PROLOGUE
Ronan
Quincy, Massachusetts, 1996…
Fourteen-year-old Ronan O’Mara dreaded the end of the school day. Usually, he couldn’t wait for the final bell so he could get the hell out of the dungeon that was Sacred Heart Catholic High School. This particular Friday was different. This Friday was going to suck three ways to Sunday and not in the fun way. Ronan had a date with destiny. Michael Martin Murphy was going to kill him.
After a boring morning of U.S. Geography and Old Testament Bible study, Ronan had an exam in Algebra I, the only class he did well in. Right before the exam started, Triple M, as his friends called him, told Ronan to let him cheat. Ronan had refused. He hadn’t realized his error at the time, but when the bell rang, Michael leaned over Ronan and whispered, “You’re dead.”
It was possible Michael was joking, but Ronan knew better than that. Unless he figured out a way to save his skin, he’d end up spending the night in the emergency room instead of at home with his mother, Erin, watching oldLove Boatreruns. Ronan had a mad crush on Gopher, a fact he would take to his grave, which, if he couldn’t outwit Triple M, was going to be imminently dug.
After the debacle of the Algebra I test, Ronan went to lunch with his usual friends, Jake Patterson, Skippy Windex—hisrealname– and Joey Burke. Ronan had been in the process of swapping his Oreos for Skippy’s Twinkie, when Triple M sat in the vacant chair beside him.
“Hello, dickface,” Michael sneered. “Don’t forget ourappointmentthis afternoon.”
Ronan knew the word “appointment” was slang for “death by asshole.” According to his mother and every teacher he’d had since kindergarten, Ronan’s biggest enemy had always been his mouth. If he had a nickel for every time his mother told him to think before he spoke, he’d be rich enough to afford a private tutor. “Oh, you mean ourdate?” Ronan asked loudly, just as the entire cafeteria quieted down. He pasted a wide grin on his face.
“Fuck you, O’Mara!” Michael sputtered, quickly pushing back from the table. He shoved Ronan hard enough for his chair to tip over.
After Ronan crashed to the cafeteria floor, Father Donlan and Father Price ran to his side. Donlan helped Ronan back to his feet, while Price grabbed Michael by the ear.
“That’s a week’s detention for you, Mr. Murphy!” The priest began to drag the angry teenager away.
“I didn’t ask O’Mara on a date!” Michael shouted, making him sound even more guilty than he looked.
“Sure youdidn’t!” someone shouted back in a sarcastic tone. Some kids made kissing sounds, others pretended to throw up.
“You know he’s just gonna come back at you twice as hard the next time,” Skippy said, shaking his head, looking at Ronan like he was a dead man walking.
“I don’t think so. He’ll keep his distance,” Ronan said with confidence. “Triple M won’t want rumors to start that he’s gay. It would be a fate worse than death.”
Ronan knew, better than anyone, what the consequences would be if hislittle secretbecame public knowledge. He hated the factthat Michael might be subjected to rumors about his sexuality, but the first rule of the high school jungle was to survive, no matter the collateral damage.
1
Ronan
March, present day…
Ronan O’Mara sat at the kitchen table enjoying his first cup of coffee in blissful silence. It was Tennyson’s turn to get the kids up and dressed for school. There was nothing better than these quiet moments before the kids stomped down the stairs demanding to be fed like squawking baby birds.
“Daddy!” Everly shouted from the top of the stairs, shattering the quiet. “I don’t smell bacon!”
“Bacon!” Ezra echoed.
Slumping in his seat, Ronan drained the last of his coffee. “Your wish is my command, princess.” He set his cup in the sink and grabbed the bacon from the fridge. By the time both kids and a tired-looking Ten came downstairs, breakfast was ready and on the table. He’d made scrambled eggs and bacon, with orange juice.
“Thanks, Daddy!” Everly grinned at Ronan. “Don’t forget my first cheerleading practice is after school.”
“How could I possibly forget?” Ronan said, biting into a crispy piece of bacon. “You reminded me every hour all weekend long.”
“Will you be there?” Everly asked, sounding hopeful.
Ronan sighed. “It depends on what’s happening at work. I’ll do my absolute best.” With Aurora also making the cheer team, he knew Fitz would move heaven and earth to make sure they’d both be at practice. The beauty of the cold case team was being able to set their own hours, but there were instances when an investigation at a critical stage couldn’t be dropped for family.
Finishing his breakfast, Ronan set the dish in the sink and grabbed his phone. He hated interrupting family time, but he wanted to catch the news before he went into work. He opened theSalem Newsapp and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the top headline.Severed Head Found in Freezer.“What the fuu-” Ronan stopped himself before he needed to add five dollars to the swear jar.
“Go put on your shoes and coats.” Ten hurried the kids out of the room. He turned back to Ronan. “Is everything okay?”
