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It was unnerving—the erasure of someone that death creates. It always sent Ethan’s mind wandering into places he thought had been left behind.

Michael and Paul stayed home for the rest of the week. Ethan didn't blame them.

The Seattle Police Department’s Captain came later that week.

Ethan couldn’t even remember his name, but he was a thick-necked man who, to his credit, seemed to actually be taking the interview seriously.

Better than NYPD, at least.

He asked Ethan and Joyce some routine questions like where he had been that Friday night, what Jake was like, and if he’d noticed him acting unusually lately.

Ethan answered honestly—mostly.

Alone. At home. With my cat.

When the captain asked if anything strange had happened, Ethan felt the words crawling up his throat.

Well, the CEO’s son asked us to wipe Jake’s emails. He seemed more worried about that than his dead friend.

But he choked them down instead.

“No,” he said. “Nothing I can think of.”

Joyce gave the same answer when it was her turn. Ethan watched her, searching for a crack, but she was stone-faced. Fifteen years of corporate survival had clearly trained her for this moment, which he wasn’t sure was a good thing or not.

As the captain was wrapping up, the door swung open.

Preston walked in, casual as ever, like an active potential homicide investigation was just another item on his calendar.

“Danny!” Preston’s voice boomed, and his face broke into a wide grin as he shook the captain's hand. “I thought that was you. How the hell are ya?”

Ethan blinked.

Danny?

The captain’s entire demeanor shifted from stiff and professional to warm and cheerful, like a dog greeting its owner.

“Well, if it ain’t the big boss himself! How’s it going, Preston? Great to see you…wish it was under better circumstances.”

“You and me both.” Preston shook his head with more sorrow than he’d had the day they found out Jake died. “Yeah…Jake was a great guy. One of my best friends, actually. This whole thing’s got me pretty shook up.”

Ethan's jaw tightened.

Are you fucking kidding me?

This was the same guy who’d shrugged off Jake’s death like it was a parking ticket two days ago. Now he was playing the grieving friend? Surely the captain would see through this. That was their whole job, right? To see through the bullshit?

It became clear to Ethan very quickly that whether he saw it or not, it didn’t matter.

“How’s your Mom doing? I talked to her at last month’s fundraiser gala, and heard she had that surgery?” Preston asked, arms folded loosely.

The captain practically glowed, lapping up every word. “Oh yeah, she’s great. Thanks for asking. She’s already driving my Dad crazy from the recovery couch.” They laughed, and Ethan grimaced.

Preston planted himself on the edge of Ethan’s desk, close enough that he had to lean back in his chair.

“Listen, Danny,” he said, resting his hand on the captain’s shoulder. “I know you’ve got a job to do here. If you need to ask me anything—anything at all—I’m an open book. Jake was one of my closest friends and a real value to this company. I want whoever did this caught.”

Ethan cocked his brow, eyes darting between Joyce and the captain.