Page 41 of Not Quite Dead Yet

The detective folded the letter, slid it back inside the envelope. ‘We’re not ruling anything out at this point.’

More cop speak.

‘Well, you’ve probably ruledsomethings out. I’m no detective, but it probably wasn’t aliens or Taylor Swift. She’s very busy.’

Chief Lou smiled, hiding it with his hand.

‘Let us look into this.’ Ecker banged the letter against the table and stood up, tiny metal chair screeching, making more noise than it should, to make up for its size.

‘Wait.’ Jet’s voice stopped him on his way to the door. ‘You said you were going up to River Street last night, to speak to the people who live there. You find anything?’

Ecker’s fingers stalled on the handle. ‘Spoke to the neighbors. No one remembers seeing or hearing anything out of the ordinary that night. The house nearest the phone’s last known location, number 12, the elderly woman who lives there was already asleep at the time in question. We had some officers on a grid search this morning. Nothing’s turned up so far. I’ll let you know if it does.’

Jet nodded, but she didn’t entirely trust that he would.

‘Oh, and you can tell the pricks at LightFi that they will be seizing that truck over my dead body.’

Crickets. Jet hadn’t even meant to do that one. Death was everywhere, linguistically speaking; she hadn’t really noticed until she was dying.

Ecker opened the door, and the chief followed him out, dipping his head toward Jet as he did, replacing his cap. The door closed behind them, and the clock shifted upward another minute. Counting up, but counting down really.

Jack came alive then, pushing off the wall and into one ofthe abandoned chairs, too small for him too. He put the file down on the table and stretched his fingers.

‘We had a call into the station a couple of hours ago,’ he said, holding her eyes. ‘Your mom, trying to file a missing persons report.’

Jet sighed, the air heavier on the way out. ‘I’m not missing.’

‘I know,’ Jack said gently. ‘It’s just her way, Jet.’

‘I wish it wasn’t.’

‘She said you left home this morning. She’s very worried about you … in your condition.’

‘I’m fine.’ Jet sniffed. ‘I’m staying with Billy.’

Jack nodded, left his chin up. ‘I assumed. I’ll let her know, when she calls back.’

Silence, also heavier than it was before.

‘Will you get in trouble?’ Jet said, head jerking toward the door. ‘Because I asked for you to be in here too?’

‘Don’t remember youasking.’ Jack smiled. ‘More likedemanding.’

Jet smirked. ‘Sorry. It’s just, I don’tknowthem. I don’t trust them.’ She played with her hands, slotted them together. ‘And they don’t know me either. I know they don’t really care, beyond closing a case. But Idoknow you, and I know you’ll tell me anything I need to know. It’s next-door-neighbor code.’

Another smile.

‘So … is there anything I need to know?’ Jet prompted. ‘Anything turn up from processing the crime scene?’

The metal chair creaked as Jack shifted his weight. ‘Well, I should probably wait for Detective Ecker to –’

‘– Please, Mr Finney.’ Jet leaned forward, catching his flailing eyes. ‘I don’t have a lot of time.’

He sighed, checking over his shoulder, watching the door for a few seconds, time ticking away. The clock was silent, but Jet could hear it all the same.

‘OK,’ Jack said quickly, rubbing his nose with one hand, sliding the file over with the other. ‘We did find something interesting.’

‘Interesting?’

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