, slapping himself while asking, 'where is my door, my key'"
Bryan couldn't help but laugh as he listened to old Steve's funny stories.
"You guys basically had high tolerance for always showing him his door every day." Bryan stifled a laugh.
"Actually, one day, we led him to a public toilet."
"..." Bryan held his belly as he laughed hard. He could imagine old Steve and his friends plotting this against their landlord back in the days.
They continued chatting about miscellaneous topics from politics to entertainment. He was surprised to realise that this old man really kept abreast with the entertainment industry. He could even tell you who won the awards ten years ago!
Bryan grew to like his company as they talked and laughed. The atmosphere however grew awkward when he began talking about his sexual prowess.