“I’m looking for Aric Monaghan.”
The woman’s friendly smile faded. “Young man, can I ask your name?”
“Um … Andy.”
“Are you a friend?”
“Actually, I’m a friend of his … girlfriend.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, you know Jillian?”
Jillian? “Yes. We go way back. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen her. I wanted to surprise her.”
“Well I’d tell you to try her house, but she’s out of town. I take it you haven’t talked with Jackson.”
Gabe shoved his hands into his pockets to ward off the cold breeze. “Jackson?”
“Her brother.”
“Oh, yeah … I wasn’t close to him, just Jillian. Sorry I’d forgotten his name.” Gabe couldn’t help but grin a bit. Jessica and Jude had become Jack and Jill—brilliant.
She nodded behind him. “They live in the unit next to Sarge’s. But we saw Jackson leaving earlier to go to his lady friend’s house. She recently got her sex toy order from Jillian’s party at my house, so I don’t expect him back for quite some time if you know what I mean.” She winked, an awkward wink, but Gabe was pretty sure it was still a wink. “Any who, he walked over to her house. Said it was too dangerous to drive. Crazy guy. I assume you’re from New York too? Surely you all see as much snow as we do.”
No. He wasn’t from New York and neither were Jillian and Jackson. They were all from San Francisco. That explained Jackson’s apprehension over driving in snow.
“Sex toys?”
“Come on in, honey. It’s too cold to have this conversation outside. I’ll make you some hot chocolate. Are you a marshmallow guy?”
Gabe smiled. He was a red-eye guy—black coffee with a double shot of expresso. “Sounds perfect, thank you.”
*
Waiting for Gabe to call left Luke on the verge of committing himself. The woman who came to him for reasons of insanity had him flirting with it himself. After three Heineken, he tore his hands from his mussed hair to answer the phone. It had to be her. How could he be so stupid to drown himself in alcohol before giving the speech of his life? It didn’t matter. Just the thought of her made the world fall away. The time between hearing of her death and seeing her in Texas was the longest fucking single heartbeat ever.
He was ready to breathe again.
“Jessica?”
“Sorry.”
“Gabe.” Luke deflated as his hand grabbed for his hair again. Tears stung his eyes.
“She wasn’t home and neither was Sarge. However, I talked with her neighbor for over an hour, a Greta Housby. Quite possibly the funniest and most interesting lady I have ever had the pleasure of talking to. But … she didn’t have good news. I’m not sure what you want me to do now.”
“Who is Sarge?”
“Sorry. AJ, Aric James Monaghan. They called him Sarge because he was a Senior Master Sergeant, career air force.
“Called? Was?”
Gabe sighed. “He died on Thanksgiving.”
“Where is she?”
“They don’t know. She flew to Portland for the funeral. Jackson told them she wasn’t coming home right away. Apparently she needed time alone.”
“Jackson?”
“Sorry. You’re never going to believe this … Jude is alive too. They live in the townhouse next to AJ’s. She’s a consultant for Lascivio. Have you heard of that?”
“No.”
“Sex toys. She sells sexy toys and he teaches piano lessons.” Gabe laughed. “And that’s not the best part. Jessica and Jude Day are now Jackson and Jillian Knight. Jack and Jill.”
Luke closed his eyes and shook his head.
“Do you want me to stay and talk to Jude … Jackson?”
“No. I mean … fuck! I don’t know. Who’d you say you were?”
“An old friend of Jessica’s or Jillian’s.”
“I’m sure the neighbor lady will tell Jude someone was asking about them, which could cause them to disappear again. But he’s not the most stable guy and he could snap your neck so fast you’d never see it coming.”
“He knows me, he’s not going to kill me.”
“Something tells me he would to keep his sister safe.”
Jessica had a conscience. He never got the chance to make a definitive assessment of Jude’s stability.
“You’re not helping. What am I supposed to do?”
Luke flopped back on the couch and stared at the shadows on the ceiling. “God, I didn’t think this through enough and I’m … I’ve had too much to drink.”
Gabe chuckled. “How about I leave a burner phone with your burner phone number on it by their front door. He probably won’t be back until tomorrow anyway. He’s at Ryn’s.”
“And Ryn is?”
“His girlfriend.”
“Try again. Jude doesn’t do the girlfriend thing.”
“Well this Jackson guy apparently does. Greta said she’s older by ten years and ‘utterly adorable.’”
“Now, do you want to know more about ‘Jillian’ and AJ or shall I wait until you’re completely drunk?”
The chances of Luke ever being drunk enough to handle hearing about Jessica with some other guy? Nil.
“Leave the phone and my number then get your ass home to Kelly before we both get caught.”