“I know about the message you left him.”
Of course he did. “He called me the day before and wanted to meet after he was done with a party.”
“And did you agree to meet him?”
“No, but I felt bad about it, so I left him that message.”
Hayden nodded, not looking surprised by anything I said, yet he did look troubled.
“What is it?” I asked, leaning with my elbows on the table. “You wouldn’t have brought me here just because of that call.”
“There’s something else.”
“Well, what? I didn’t do anything to Nick.”
“Jonah, I’m not your enemy.”
“Then you should have called and asked me these questions on the phone.”
“Itriedcalling you.”
I crossed my arms, knowing I was acting out of line. “Sorry. You said there was something else.”
He exhaled and opened his laptop. “Yesterday morning, we found something on the Darknet. Ever heard of it?”
“I think so. It’s like the internet, but not really.”
“Sort of. Let’s say that if the internet is a house, then the Darknet is a basement with a maze inside; you might know that it exists, but you’re likely to get lost on your way.”
“Did you find something in that maze that was connected to Nick?”
“Yes.” He turned his laptop to face me, a dark window of a media player filling the screen. “I wouldn’t be showing you this unless I thought it was important.”
I grew numb at the reluctance in Hayden’s eyes. I suspected what was waiting on that video, and it chilled my blood. “Play it.”
For the next three minutes, I silently watched as naked Nick was being tortured while dangling from the ceiling. The young man I’d last seen leaving my house with a big sandwich was covered in bruises. The investigation room filled with his terrified cries and begging. Since the camera focused on Nick,it was impossible to see who else was there, just the occasional hand or a leg that entered the frame.
The video stopped abruptly, leaving Nick’s screams echoing in my ears.
“It’s the same place,” I said before Hayden could ask.
“Are you sure?”
I recognized the purple curtain in the background, and some of the tools on the shelves seemed familiar. It could have been a coincidence, but my gut told me it wasn’t. “I’m sure.”
I prepared myself for a flood of questions, but Hayden closed his laptop and said, “Let me take you home.”
“What?”
“You’re obviously unwell. Come on.”
I got up and followed him outside, confused yet grateful.
*
We drove without attempting small talk. When we reached my house, the sun was about to set, painting the sky in a kaleidoscope of warm hues.
Hayden parked and killed the engine. “You have coffee?”
