Did Aubrey and Langham seem friendly?
Did he ever mention Langham in the years after AJ’s death?
Do you think it’s strange Langham is the only thread outside of Aubrey connecting three separate instances of suspicious deaths?
That one gives me pause. I hold my hand up to stop them both from speaking.
“Three?” I shake my head, ticking the names off on my fingers. “Sutton and Sanders. Those are the only suspicious deaths we’ve connected Langham to.”
I don’t miss it. The pity that passes between them or the silent conversation that happens after they’ve tucked it away that determines who’s going to say the hard thing to me. Beck’s lips part on a sigh, and I want to stop him, to tell him he doesn’t need to say it because the connection has already been formed inmy mind. It’s been there since Beck lectured me about looking at everything with fresh eyes, but I’ve refused to acknowledge it, to give any credence to the idea that my son’s name belongs on that murder board.
“Selene,” Beck starts, Adam’s apple bobbing when he swallows. “We have to consider the possibility…”
No part of me is able to sit here and withstand this. I stand suddenly, storming out of the room with tears clouding my vision. They don’t stop me from seeing anything, but when I run into Monique in the hallway just outside my office with Isis and Imani in tow, they are a little blurry. I stop short, put off by Monique’s sudden appearance and the fact that Imani and Isis are still here when they were supposed to be picked up over an hour ago.
“Hey!” I force a smile, hoping to ease the tension lining both girls’ shoulders. “What are you two still doing here?”
Isis throws herself into my arms, and Mo’s eyes stretch wide when I hug her back instead of cringing or shying away. The truth is, I wouldn’t deny either of these girls anything, especially the physical affection I’m sure they’re not getting at home.
“Mama Jo is running late,” she explains, voice muffled because her face is in my chest.
Monique gives me a look that suggest there’s more to the story. Imani is happy to provide that context, crossing her arms over her chest and pursing her lips.
“She forgot about us.”
Isis twists around, breaking our embrace. “No, she didn’t! When Ms. Monique called her, she said she was on the way.”
“That was an hour ago, dummy. We only live twenty minutes away.”
“An hour?” I aim my confusion in Monique’s direction. “Why didn’t you come get me?”
“Because you were occupied, girl.” She waggles her brows, and I roll my eyes. I texted her earlier to let her know Cal and Beck were on the premises, and she’s been making inappropriate jokes through text all day.
“We were working.”
“Sureeee,” she drawls teasingly, making the girls giggle.
Ignoring her childish antics, I turn back towards my office doors and wave a hand for them to follow. “Come in and sit down. I’ll see if I can get Joanna on the phone.”
Cal and Beck are shocked by me reappearing with company in tow, but they adjust easily. We make a silent agreement to revisit the conversation I walked out on the moment they see Monique, Isis and Imani behind me, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that.
“Oh, y’all have been busy,” Mo exclaims, taking in the mess we’ve made of my office.
Imani looks around too, her interest clearly piqued. She starts to creep over to the conference table where Sanders’s autopsy is sitting on the top of a pile with the word CONFIDENTIAL written in bright red letters. I open my mouth to tell her to stop, but Beck swoops in first, managing to keep his distance and avoid startling her even as he puts himself between her and the table.
She jerks back, glaring slightly at him, and my heart starts to sink. I didn’t realize it until this very moment, but I really want Isis and Imani to get along with Cal and Beck. I had the same desire with them and Monique, and they hit it off instantly, but I know it won’t always be that simple when it comes to bringing people together from different parts of my world.
Imani hooks a thumb in Beck’s direction, eyes bouncing from him to Isis. “Did this man just hit the Naruto run?”
Isis snorts. “He really did!”
“Like he was using Flying Raijin,” Cal quips, laughing when Beck flips him off. Pretty soon, all four of them are lost in a conversation about the fastest characters in anime while Cal and Beck clear the table, and Monique and I stand by the desk, completely lost.
“Well, that’s sexy as hell,” she whispers.
“What?”
“Them being good with kids.”
