Page 105 of Three for a Girl

The startled surprise, the chase, the standoff, the death.

He picked apart Andrew’s words, but the more he thought about them, the more he forgot. The exact wording and tone were lost, and Chad felt as if he was clutching at air, losing more and more of something solid by the second.

They bumped up the track road to the house. The unease in Chad settled knowing he was almost home, almost back with Romeo. Their conversation that lunchtime seemed days ago. The pact he’d instigated lost in his empty mind.

“Look at that.” Ally said.

Chad squinted, finding the balloons in the sky. Ally stopped outside the house, and they watched them float by, hundreds of balloons. They drifted in front of the orange sky, in perfect silhouette.

Ally had switched the radio on as soon as they’d climbed into the car, but there was no news about Marcy, and she promptly shut it off.

“Shall we…” Ally said, twitching her fingers on the dial. She snatched her hand back, shaking her head. “I don’t think I want to know. I’ve got a bad feeling.”

Chad switched the radio on for her, and they listened to the news bulletin on Marcy.

A smile bloomed across Ally’s face, and she squeezed Chad’s knee.

“At least we’ve had some good news today.”

He smiled, climbing from the car.

The prayers for Marcy were answered.

Ally’s headlights faded down the track road, and once they were gone altogether, Chad turned to the house. He stepped inside and his gaze lingered on Romeo’s car keys on the table by the front door.

There was something he needed to do.

Chapter Sixteen

Chad found Romeo in the outhouse, slotting a piece into the Mondrian puzzle. He looked up, and Chad recoiled at the hardness in Romeo’s eyes. He tried to be subtle about checking the furniture, but Romeo leaned back in his chair, throwing his arms out wide.

“I haven’t taken the hammer to anything.”

“Good, that’s good.” He itched the back of his head with the keys. “You finished it?”

“Yeah,” Romeo said, tilting his head. “How was work?”

“We found out who killed Kerion and Ellen.”

“Good for you.”

“He killed himself.”

“Killed himself.” Romeo murmured. “You didn’t get a chance to arrest him?”

“No.”

“Is that why your acting odd? You didn’t get your man.”

He tipped back on his heels, still not looking at Romeo. “No, it’s not that.”

Chad looked up, he was struggling to understand his own thoughts, let alone put them in words. He was feeling detached, lost, and he needed to find his way.

“You’re gonna tell me you take back everything you said earlier?” Romeo snorted, pushing back in his chair.

“No.”

Romeo’s eyes bored into him.

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