LJ Idol Season 11 Week 6: Solvitur ambulando

No one paid much attention the first news article about the missing body in the neighborhood. The rumor had it that the neighbor was a prosititute so it wasn't a surprise to anyone that she might have fallen into the wrong crowd. The second body, people whispered about but since he was not a well-liked person in the community, people shrugged and moved on with their day. It wasn't until the third body, the old man in apartment 1105 went missing, when someone took notice.

"Aren't you scared?" Sally whispered to Ruthie as they did their daily walk up and down  the dark grey and maroon corridor of their apartment building. "I mean, we knew Bert!" Ruthie quickly grimaced, an unusual look on the elderly woman's face as she was known for her sunny disposition. Sally rambled on not noticing the look. "We used to walk with him! We used to walk with Tina and Milton too. I  mean, who do you think it could be? Do you think they could be living in the building? Was Bert hanging out with the wrong people? Was it tied to Tina's murder? I heard that he was a part of the mafia but is retired. It would make sense considering he did love his gold chains. Do you think the mafia took a hit on him? On both of them?" Sally gasped. "What if the mafia is going to come after me next?"

Ruthie rolled her eyes. "No one is going to come after you, Sally!"

Sally ran her fingers through her bleach blonde hair. "Aren't you worried about living alone? I mean you are old and you're tiny. How are you going to protect yourself? Just because we live on the 11th floor doesn't mean you're safe."

Ruthie rummaged through her pocket trying to find her key. G-d, Sally annoyed her with her inane chatter on a daily basis but Sally had her uses. Today however, Sally was absolutely grating on her nerves and she was done with her.  She found her key and took a hold of it as they stopped in front of her door. "Would you like to come in for tea?" She hoped Sally would say yes and sure enough, Sally agreed chattering on about Bert's association with the mafia. She let herself and Sally in when she heard Sally gasp. Damn it, she forgot to lock the bedroom door which Sally could see right into.

"You...you..." The words died on her lips as she crashed to the floor in a heap. Ruthie calmly put the frying pan down and dragged her body to the bathroom where she kept her former walking buddies, Tina, Milton, and Bert. She locked the door behind her, smiling and feeling more relaxed than she did before she started the walk and stepped back out to continue her daily walk. Maybe for once, people would stop joining her for walks and she could finally walk in peace and quiet.

Note: This is a dedicated to my former neighbor when I was a child, may she RIP who took daily walks up and down the hallway according to her to keep her mind sharp. She was the kindest lady but this prompt made me wonder what if there was a dark side to her so I created a dark side for her!