Page 60 of Buried Too Deep

But there was a mental blockage. The same blockage that had kept him from sending even a text for five years.

Burke was wrong. I am a coward. I’m a coward and a fraud and I don’t deserve to be—

A lick to his face had him wrenching to look down at SodaPop, who was sitting nearly in his lap.

Phin exhaled, aware that he’d been ready to spiral once again. Good girl. He glanced up at Delores, who was still standing in front of him. “You were right,” he murmured.

She smirked. “I know. Don’t ditch her again, okay?”

“I won’t. I promise.”

Delores took the other side of the sofa, and the three of them sipped their coffee in silence for several minutes until Stone cleared his throat. “Tell us about it, Phin.”

Stalling for time to think, Phin took a large gulp of coffee, grateful it had cooled enough not to scald his mouth. “It was ugly. The man, anyway. I didn’t see the woman.”

He was grateful for that, too.

“It was supposed to look like murder-suicide?” Delores asked.

“Yes. At least that’s what the police were thinking.” That he’d helped discover that Medford Hughes had been murdered gave him a spark of pride.

That was good. That was progress. The two sitting in his living room deserved to know that, so he told them about finding the smeared blood on the trunk and the Faraday bag on the curb. When he finished, both of his friends were beaming at him.

“You were part of the team,” Stone said, like he was cheering on a kid in Little League.

Phin nodded. “I was. It was…affirming.”

“I’m proud of you,” Delores said, her voice a little thick. A glance her way revealed that her eyes were filled with tears.

“Delores,” Phin started, but she waved his words away with a choked laugh.

“I’m just happy. Let me be happy for you.”

So he did. He let himself bask in their approval. “And I didn’t spiral.” He stroked SodaPop’s coat. “I started to and she distracted me.”

“Huge,” Stone said, still grinning. “Good girl, SodaPop. That kind of scene is your biggest trigger.”

It was. Seeing blood and brains and…

Phin drew a deep breath when the coffee soured in his stomach. Nope, not going there. He lowered his head to SodaPop’s, nuzzling her with his cheek. She gave him a lick.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“She’s a good dog,” Delores said.

“She is,” Phin agreed. “I’m so glad you started training service dogs.” There were too few organizations training animals for an ever-increasing population who needed them. Like me.

I’m lucky. I have friends who care about me, here and at work.

He also had a family who cared. A family he hadn’t done right by.

“I’m going home for Christmas,” he said abruptly.

Stone’s smile softened into something even prouder than it had been before. “Good.”

Delores grimaced. “When they find out we’ve been hiding you all this time…”

“I won’t tell them,” Phin said. “I wouldn’t do that to you.”

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