Chad scrolled down to the picture of the woman Chad had on his phone, except in the article it was complete and had a caption beneath.
The woman, Alexandra Taylor, stood beaming for the camera in an expressive looking dress.Her husband, Jimmy Taylor stood beside her, in a three-piece suit, also smiling, and in his arms, he held their son, Issac Taylor, clutching a plush toy, dressed just as formally as his parents.
Alexandra had jumped with her son in her arms from a bridge to a road below, killing them both instantly.
“Anything?”Romeo asked, watching Chad intently.
Chad began shaking his head, then stopped.
Romeo perked up.“What is it?”
“That day when me and James were driving back to the prison with Vincent in the car...”Chad leaned closer to the screen, scrolling back up the article.“The road was blocked.There had been an accident, but I didn’t know what it was.When James got back into the car, he was shaken, said that a mother and child had been killed.”
“This mother and child?”
“The location and date match,” Chad slumped back in his chair, shaking his head.“But...I don’t know who she is or why I cropped her from a family picture and put it on my phone.I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Romeo said, pulling out the chair next to Chad.He sat down, resting his hand on Chad’s thigh.
“Ready for the next picture?”
Chad swallowed.“You don’t need to worry.I’m not going to freak out again.”
“I’m not worried,” Romeo replied, “not worried at all.”
“Four letters.Starts with an L, ends in an R with an I and an A in the middle.”
“Lair?You want to go to my lair?”
Chad nudged him.“Idiot.”
“I do the crossword clues, not you.”Romeo took charge of the laptop, dragging the other picture into the search bar.
Again, the articles popped up.
Thomas Clegg.
Forty-three.
Romeo side eyed Chad.Apart from an initial hitch in his breathing, he didn’t react.
The complete picture showed Thomas with his brother Joseph.Thomas had shaggy brown hair, but Joseph had none whatsoever.They both beamed in the picture, both wore matching blue football shirts, and both had a can of lager in their hands.
Thomas had jumped from the top floor of St John’s parking ramp.
“They both killed themselves,” Romeo exhaled.“In Alexandra’s case, she killed her son too.”
“Why are they on my phone?”Chad whispered.
“I don’t know.They both ...jumped from a height.”
“I didn’t...I wasn’t...”Chad pushed back in his chair and got to his feet.He began pacing up and down the kitchen.
“Wasn’t what?”
“After ...tips.I don’t know.I wasn’t planning this, Romeo, I swear.I didn’tplanto kill myself.”
“Okay, lets...”Romeo brought up both articles so he could read them side by side.“Thomas had a history with depression.It wasn’t his first suicide attempt.And Alexandra was suffering from postpartum depression, had been since the birth of her son.They were both taking medication.”
