Will he take it, thought the landlord. He hoped so. The last tenant hadn’t lasted. He just didn’t understand why they never stayed. The old man who lived there when Murphy had bought the building had been there for more than 30 years.

He had been an odd old man, muttering to himself. He kept his rooms stuffed with kooky knickknacks and crazy curios. But now, the old man was gone and the place was empty, yet again.

What was in there that drove all these tenants away? Lead paint? Mold? Crazy fumes?

Murphy supposed it didn’t really matter, not as long as people kept renting. It helped that they tended to just disappear, leaving behind their security deposits. There was someone new coming by this afternoon. Murphy wondered how long he’d last.