Josh arrived fortyminutes later with a yapping Mercutio and a blast of fatty food fumes straight up the stairs.Chad and Josh had a preferred pizza place and usually only bought one pizza to share between them, but it was huge and potent.
Romeo tensed at paws tapping up the stairs.His door was pushed open by the wide head of Mercutio.Romeo couldn’t see the rest of him, but knew he wagged his tail from his head shaking from the left to right.
Romeo gave in, slipping off the edge of the bed, he crouched.
Mercutio rushed inside, waddling in his excitement and let Romeo fuss him.
“I hope he’s been taking good care of you.”
Mercutio licked his chin, going in for a second lick when Romeo pulled away.
Josh called for Mercutio from downstairs.
Josh ...not Chad.
Romeo hadn’t asked Chad why Josh had taken over Mercutio’s care.That would mean staying in a room long enough to engage in conversation, and he’d not managed more than a few minutes before actively intimidating Chad enough to leave.
Chad had wanted Romeo to spend time with him to help him remember, but he found it difficult.
Romeo lay down on the bed and shut his eyes.
He woke when Chad and Josh were saying their goodbyes in the hallway.Mercutio yipped and yapped, before his bark was cut off when Chad slowly pushed the door shut.
Mercutio had gone home with Josh.
Again.
Chad waited for Josh to drive away before calling up the stairs that it was safe to come down.
“Did you have fun?”Romeo asked once he was on the bottom step.
“It’s always good to see him.”
Romeo nodded.“What about Mercutio?”
Chad frowned.“He was great too.”
“Why aren’t you looking after him?”
“Because...”
“Because?”Romeo pressed.
Chad lowered his gaze.“I don’t remember him, not a thing.Josh was looking after him while I was at Ally’s, and I remember thinking how good he was with him.I didn’t even realize he was my dog, and now...”
“Now?”
“Mercs happy with Josh.Josh is good for him, and he’s good for Josh.I’m too ...unstable right now.”Chad bit his lip.“I asked Josh about the case he’s working on.”
“And how did he react to that?”
Chad sighed.“He was ecstatic I could remember, even though I can’t, not really.The car is clean.They’ve not matched the tire print, and the soil in the treads is the same over most of Bardhum.”
“We’re in the clear then.”
“They recovered CCTV from the car park at St John’s.It captured a six-foot well-built white man with a cap, glasses, leaving the car park.His clothing was all indistinct, no brands, no labels, all the dark in color.Other CCTV cameras picked him up around the hospital, but they didn’t get a clear image of him.They couldn’t even tell the color of his hair.He didn’t return to the vehicle.”
“I ditched the jacket and cap then got a taxi home.”
