Page 24 of Deader than Dead

A pause. “But I’ll see you tomorrow?”

My gaze strayed back to the closed bedroom door and what lay behind it. I’d deliberately avoided thinking about what I was going to do with the body. But I couldn’t ignore it forever, and that was about as far from normality as you could get. Abandoning the breakfast I hadn’t wanted to eat anyway, I went over to the window and stared out, a sparrow choosing that moment to land on the edge of the window box.

Normality.

“No, I won’t be in tomorrow either.”

Silence.

“But you are coming back?”

Was I? I didn’t know. My life felt like it had changed irrevocably in less than twenty-four hours. Yesterday, there’d been a sense of direction to it, and now I felt like I was floating on a raft in the middle of the ocean. And I shared that raft with a dead body.

“John?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did something else happen yesterday?”

The corpse. The one I couldn’t bring back, who just happened to be my one, true love, came back on his own, got an Uber, and turned up on my doorstep. We talked and had mind-blowing sex and now there’s a gaping hole in my chest where my heart used to be and I don’t think I’ll ever be the same again. “No. Nothing.”

“Are you sure?”

“I said so, didn’t I?” I watched the sparrow peck at the soil. It would be nice to be a sparrow and have nothing more to worry about than the search for worms and insects. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound fine. You sound like there’s something you’re not telling me. I need you to be honest.”

“Morning!” I spun round at the cheery greeting, almost dropping my phone, my mouth hanging open. Bellamy was standing in the kitchen doorway. Alive and still breathing. He wore jeans and that same purple T-shirt, his feet bare, and his dark hair mussed. His smile faded as I stared at him without saying anything, shock no doubt written all over my face. “Sorry,” Bellamy said. “I didn’t mean to scare you. You should hang a bell around my neck so I don’t creep up on you.”

Cade was still talking in my ear, but I didn’t know what he was saying, the words nothing more than noise. I cut in. “I have to go.”

“John? Did you hear what I said? I need you to—“

I hung up. Whatever he needed could wait. Preferably until hell froze over. Leaving my phone on the kitchen table, I took a few faltering steps toward Bellamy. He tipped his head to one side as I approached, his expression stuck somewhere between amusement and confusion. Curling my fingers in his T-shirt, I yanked it up so I could see the place where I’d drawn the sigil the previous day.

There was nothing there. No blood. No glow. Just smooth bare skin. It was like someone had rewound time, and yesterday had never happened. Letting go of Bellamy’s T-shirt, I staggered backwards, my brain a tangled mess of questions and unfinished thoughts. I leaned heavily on the kitchen table, shaking my head while I tried to collect myself. “It’s not possible.”

Bellamy crossed the kitchen to stand beside me, his hand settling on my shoulder. “What’s not possible?”

“Everything.”

“You might have to narrow it down.”

Shrugging Bellamy’s hand off and ignoring the elation in my sternum screaming that Bellamy was still alive, and I needed to forget everything else and be grateful for that fact, I lowered myself onto the kitchen chair. I waved a hand at the seat opposite. “Sit down. We need to talk.”

Bellamy did as I’d asked, his expression serious. “I don’t know what that thing on my chest yesterday was, but it can only be a good thing that it’s gone, right?”

“I know what it was.”

The words hung between us, Bellamy’s brow furrowing. “Right…” He dragged the word out. “Are you going to tell me?”

I let out a breath. This wouldn’t be a straightforward conversation by any stretch of the imagination. “I wasn’t completely honest with you yesterday.”

Bellamy swallowed. “To be honest, that’s a relief to hear because neither was I.” He waved a hand at me. “You go first.”

“I don’t sell insurance.”

He nodded. “I’m not an antiques expert. At least, not in the traditional sense of the word.”

---