“What does Duncan think?”
Simon sighed. “I’m not going to lie to you. He’s still investigating, and until they’ve covered all angles, they can’t rule anything out. They are checking for CCTV footage from other cameras in the vicinity to see if they can get an image of a black van around that time. Duncan also mentioned testing the shopping cart for paint residue, but there’s not a lot more they can do unless they can identify the van and then the driver.”
“I don’t like it. I’m worried, Si. There’s too much going on at the moment for this to be ignored.”
“I’m not ignoring it. I just don’t want to worry unnecessarily. The police are investigating, and there’s not much more we can do.”
“Promise me you’ll be careful.”
Simon held his hands. “I always am.”
Patrick rolled his eyes. “Didn’t you just tell me you weren’t paying attention in the parking lot?”
“Um….” There was a hint of amusement on Simon’s face. “I’ll pay more attention in future, I promise.” His simple kiss was like sealing the deal, and Patrick smiled against Simon’s lips before drawing away. “Let’s get some sleep, huh? We’ve both got to be up early tomorrow.”
They resettled under the covers, and Patrick rested his head once again on Simon’s chest, but this time Simon’s rhythmic breathing didn’t soothe him. Thoughts kept swirling around in his head. He couldn’t let go of the idea that he shouldn’t be there, that he was the one causing all the problems. Every time he closed his eyes he could see Simon’s face when he’d come home after the accident—the pain and shock there. He’d put the poor guy through so much already.
Not only did Simon have to deal with Patrick’s issues—the letters, the break-ins, his fear—it was like Patrick had also brought bad luck with him when he’d moved into the house. Patrick felt like he was a bad omen. What if it wasn’t all just a coincidence? There were too many things going wrong for Simon for it to be sheer coincidence. The near miss with the car in the parking lot was the last straw; Simon could have been seriously injured. And even one of the witnesses thought it was an intentional act. Was it enough that Duncan was on the case? Was there anything else that anyone—that Patrick—could do?
He closed his eyes and was trying to sleep when his last conversation with Andrew came to mind. They were talking in the driveway before Andrew and Tanner left on their road trip.
“And if you need somewhere to go, if it all gets a bit close to home, you can come here. The place will be empty while we’re gone, but Josh has the key. He’s going to come around and check on things every now and then—collect the mail, water the garden—but I’ve told him if you, and Simon of course, need a place to stay, the house is yours. All right?”
Maybe that was something Patrick could do? He could move out of the house and take his troubles with him. Mike and Bruce could relax in their own home again, and Simon would be away from the horror of the whole situation.
It felt good to be able to do something, to takeactioninstead of just waiting. Patrick was finally able to fall asleep.
