I’m crying again, and just when I think Walt’s going to tell me to quit blubbering, he extends a hand. I step back but keep an arm around Walt’s shoulders.
“Connor,” he says. “I’m glad you didn’t listen to me.”
Connor shakes Walt’s hand and grins. “Just because you’re old doesn’t mean you’re wise all the time.”
Walt wheezes a laugh. “Only most of the time.” He looks down the street to his house. “This old man needs his bed. Going to take a while to recover from tonight’s excitement.”
“We’ll walk you home and help you,” I say, adjusting my arm so that I have a hold of his elbow.
He sends me a playfully derisive look. “Brynn, I just beat up a guy half my age. I don’t need help getting into bed.” I let my raised eyebrows do the responding. Walt sighs. “Fine,” he grumbles. Connor waves a hand at a police officer standing in the open door of his car.
“Is it okay if we take him home?” He points at Walt. “Do you need anything more from us?”
The police officer walks over. I don’t recognize him, but I don’t think I’d recognize anybody from those first few moments after they burst into the house, guns drawn.
“You all are free to go. We may have more questions tomorrow, but we’ll call it a wrap tonight.” He hands me my purse. “This yours?” He nods at Connor. “He thought you might want it.”
I thank him and take it. A thought occurs to me. “In Phoenix, there’s a detective who worked with me about Eric. The, um…” I pause, not sure what to call him. Lori called himthe shooter,but I can’t bring myself to say that. “Eric Prince.”
“You told us already, ma’am. It was one of the first things you said. You were actually quite helpful.”
“Oh.” I don’t remember any of that.
“Don’t worry. It’s normal not to recall what you said. Over the next few days, some things will come back to you.” He hands me a card. “If there’s anything you think of and you’re not certain you told us, give me a call.” He passes out cards to Walt and Connor. “You guys too,” he says, backing up. “Try to get some rest. Sleep will come easier than you think.”
“Let’s go tuck you in, Walt.” Connor starts down the sidewalk.
“Sounds good, Connie,” Walt fires back, tucking an arm through mine.
Connor’s shoulders shake with laughter while we follow him down the street, and into Walt’s house.
At the entrance to his room, Walt stops us. “I’ll take it from here.” He kisses my cheek and says goodbye to Connor. “Brynn, there’s an extra house key on top of the fridge. Take it and lock up behind yourself. I don’t want the key back.”
I smile. “Okay.”
I follow his instructions, tucking the key into my back pocket alongside the officer’s card.
Connor wraps his hand tightly around mine as we walk down Walt’s front steps. The ambulances are gone, the police car has driven off, and the street is quiet again. The neighbors who poured from their homes with the commotion of the night have gone back inside. Vaguely, I see Cassidy’s face in my memory. Perhaps things will come back to me as the seconds continue to tick past.
Suddenly I remember something. “Did you get a message from my phone? Is that why you came?”
Connor looks at me, his eyes illuminated by a streetlight we’re passing under. “I was just about to drive away from Walt’s house and looked at my phone. I saw your message and knew it wasn’t from you. It didn’t sound like you.”
“So you walked over—”
“Ran,” he corrects. “I was coming up your steps when I heard the shot.” He shakes his head. “Worst moment of my whole life. Not knowing.”
“Everything is okay now,” I remind him, even though my wrists and ankles burn with the memory.
We reach my house and he pulls me into his chest. “Stay the night with me,” he murmurs into my hair.
“Only if you promise not to let me go.”
He pulls back, looking down at me. “I’m never letting you go, Brynn.”
I’ve never really been in love, but I always imagined it feeling like floating. I was wrong. My heart, my core, my soul, my essence, has been connected to the earth, to the solid and stable surface it needs, to Connor, the man who would have let me go to keep me safe.
My hands wind around his neck. “I hope you mean that. I don’t want any more question marks between us. We have a period at the end of our sentence now.”
