CHAPTER SIX
Simon
A day later,Simon arrived home from work to find the living room turned upside down.
“Have you seen my cell phone?” Patrick asked.
He was bent over the couch, rummaging between the cushions and lifting them to check underneath. The cushions from the armchair were tossed on the floor, and the drawers of the entertainment unit were open, contents spilling onto the carpet and the coffee table.
“No. I haven’t seen it, but I’ve been at work since seven. I wondered why you never returned my call.”
Patrick glanced up and pushed a strand of his dark blond hair back from his face. “I haven’t had the phone all day. I thought I must have left it at home, and made do without it all day at work today, but now I can’t find it anywhere.”
“What about in the car? Did you look there?”
“I’ve checked the car. Under the seats, the center console.”
“Well, when did you last have it?” Simon asked as he started picking up the items from the floor and putting them back into the drawers.
“Yesterday. Last night. I had it when I got home from work and phoned Mom.”
“So that was about six, right?”
Patrick nodded. “Then we had dinner and watched a movie.”
“Did you have the cell then?”
“I can’t remember. I don’t think so because we were only in your bedroom. I assume I would have left it downstairs. At least I think I did.”
“And you didn’t miss it when you went to charge it?” Patrick blushed, and Simon chuckled. “Yeah, I know. You’re crap at remembering to charge your cell.”
“I’ve got no idea where to look now.” Patrick looked crestfallen as he tossed the cushions back and plonked onto the couch. Simon stepped over the pile of DVDs on the floor and sat next to him.
“How about you go check your room one last time? I’ll call your cell and we can see if we can hear it ring. If not, perhaps we should check your office. Maybe you did take it with you this morning and misplaced it at the school?”
“Yeah, maybe.” But Patrick didn’t seem too sure.
“And we can check with the other guys? Maybe one of them picked it up by mistake. You know how those iPhones are, they all look the same.”
Patrick raised a brow. “I don’t think Bruce or Mike have a glittery rainbow cover on theirs.”
Simon snorted. “Probably not. Anyway, let’s not panic yet.”
“Panic?” They both looked up to see Bruce standing in the doorway.
“Patrick’s lost his cell phone. I don’t suppose you’ve seen it, have you?”
“Not again,” Bruce said with a shrug and an accompanying eye roll. “I swear you lose that thing once a month.”
“I do not!” Patrick was indignant, but it didn’t stop Bruce even though Simon knew he was slightly exaggerating.
“I’ve never known anyone so prone to losing stuff. You’d lose your head if it wasn’t screwed on.”
Simon held back a laugh. So true. If someone was going to misplace something, break something, or muck something up, it was bound to be Patrick. He was a walking example of Murphy’s Law, not that Simon would dare utter those two words out loud in Patrick’s presence.
His laughter caught in his throat when he looked at Patrick’s dejected expression. He straightened and tilted his head toward the stairs. “C’mon. Let’s head upstairs and check there. If we can’t find the phone in your room, then we’ll check with Mike. I guess if he doesn’t have it you’ll have to call the cell company and have the service barred.”
“Fuck,” Patrick swore under his breath, but he stood and followed Simon upstairs. “What a damn nuisance.”
