…
…
Sean: Fine, but I’m sending Jarrid to pick you up. You will not drive. And you can stay for 2 hours max.
Me: Yes, Daddy.
Sean: Fuck off. He’ll be there in 30.
“Decaf coffee,”Jarrid announced as he put a mug on the large table we were gathered around.
“Decaf?”
“Sean’s orders.”
I picked up the cup and looked at him suspiciously. “Is this you apologising again?”
He shrugged, pushing his fingers through the hair that had come loose from his bun. “Maybe.”
I huffed out my annoyance. “We talked about this when you picked me up. It’s fine. You weren’t to know. I’m okay. Can we just drop it? I feel like a dick that I was pushed down the stairs by some nimble teenager.”
“What?” said Sean as he appeared like magic.
I took a sip of the coffee, grimacing because it tasted like shit, but the thought was there.
“It’s probably nothing. The whole thing is a bit blurry, but I remember that the person who pushed me had this freaky skeleton mask on, and they were small. Like skinny and small… just reminded me of a teenager, but what would a teenager want in that house? Unless it’s like the police said, and they just wanted to rob the place because it was empty.”
“But nothing’s missing. TVs, watches worth thousands, keys for the sports cars in the garage were all left untouched. If you were going to break in to steal things, why was nothing taken?” Sean questioned.
“I disturbed them with my dramatic tumble down the stairs?” I asked.
“Maybe, but you were out cold, so why wouldn’t they have grabbed something of value? It makes no sense. No, I think they were looking for something specific.”
“Like?” Jarrid said.
Sean bounced his shoulders before turning to Wren. “Can you look into our judge a bit more? Now we know it’s murder, I think it’s time for a deep dive. Friends, family, phone calls. See if you can track down his step-kids and find out if they can giveus any insights. I want to know what he had for lunch at work, who he’s sentenced and to what jail time, and then cross-check all of that with what we know about Larson. Let’s leave no stone unturned because none of this makes any sense, and it’s starting to give me a headache.”
Wren nodded. “Consider it done.”
“Keep me posted.” He stood, his eyes landing on me. “You, fuck off home. Don’t come back until your boys here have worked their magic. We don’t want to break that brain of yours.”
I clutched my hand to my chest. “Ah, you do love me. I knew you’d warm to me eventually.”
Sean chuckled as he exited the office, flipping me the middle finger over his shoulder as he left, and I’d never felt more at home.
Jarrid’s phone beeped in his hand, and he looked down to read the message, his eyes springing back up, wide with surprise.
“Amber,” he explained, but then added, “Hana’s back.”
I stood too fast, the room spinning.
“Woah,” Jarrid muttered, grabbing my elbow to keep me upright.
“Where?” I asked, focusing on a spot on the floor as I tried to find my balance.
“Diner.”
That didn’t make sense. I had every alert possible set up, so she shouldn’t have been able to step foot in town without my phone going crazy.
