It was on the third day that Nikki first noticed the scratching. Having grown up in less than ideal circumstances, Nikki was more than familiar with the sounds of rodent infestation. Short of visual confirmation or opening up the wall, there was no way to know for sure. Of greater concern than the possibility of mice was trying to confirm the fact without letting Joyce know what was going on. After five years together, Nikki knew full well how her partner felt about vermin, real or imagined. Joyce’s germaphobia had caused significant complications over the years. It was the sole reason they were moving into their third apartment in almost as many years. Nikki loved Joyce, but they could not afford to move again. If there was some type of infestation here, she had to get on top of it quickly and quietly.
For once, the move-in process had been stress free. They had decided, despite the cost, that a moving company would be the best way to go. The new apartment was thirty miles from their current one, and the very idea of moving two carloads of stuff at a time more than a half-hour away was a course of action neither woman had the time or patience to undertake. It took the four men just two hours to empty the space and two additional hours to haul it into the new place. Despite the bill for seven hundred dollars, Joyce added a twenty-five-dollar tip per man, signed the invoice, and handed it back to the supervisor.
The unpacking process had been slow going. Between Nikki’s shifts at the Country Club and Joyce’s office hours, the first two days saw very little accomplished. Joyce spent the majority of the first weekend redistributing the mountain of cardboard and packing peanuts into the rooms scrawled in marker on the labels. It wasn’t until Monday afternoon, while Joyce was at the office, that Nikki made a last push to clear the back wall, so they could at least place the items that would make up their living room in some semblance of order. It was during this project that the scratching noise, although faint, made itself known for the first time.
The box of paperwork Nikki was looking for turned up in the hallway closet. She shuffled through a stack of papers, quickly unearthing the agreement they had signed with the landlord. According to the lease, the apartment had passed inspection from a local exterminator stating the home was clear of rodents and insects. If there were mice in the walls, she was going to be pissed.