The man came back into view, strolling over to the car with its engine running.He climbed into the passenger seat, and it reversed violently, flinging up gravel as it turned around to leave.
Romeo hurried downstairs and snatched the keys off the mat.The key itself wasn’t damaged, but Chad’s keyring, some video game beaver that reminded Josh of Chad, was ruined.Water had gotten inside of the plastic and made the ink run.
Chad must’ve had the keys on him when he was in the water.
Romeo headed out to Chad’s car, unlocking the driver’s side and slipping inside.It was still warm from the driver, and he grimaced.
Chad’s phone was no longer on the passenger seat but had dropped into the footwell.
Romeo grabbed it.Predictably, it was dead.
He pocketed the phone, then glanced around the car for clues.
They’d driven home from their getaway before lunch.The sun visors were both still drawn in the back to hide Romeo’s identity.
Nothing was out of the ordinary.
He sighed and leaned over to open the glove box.
Romeo froze at the rattle.He blinked, reaching inside and pulled out a box.
He stroked his thumb over the label as his breath caught.
Temazepam.
“What the fuck?”
He yanked out his phone, and googled the medication, blinking when he found it was a drug for insomnia.Romeo scrolled down, eyes widening at the list of side effects.
Dizziness, clumsiness, diminished awareness, high temperature.
There was no direction of use from the doctor stuck to the side of the box, nor was there a receipt from the pharmacy where Chad had signed for the prescription.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”Romeo whispered.
The blister pack inside had four missing capsules.
He shook his head, checked the glove box again, then under the seats just in case Chad had kept something else from him.
There was nothing else in the car, and Romeo climbed out, stalking back towards the house.
He placed the box in the center of the kitchen table, flaring his nostrils slightly as he plugged Chad’s phone into the charger.
Chad was taking sleep medication, and he’d kept it from Romeo.
He needed answers, and Romeo hoped Chad’s phone held them.
As soon as it had enough charge, he was on it, kneeling on the floor to keep the wire connected, he tapped in the code for Chad’s phone.
He checked the messages first, and at the top there was Frank, followed by Josh, Ally, Keeley, Faye, and then came the random numbers that had gotten hold of Chad’s number.
The threats, the insults.Chad blocked the numbers but hadn’t deleted the messages.
His call log was full of unknown numbers, too, but they were red, suggesting he hadn’t answered.Romeo grew cold at the sheer number of them.Thirty minutes didn’t go by without Chad getting a call, and his voicemail had backed up with messages.
He knew they’d be the same as the texts—threats and insults.
Chad knew better than to listen to them.
