Irritated, I stared at Stone as he swallowed and took a step back. “I hope you’re done with Mr Rogers. Dr Simmons is concerned about his heart.”
My words annoyed Stone. The asshole’s shoulders stiffened, and he straightened. “Yeah, stress over his missing daughter and what he found today isn’t helpful.”
“Think I’m not aware of that? Believe me, Stone, I know exactly how heartache feels; I’m very acquainted with it.”
Stone winced. He wouldn’t comment on that; he’d be too scared to.
“Darren has hope,” Stone replied.
“Hope is a cruel emotion, not a positive one. Wishing for someone to come home doesn’t cause it to happen. Instead, it turns you into a recluse and makes you bitter. He’d be wiser not to dream. Mr Rogers would be better off believing Julie’s dead than living on false promises from the likes of you,” I said.
Stone physically flinched and took two steps back. “Is that what you really believe?”
“Yes. Excuse me, I’ve a patient to check on.”
“April,” he called as I walked away. I stopped but didn’t turn. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.
“Sorry is as useless as hope. Sorry is a word that means nothing; it’s just a balm to the person who needs to apologise. That makes them feel better. Not the recipient.”
“Fuck,” Stone muttered, but I didn’t hang around and left quickly.
Harlequin
As I headed to the office to start digging, my mind chewed over what April had said. She hated me. Unsurprisingly, April was incredibly bitter and couldn’t stand the sight of me. What had happened had changed her.
April had always been strong, but now she appeared cast in steel. In our few encounters, I’d only ever seen disgust aimed at me. The girl I’d broken hadn’t been capable of hate, not until I shattered her heart. Not even her wayward parents had made April hate them. Now hatred flowed through her veins. That was on me.
Conflicted, I parked behind the offices and headed inside. Marie was at her desk, on the phone. As I walked past, she waved a piece of paper, and I grabbed it. On the way to my office, Kaiser stuck his head out.
“Thanks, asshole. That cheating case is a recurring one. The dude’s a total bastard and every few months calls us to catch the wife out. I’m halfway to telling the woman what he’s doing. The dude is borderline stalking,” Kaiser complained.
“Maybe you should. If the asshole’s acting like that, his behaviour is worrying. The woman will end up dead.”
“True. I’ll talk to Slaughter.”
“You’d better, because those are psychotic tendencies,” I replied, and Kaiser nodded before disappearing back into his office.
I carried on to mine and took a seat. It was easier for me to type up the interview and highlight relevant information. That way, if a contradiction happened, I’d spot it. I sat down, opened my laptop, and got to work. I was halfway through when something struck me. Darren spoke of Julie in the present still, not the past. The man hadn’t even begun to accept Julie might not make it home. If I found Julie dead, how on earth would the guy cope? April was right. Hope was one of the cruellest emotions.
April
Just as I was about to leave, a nurse came and stood beside me. She inched closer, and I glanced across. Her name badge said Mahoney. She offered a warm smile, but I sensed it was fake.
“Hey,” she murmured.
“Hi,” I replied. Mahoney continued studying me, and I turned to face her.
“Is everything okay?”
“Sure. I just heard gossip and was wondering if it was correct,” she let out an obnoxious giggle, and I frowned.
“What rumour?”
“Did you say no to Dr Reines? Jeez, I mean, that can’t be right, the man is a hunk!” Mahoney tittered.
“Mahoney? That’s your name? Well, lady, it’s true, I said no. I’ve no interest in dating anyone,” I replied and turned back to my tablet to continue entering the updates.
“Are you a lesbian?” she asked, and I gaped and stared. Mahoney had the decency to wriggle under my glower.
