Roger glanced toward the basement door and nodded. “Yeah. Then you keep going. You’re building rapport. You wait until she’s almost done with the second glass, and then when you top it off again, you lean in close and look concerned.” He leaned closer.
Nick and Kellen did the same.
Roger’s expression shifted to one of concern.
“What’s happening right now?” Nick whispered.
“Then what?” Kellen demanded, glancing up from his notebook.
“Then you say, ‘Hey, you look like something’s bothering you. Do you wanna talk about it?’”
“Masterful,” Nick whispered.
“What if she still doesn’t talk?” Kellen asked.
“Then you put your hand on her arm, maintain eye contact, and you say, ‘It’s okay if you don’t feel ready to talk about it. I was just hoping I could finally return the favor.’”
“What favor?” Nick asked.
Roger leaned in until the three men were only inches apart. “‘I appreciate how you’re always here for me. How you let me talk about my shit all the time. I’d really like to be there for you.’”
“Wow,” Kellen whispered, his pen falling to the table.
“I feel like I wanna tell you my entire life story and that you’ll listen,” Nick said.
“That’s how you know it’s working,” Roger said proudly. “One more thing.”
“Yes, sensei?” Nick said.
“No matter how obvious the solution is. No matter how easily you could explain how to fix it. No matter how much you want to take care of the problem yourself. Don’t.”
“Don’t what?” Kellen asked.
“Don’t fix it. Don’t tell her how to fix it. Don’t tell her what you would do if you were in her shoes. Just don’t.”
Nick frowned. “Hang on. Are you saying we’re just supposed to sit there and listen and not do anything about it?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying, kid. I get that it sounds Looney Toons. But trust me. It works. If you establish a rapport using ALECTO, you cannot—under any circumstances—swoop in with a solution.”
Kellen and Nick made eye contact. Not being problem-solvers in this case wouldn’t be easy seeing as how Kellen wanted nothing more than to see the people responsible behind bars and Nick was still leaning toward planting a few bodies in the desert.
“Trust me,” Roger said again. “If you play it my way, she’ll give you an opening to provide a solution after you do the wine and the listening shit.”
Nick shook his head in wonder. “You’re a relationship genius, Roger. You should give workshops.”
“I do sometimes, down at the farm store in the feed room,” Roger said.
“Here it is!” Blossom triumphantly returned to the kitchen with two dusty cardboard boxes. The three men leaned back, their intimate workshop over.
“Nick, I brought you something to make a poultice for your eye. I can’t believe you gave yourself a black eye opening an Amazon package,” she tut-tutted before turning to Kellen. “Now, Detective, you’re going to want to write down these steeping directions. Do you have any organic wildflower honey at home?”
Nick’s phone vibrated in his pocket. “Thorn,” he said when he answered it.
“Hey, um, so don’t get mad.”
19
1:02 p.m., Saturday, October 26
