“We knew he wasn’t going to be here,” Tean said.
“I know.”
“But?”
“I don’t know.I thought maybe he’d come back.”
“Well, I’d like to be somewhere else when he does,” Tean said and moved into the room.
Jem followed more slowly.A king bed.Two nightstands.Lamps.A fieldstone fireplace.A dresser.Two beat-up roller bags.He checked the room safe in the closet; the door was open, and the safe was empty.
Abandoning the closet, he found Tean crouched next to one of them, examining the torn zipper and the scuff marks.He turned his face up to Jem.
“Whatever he was spending all that money on,” Jem said, “it wasn’t a new suitcase.”
As Tean began pulling out articles of clothing, Jem dropped onto the corner of the bed.
“That sweater cost two hundred dollars,” he said.“Is that cashmere?Let me feel it.Okay, those sneakers are actually super cute.I would wear those.”
“Are you going to help?”Tean asked as he lifted out a pair of jeans.
“I am helping.”
Sometimes Tean could be very communicative with his eyebrows.Jem’s theory was it was because they were so bushy.
“I’ll start in the bathroom,” Jem said.
“Great idea.”
Which actuallyhadbeen where Jem wanted to search, if only because he was worried he might have overdone it back at the chalet, and he was starting to feel a littletooevened out.Maybe even a little underwater.But the pills had been right there in the bathroom, and he’d been, like, ninety percent sure they were zannies.
The bathroom had the same brownish-gray tile, the same marble-topped vanity, and the same walk-in shower as Jem and Tean’s room.What itdidn’thave was a soaking tub, which meant Jem and Tean’s room was better.
Stephen had left his toiletry bag on the vanity, and Jem did a quick search.Toothbrush, toothpaste, three condoms, a pomade that cost atleastforty dollars on Amazon—Jem knew because Tean wouldn’t let him buy it, not even for an experiment, not even in the name of science, like, could he and Scipio have matching faux hawks.He unzipped a pocket.
Score.
Addies, check.
Zannies, double-check.
And a third bottle, one that would be fun to try—he’d have to google it, but it was probably something to help you sleep.Ambien, maybe.
The addies and zannies were made out to Jacob.The labels had been partially scratched off so that only the first letter of the last name was visible—a B.The third prescription, maybe Ambiens, had been prescribed to Jessica Brown.He took one of the addies, just to get back up to speed.Then he pocketed the brown plastic vials and called to the other room, “He was packing condoms.”
Tean didn’t say anything.
Jem poked his head out of the bathroom.“Did you hear me?”
“What?Yes.”
“That means he was planning on banging.”
“It means he thought there was a possibility of having sex.And it means he cared about safer sex practices.”
“And it means he’s not gay.”
“Plenty of gay men use condoms.”
