“You’re all fucking insane.” I muttered, then took a breath.
“Right… well, putting this aside, because I don’t even fucking know what I think right now. The other issue is that Jeff has been trying to reach Lenore. I’m guessing they were friends a long time. I’m also guessing that she’s ghosting him, so now he’s convinced that she’s also missing, and this is some bizarre chain of events that are all connected.”
Cass chewed on her lip, while the brothers absorbed that information.
“And?”
I threw my hands up. “Jesus… and I stopped him going to the cops, telling him I needed time to look into it, before the police take over, and I get booted from the case.”
They looked satisfied with that, so maybe I’d live to walk out of here today.
“Good. Anything else?” Samuel asked. I shuffled the papers, stuffing them back into the brown folder.
“Just a question, really. What do I tell the guy about Lenore?”
They all exchanged a look. “Don’t speak to her about this.” Samuel said, his voice firm.
I nodded. “I get that. I checked in with Marco yesterday, and he explained about what this prick tried to do to her. I’m pretty much still reeling from that information, and the death threat I got from him, so I know to keep this from her. I just… This Jeff guy is going to keep trying to reach her, and if he’s convinced she’s missing, he might just go to the cops. I need a story.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s what we’re fucking paying you for, dickhead.” Seb snapped.
Samuel held up a hand. “Bruv, give Butch here a break. This is a pretty fucked-up complex situation, and I get his point. If he says he can’t find her, the guy will go to the cops. If he says he’s found her, he’s gonna want to see her, or talk to her.”
I glared at him. “And this ‘Butch’ nickname isn’t going to be a thing, right?”
Samuel smirked. “We’ll see. Uh… tell him she’s away with her boyfriend. Say you found out from their neighbour, or something. We’ll think of something, you know, if you can’t manage to make this go away, before it becomes an issue.”
“If we tell him what his son did… it’s going to raise more questions, right?”
Samuel nodded. “As much as I’d like the fucking world to know what a rat-bastard that guy was, right now it’ll only put people at risk. People who are not rat-bastards, get it?”
I stood up. “Gotcha. Okay, I’m going to check in with Nige today, and see if we can come up with something to keep this guy at bay until, I’m guessing, a body turns up. Any idea when that might be?”
Seb stood up, the tension in his body warning me that I should probably shut it, and get out now.
“I know you’re paid to ask questions, but the idea is to aim them at others, and not us. Got it? We’re the fucking clients, and you’re starting to piss me off.”
“Fine. Whatever. I’ll get out of here before you lose your shit. Just, give me a chance to find something before you send me nasty texts again, yeah? I’m not withholding anything. This shit just takes time.”
They stared at me for a minute, then Samuel nodded. “See yourself out, Butch.” I did.
**********
JULIE
I woke later than normal, having slept deeply and dreamlessly. I found myself thinking of Adam as I showered, and dressed for work, choosing my clothes with a little more care than normal. Just in case I happened to see him again. I wanted to. So badly. I wished he’d stayed with me last night. It would have been reckless and foolish, and of course, slutty, but I wanted him.
When I reached my desk at work, I moved my gloves with a smile. Having left them behind last night had led to that beautiful moment in his car. I struggled to focus all morning, thinking of him. Wishing we’d exchanged numbers, so we could message. Although, what would I say?
I suddenly remembered that he’d given me his card, and I reached for my coat, draped over my desk chair, searching the pocket. A small square of card touched my hand, and again, I remembered the moment when he handed it to me.
I was starting to obsess over him. I could feel it. In the relentless way I replayed every single moment with him. In the way that I couldn’t focus on what I was doing. In the way that my body yearned for his touch, even though it hadn’t experienced enough of it yet.
“You’re quiet. You’re still in a mood with me?” Sally asked, glancing at me from her desk.
I shrugged. “I’m barely aware of your existence, so why would I be in a mood?” She gasped, her cheeks reddening as she stared back at me. My comment had caught us both by surprise. Yesterday I’d have felt guilty, and spent ages reassuring her that I didn’t blame her for abandoning me to the workload. Today? Today I wanted to tell her exactly what I thought of her. Words were bubbling up inside me. Insults. Cruel taunts. The same sorts of words that my own mind normally taunted me with.
I opened my mouth to let them out. To lash out at her, with every vicious word I could think of, and then she sighed.