We both paused, ears tipped toward the sound of a vibrating phone. It was coming from the vanity. A pair of folded silk boxers had been left on the counter. I lifted the corner of the underwear, revealing the brightly lit cell phone hidden underneath them. “It must be Marco’s.” I picked it up, squinting at the number on the screen. “The call is coming from a Northern Virginia area code.”
“What do we do?”
The phone dimmed as the call rolled to voice mail. Breaths held, we waited for a new voice mail notification to appear, but nothing happened. I tapped to illuminate the screen once more, but all I found was a string of unanswered calls from two different Northern Virginia numbers and someone namedG.G.
We both jumped when the phone started vibrating again. A stack of text messages began piling up on the screen. “G.G.’s texting him.”
I’m back in town. Why aren’t you answering your phone?
I can pick him up tonight. Call me when you get this.
Vero read over my shoulder. “Should we reply?”
“We can’t reply to them!”
The phone buzzed with another text.
If you don’t answer, I’m coming to you.
I thrust the phone at Vero. “Quick! Type something.”
“You’re the writer!”
I tapped the screen. “It’s not letting me in!”
Vero took the phone.
“What are you doing?” I asked as she lifted a strand of Marco’s toupee and held the phone up to his face.
“His eyes need to be wider. Get over here and hold them open for me.”
“Absolutely not!”
“Would you rather hold back his hair?”
“I can’t believe you’re making me do this,” I said, leaning over Vero’s shoulder. I put a thumb on each side of Marco’s forehead and drew his eyebrows toward the ceiling.
“You can’t do it that way! He looks like Mickey Rourke!”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Hold them open like he’s posing for a selfie.” I adjusted my grip. Vero waved the phone in front of Marco’s face. “We’re in!” she said, dropping his toupee. The hair fell over my fingers. I dropped Marco’s head and shook out my hands, my skin crawling as Vero skimmed through Marco’s messages. “Marco textedG.G.after dinner, complaining of indigestion. He said he wasn’t feeling up to driving toG.G.’s place to make the handoff tonight.”
“What handoff?”
“I don’t know. But whatever it is, we don’t wantG.G.showing up here.” Vero’s thumbs flew over the screen.
“What are you telling them?”
“Don’t come,” Vero read aloud as she typed. “Been in the bathroom all night. Too sick to meet. It’s late. Will text tomorrow.What?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at me. “Hehasbeen in the bathroom all night, and he’s definitely not answering the door. Let me handleG.G.You check in with your boyfriend and see what he wants.”
I fished my phone from my apron, wincing as I listened to the voicemail Nick had left while I’d been blow-drying a corpse.
“Hey, Finn. I hope you’re having fun with Vero and you’re bothbeing safe. Listen, I…” In his pause, I could just make out the familiar squawk of radios and loud voices. One of them definitely belonged to my sister. Were they at the police station? It was the middle of the night. Did the man ever sleep? “I know I’m probably worrying for nothing, but I wanted to hear your voice. I’m… Christ,” he muttered to himself. “I’m sorry. I know you’re probably asleep. I’m just… I can’t stop thinking about you and I wanted to make sure you’re okay. That’s all.” The weight of the sigh he heaved into the phone suggested he definitely had not rested since we last spoke. “I know it’s early, but call me when you get this, okay?” I disconnected, confused.
Early,Nick had said. Not late.
“What’s wrong?” Vero asked.
