I sat in silence with him for a while and then got up to make us some coffee. Louis had turned on the news, and we watched it for the rest of the afternoon.
“I need to give his folks a call,” he said as he picked up his phone.
“Are you kicking me out?” I teased as I stood.
“I am.”
“I’m here for you, Louis. If you need an ear, I’m right next door.”
“I appreciate that.”
“And if you need any assistance with Hewitt, please let me know.”
I’d been around Louis and Hewitt many times, and felt as though I had a decent rapport with Louis’ mentee. If needed, I could lend an ear to the young man. I hugged Louis before he opened the door. I felt the weight of grief in his embrace. He tried to pull away from me, but I tugged him close again and held him against my body for a few moments longer. As we separated, I clasped my hand on his shoulder and looked into his tired eyes.
“I mean it, Louis. I’m right next door.”
“Thank you, Atlas.”
In the hallway, I walked the few feet to the door of my flat and went inside.
“What a shitty day,” I mumbled as I strode to my bedroom, loosening my tie as I went.
I went into the bathroom, opened the medicine cabinet, took out the bottle of ibuprofen, and poured three into the palm of my hand. I made my way to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge to chase the pills. I had a strong feeling the ibuprofen wouldn’t do much for the headache that had developed over the course of the afternoon.
Carrying the bottle of water in hand, I went to the windows and looked out over the campus. No one was outside milling about or chatting with friends or staff. It was a quiet and eerie scene. After giving myself a few minutes to gather my thoughts, I pulled my phone from my pocket and pressed the button to call Will. It didn’t surprise me at all that he answered immediately.
“Atlas.” Will’s voice sounded as though he were tired and stressed as well.
“Hello, Will. I’m sorry about Gerald.”
“Thank you. Are you home?”
“Yes.”
“Is the academy following safety protocols?”
“Yes, the remaining classes were cancelled this afternoon, and the students were sent to their cohort dormitories. The mentors are rotating in shifts in each of the dorms.”
“And you?”
“I volunteered to be available to assist any student or staff member. But after the lecture I was giving, I stopped to see Louis Ridley and spent the afternoon with him.”
“How is he?”
“He’s keeping it together. He was quite upset that Jesse hadn’t been mentioned in many of the reports.”
“Gerald loved Jesse very much. I’d been friends with Gerald for a long time, and he’d never been happier. Jesse made Gerald a different man; a better man.”
“I genuinely believe that Jesse was happy with Gerald.”
“When Gerald was shot, Jesse draped his body over him. He tried to shield Gerald. They died in each other’s arms.”
I opened my mouth to ask him how he knew, but then quickly shut it. I shook my head, momentarily forgetting who he was and that he had access to anything he wanted.
“Atlas, I’m concerned that it wasn’t a random act of violence.”
“You think he was targeted?” I asked as I sat on the couch.
