Romeo retrieved the dustpan and brush from beneath the stairs.
Chad crouched down, finding the rock that had been thrown at the window.A piece of paper had been wrapped around it, secured with elastic bands.
“Don’t,” Romeo warned.
Chad didn’t listen, and revealed the note meant for him.“Her blood is on your hands,” he read, then he showed Romeo the black and white print out of Lucinda Hastings.“Oh, and for good measure...”
Chad held the rock out for Romeo to see.
The word monster had been painted on one side of it.
“You’re not a monster.”Romeo whispered.“And Iknowmonsters.”
Chad shook his head, slapping a hand to his hip as he assessed the damage.“At least it only looks like the one window has been smashed.”
Romeo pointed to the empty space the TV usually occupied.“I’ll order another one in a bit.”
Chad did a double take, gawping at the missing TV.“I didn’t even notice.”
Despite having more money than either of them knew what to do with, they didn’t splash out on unnecessary things.The TV was the most expensive thing in the house, and Romeo’s gym was the most expensive thing in the outhouse.
Romeo made a mental note to check the outhouse hadn’t been broken into once they’d cleaned up the mess.
He swept up the glass and snatched the note from the coffee table when Chad wasn’t looking.He didn’t know where the rock had gone but didn’t want to draw attention back to it by asking.
Chad’s phone buzzed, startling him.He clutched his chest as he retrieved it from his pocket.“It’s Josh.”
He glanced at Romeo like he was asking for permission.
“Aren’t you going to answer it?”
Chad shot him a small smile and turned his back as he answered the call.He strode out of the living room, choosing to chat with Josh in the hallway.Romeo searched for the rock, running his hands along the edges of the sofa and the armchair before getting to his knees and checking the floor.
He even peeked out of the smashed window, thinking Chad might’ve thrown it out when he wasn’t looking, but he couldn’t find it.
Chad returned looking pale.The dark smudges beneath his eyes appeared darker, and he shivered.
“What’s happened?”Romeo asked.
Chad blinked.“Nothing.He wants to catch up, that’s all.”
“Right ...and you look like you’re about the pass out because...?”
“What if he knows something,” Chad’s gaze flicked to the window in the direction of the outhouse, theothercar and the field of bodies.
“He doesn’t know anything,” Romeo said.“If he did, the police would be screeching up that track road.”
Chad pursed his lips and blew out a breath.“That’s not the most comforting thought.And as the qualified police person here, that’s not how we’d do it unless absolutely necessary.We’d more likely try to lure the suspect into a trap rather than attempt to apprehend them in their own home when they’re potentially dangerous.”
Romeo mulled Chad’s words over.He smirked, “Thank you, detective.”
“I’m not a detective anymore.”Chad said softly.
Romeo almost punched himself.He grimaced.“You’re still qualified to be one.”
“I doubt some people would agree.”
Romeo frowned.“Did Josh sound ...suspicious?”
