“Does anyone ever go there, his room?”

I knew I sounded desperate but curiosity was getting the best of me.

“He hates to be disturbed unless it is very important.” Gray shrugged. I stretched to grab a tomato paste from the top shelf. I turned it open and poured a specific quantity into it.

“What are you cooking? I want to have some.” Sonia popped out of nowhere into our conversation and I smiled.

“Tomato sauce,” I said. “We can put it in the refrigerator and use it whenever. For now, I need pepper.”

Spinning in a circle, I made an attempt to pick up the scent of pepper. To...