Two days passed.
Maya called Leo every hour. She texted him every thirty minutes. She went to the basement every morning and every night.
He didn't respond. The basement stayed empty.
She went to Mr. Haddad's office. The landlord was surprised to see her.
"The guy who lived in the basement," Maya said. "Leo. Do you know where he went?"
Haddad shook his head. "He left. Didn't say where. Didn't leave a forwarding address."
"He worked for Franklin Holdings."
"He told me. After he quit. Said he had a conflict of interest." Haddad shrugged. "I don't know more than that."
Maya left the office. She stood on the sidewalk and looked at the traffic. Cars honked. Buses exhaled diesel.
She didn't know where to go.
---
She went to the facility.
Mrs. Patterson was in the common room. The game show was on. The volume was low.
"He's gone," Maya said. "He left the basement. He won't answer his phone."
Mrs. Patterson looked at her. "Sit down."
Maya sat. Her hands were shaking.
"Did you read the letter?" Mrs. Patterson asked.
"Yes."
"What did it say?"
Maya pulled the letter from her pocket. She read it aloud.
When she finished, Mrs. Patterson nodded slowly. "He's giving you space. That's not running away. That's respecting your boundaries."
"I didn't ask for space."
"You didn't ask for anything. You just stopped talking to him."
Maya looked at the floor. "I was angry."
"You had a right to be angry. But anger doesn't last forever. And now he's gone."
"I need to find him."
"Then find him."
"How?"
Mrs. Patterson took her hand. "Start with what you know. His name. His face. His drawings. Someone in this city knows where he is."
---
Maya started with the bodega.
The owner was a man named Carlos. He knew Leo. "He came in every morning. Coffee. Sometimes a sandwich. He paid in cash."
"Do you know where he went?"
Carlos shook his head. "He didn't say goodbye. Just stopped coming."
She tried the hardware store on Nostrand. The man behind the counter remembered Leo. "Tall guy? Dark hair? Bought a lock a few weeks ago."
"Yes. Do you know where he is?"
"Sorry. He was just a customer."
She tried the library. The woman at the front desk knew Leo's face. "He used the computers sometimes. Looked at apartment listings."
"Apartment listings?"
"Rooms for rent. Cheap ones. I remember because he wrote down addresses on a napkin."
Maya's heart beat faster. "Do you remember any of the addresses?"
The woman shook her head. "Sorry. It was weeks ago."
---
That night, Maya went to the roof.
The painting was still there. Leo's painting. Her face. The garden. The water tank. The painted eye. The small figure in the window.
She looked at the figure for a long time. The man with the pencil. The man who drew.
She touched the canvas. The paint was dry.
"I'm sorry," she said to the empty roof. "I'm sorry I stopped talking. I'm sorry I was angry. I'm sorry I didn't listen."
The wind blew. The water tank hummed.
No one answered.
---
The next morning, she went to Vanessa's office.
The lawyer was reviewing files. She looked up when Maya came in.
"You look terrible," Vanessa said.
"I'm looking for someone."
"Leo?"
Maya nodded. "He left. I don't know where."
Vanessa set down her pen. "He quit Franklin Holdings. That's a big deal. He burned a bridge."
"I know."
"Have you checked with the bar association? He's a lawyer. He has to register his address."
Maya blinked. "I didn't think of that."
Vanessa pulled up a website on her computer. She typed Leo's name. A profile came up.
Leonardo Castellano. Admitted to the bar: 2019. Status: Active. Registered address: 447 Franklin Avenue, Apt B (basement).
"That's the basement," Maya said. "He's not there anymore."
"Then he hasn't updated his registration. That's a violation. He could get in trouble."
"I don't care about the violation. I care about finding him."
Vanessa closed the computer. "I'm sorry, Maya. I don't have a magic wand."
Maya left the office.
---
She went to Marco's apartment.
He opened the door right away. His eyes were less red than before.
"Did you take the deal?" Maya asked.
"No. I waited. Like you said."
"Good." She stepped inside. "I need your help."
"What kind of help?"
"Leo is missing. I need to find him."
Marco frowned. "The guy from the basement?"
"Yes."
"Why do you care? He lied to you."
Maya sat on the edge of his mattress. "He quit his job for me. He painted me. He showed me his mother's photograph. He's not a bad person. He's just broken."
"We're all broken."
"I know. That's why I need to find him."
Marco was quiet for a moment. Then he nodded. "What do you want me to do?"
"Come with me. To the places he might go. The parks. The museums. The coffee shops. Anywhere someone who draws would go."
"That's a lot of places."
"Then we'd better start now."
---
They walked for hours.
They went to Prospect Park. The botanical garden. The Brooklyn Museum. The coffee shop on Franklin where Leo used to buy his sandwiches.
No one had seen him.
They went to the public library on Grand Army Plaza. The librarian recognized Leo's description. "He came in last week. Used the computer for an hour. Then left."
"Did he print anything?"
The librarian checked a log. "Yes. A housing application. For a shelter in East New York."
Maya's stomach dropped. "A shelter?"
"That's what the printout said."
She took the address from the librarian. Marco drove her to East New York. The shelter was a large building with bars on the windows.
Maya went inside. The woman at the front desk was kind but firm.
"We can't give out information about residents. Privacy laws."
"I'm not a reporter. I'm his..." She paused. "I'm his friend."
"Then you should have his phone number."
"I do. He's not answering."
The woman shook her head. "I'm sorry. I can't help you."
Maya left the shelter. Marco was waiting in the car.
"Nothing," she said.
"Now what?"
She looked at the grey sky. "I don't know."
---
That night, she went to the roof.
The garden was dark. The tomatoes were ripe. She picked one and held it in her hand. It was warm from the day's sun.
She sat on the milk crate and looked at the painting.
Her face. The garden. The water tank. The painted eye. The small figure in the window.
She looked at the figure for a long time.
Then she stood up and walked to the edge of the roof. She looked at the building across the alley. The third floor window. The fire escape.
And then she saw it.
A light. In the third floor window. Flickering. Like a desk lamp.
Her heart stopped.
She climbed over the edge of the roof. She stepped onto the fire escape. The metal was cold. The missing rung was still missing. She climbed carefully.
The third floor window was open.
She climbed through.
The room was empty. Bare floorboards. Water stain on the wall.
But on the floor, a desk lamp. A cardboard box of art supplies. A mattress.
And Leo.
He was sitting against the wall, drawing. He looked up when she climbed through the window.
"Maya."
"You're here."
"You found me."
She walked to him. She knelt in front of him. Her knees hit the floorboards hard. She didn't feel it.
"Why did you leave the basement?" she asked.
"Because you weren't talking to me. Because I thought you didn't want to see me."
"I didn't want space. I wanted time. There's a difference."
"I'm sorry."
"I know." She took his hands. They were cold. "Don't leave again. Not without telling me."
He looked at her. His eyes were wet. "I won't."
She kissed him. The floorboards were hard. The desk lamp flickered.
They stayed like that for a long time.