Page 20 of Reading Between the Lines
“And tonight?” The unspoken question hung in the air.Will you sleep beside me?
I didn’t answer and encouraged Tallus to return to his side of the Jeep. “I’ll be back.”
Before I could slam the door, he shouted, “Wait. Can you grab snacks? I’m hungry.”
Grumbling, I dug my wallet from the back pocket of my jeans and tossed him a twenty. It was all the cash I had on me. The rest of our expenses would go on the business credit card for Delaney to pay. “Café across the street. Get proper food. Sandwiches or something… and a receipt.”
We rendezvoused at the Jeep ten minutes later, and I took us the few extra blocks to Ivory Lace B&B. Before heading inside, I destroyed the packaging on the Tylenol and dumped three tablets into my palm before popping them into my mouth and chewing them dry, barely flinching at the chalky, bitter taste.
Tallus cringed. “Eww. I think your ability to do that makes you a serial killer.”
“I think recognizing the rage caused by entering this building and deciding to chew Tylenol instead of killing the owner forbeing a psychotic clock collector with a penchant for pink frills and flowers makes me a wise man.”
Tallus chuckled. “Touché.”
We headed inside, where I was immediately smacked in the face with an assault to the senses. It came at me from every angle. I followed Tallus up the stairs to the third level and into our shared room. The second I closed the door, I scanned and gritted my teeth, considering what to do about the spine-jarring ticking noise that wouldn’t result in property damage.
I circled the room, rounding up as many clocks as I could load into my arms and took them to the adjoining bathroom, where I deposited them into the claw-foot tub. Seeing what I was doing, Tallus collected the few I’d missed and added them to the pile.
We stared into the tub and the conglomeration of timepieces.
“I think it’s amplified with the ceramic surround.”
Tallus was right.
Returning to the room, I tore the comforter from the bed and brought it to the bathroom, dropping it on top of the tub full of clocks and tucking in the sides to muffle the noise.
“Ingenious,” Tallus said with a smile. “It worked.”
“I can still hear them, and it’s still pink and smells like dead fucking flowers. Makes me want to vomit.”
“Come and eat, then I’m tucking you in for a nap. Once your eyes are closed, it will be better.”
As we ate sandwiches, Tallus showed me the location of Port Hope high school, the library, and Weston’s home. The school was on the west end of town. The library was farther south than the B&B, and the Mandels lived on the east end in a ritzier area.
“I was doing a street-level tour, and this place is quite rural. Old buildings, large plots of land, and lots of tree-lined streets. I also looked for news articles that mentioned Weston’s accident but found nothing. I discovered where he was pulled from the river, though. Found it on the Port Hope police’s website.”
Tallus turned the phone to show me the screen. He’d pinned all the locations. “According to the mother, Weston went in the water several hundred yards from where he was found, so I’m guessing about here-ish.”
It was in the northern part of town. Actually, it was nearly outside of town. Delaney was right. It was a long way from the library and school, but it didn’t mean jack shit. Like Tallus had said earlier, teens weren’t always honest with their parents, and Port Hope wasn’t a populous city. It was a town of seventeen thousand and easily walkable.
“I also scanned the area where he ended up in the water. On one side of the river, it’s very run-down. Trailer parks and such. The other side seems to be part of the wealthier subdivision. Large houses with significant plots of wooded land that back onto the river.”
“Wonder if they drug tested him.”
Tallus arched a brow.
I didn’t mean to stereotype, but it was worth noting. “Trailer parks. Low income. Could he have been in that area to buy drugs? Did he get high in the woods and have a real accident? Delaney claims he was acting sketchy lately.”
“Wouldn’t drugs in his system be noteworthy enough to share?”
“Yes, but Delaney might not want us to think badly of her intelligent, hardworking son who is university-bound.”
“True.”
We finished lunch and spent time getting familiar with the town’s layout. As Tallus tidied, I collapsed into bed, stretching out on my stomach and cradling my head in my folded arms. It had been remade while we were at the hospital, so any lingering scent of Tallus on the sheets and pillowcases was gone.
I watched him move about the room, still processing how I’d ended up with such a sexy boyfriend. A boyfriend at all, really. The notion continued to baffle me.
