Page 104 of Deeper

Callen

I get Rylan back home without anyone noticing, but I can’t bring myself to leave. At just after six in the morning, her cell phone rings, pulling us both from sleep. She rolls over to grab her phone, and I shove the pillow over my head. Her voice is groggy when she answers.

“Hello?”

Pause.

“What?”

Pause.

“Who?”

Pause.

“What channel?”

Pause.

“I’ll call you back.”

Rylan’s voice sounds frantic. I throw the pillow away from my head. She scrambles, looking for something within the sheets. A few seconds later, she holds the remote to the television. The light from the screen is harsh and crisp as it cuts through the darkness of the room.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“William. William Russo turned himself in for the murders.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“I don’t know. I’m trying to find the channel. That was Tatum on the phone. She says the story just broke.”

The name William Russo repeats in my mind. Rylan finds the channel, and my mouth drops open in shock. Willy’s mug shot commands the screen. I stare at the image of my neighbor. The man who taught me to play horseshoes and unrelentingly pushed his way into my life is the biggest piece of news this town will probably ever see. Willy walked into the police station with the murder weapon—my missing knife—and turned himself in for my crimes.

Why? How? Fuck.

“Willy,” I whisper his name, and my confusion fills the room.

“Why is your senile neighbor taking the blame for our body count?”

“I haven’t the slightest idea.”

“I think you’d better find out.”

She’s right. I pull my tired body out of Rylan’s comfy bed and put on my clothes. Rylan stands beside me and starts to do the same.

“No. You stay here. It won’t look good for you if their first suspect is sniffing around for details about the man who turned himself in for the crime she was suspected of.”

Reluctantly, she nods. I can see it’s taking a lot of restraint for her to sit this one out, but it’s for the best.

I kiss Rylan’s forehead. “Get some rest. I’ll come back here when I have some answers.”

“Yeah, like I’ll be able to sleep now.”

“Try. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

She gets back into bed, and I head out the back door to my truck. There are two patrol cars parked outside her house, but the officers inside aren’t paying attention to anything but the backs of their eyelids.

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