Yao looked thoughtful for a second.
“You’re right.” He paused. “But he could’ve just as easily gotten that information from the five o’clock news as he did from you. Both happened last night.” He paused. “I was already planning on stopping by to see Brent Cromwell anyway.”
Riel’s hand loosened on mine, but I no longer wanted to get him to let go.
Not when I now had someone almost murdered across the street from me possibly because Riel and I were talking about that person the night before during dinner.
“It does give me another person to question, though.” Yao’s eyes met mine. “What’s this Melly woman’s last name?”
I rattled it off without missing a beat.
“Thanks,” he said. “But no, I don’t think that anything you said or did led to this. The kid definitely had ties with the shit that Brent Cromwell is tied up in. I’m not sure to what extent, but I have a feeling it’s more than he let on because otherwise this wouldn’t have happened.”
I agreed.
I just wished I didn’t feel guilty for talking about it with freakin’ Melly around.
“Kid going to be okay?” Riel asked.
Yao nodded sharply. “Should be. The dad intercepted the shooter. Instead of finishing the job, he left before he could get caught. The dad made a choice to help the kid and not chase after the shooter. Saved the kid’s life, too.”
“For now,” Riel muttered darkly.
I agreed.
For now.
I also didn’t feel so safe in my safe neighborhood any longer.
“Gotta go,” Yao said. “If y’all hear anything else, let me know.” He paused and centered his gaze on me. “Don’t do anything stupid and raise any suspicion with Cromwell. Keep your nose clean, stay out of his business.”
Oh, I would be.
Not only was he my ticket to passing this year, but he was also my boss.
I wouldn’t be jeopardizing that for anything.
“Have a good one,” he said.
Riel finally led me back over to my place and followed me inside.
He looked around curiously as I ran to the bathroom.
When I got back, he was waiting by the door, looking confused.
“What?” I asked.
“I just… I feel like something should be there,” he said, tapping his head. “But it’s not. Like I should remember something, but there’s nothing to remember. It’s the worst feeling ever.”
I could imagine.
And suddenly, I didn’t want him to go.
I wanted to see him smile.
“Ready to go for that run?”Chapter 8I survived another meeting that should’ve been an email.
-Frankie’s secret thoughts
Frankie
“Riel, are you ever going to unpack?” I asked curiously, flipping open the first box that I found.
It was a box of clothes.
“I started to,” he admitted. “Got the first box unpacked, then felt like I was doing something wrong. Like I was unpacking somebody else’s things.”
I could understand that.
“So, I stopped unpacking,” he confessed. “I’ve been buying the things I need as I need them. I think, if in about six months I don’t unpack this shit, I’ll just donate it.”
I flipped open the next box that was open and came to a couple of picture frames.
The first picture frame had Malachi and his dog. I remembered when the picture was taken.
It’d been the day that Malachi had to drop off the dog to his parents for them to hold on to while he was out of the country.
“Hey,” I suddenly blurted out, remembering something. “Where is Maxie?”
There was a loud thump from the bedroom area, then a sigh.
“Maxie,” Riel said, coming out of the room. “Was apparently given away to an animal shelter when I was still missing at six months.”
I froze.
“You’re joking,” I said, sounding just as pissed as I felt.
He shook his head.
“I contacted them about the dog,” I said. “I didn’t remember the dog, but I knew that there was one just based on all the dog paraphernalia. I asked Gabe and Ember about it, and they told me about where I could find Maxie.”
The sheer audacity of his parents was overwhelming.
“Only, when you went looking, Maxie wasn’t there?” I asked, feeling the heartache pressing down on me again.
God, the man had suffered so much.
How much more could he take?
“I’ve been searching for the dog ever since,” he said. “But the animal shelter that found Maxie a home doesn’t really care about my plight. They feel sorry, but unfortunately, there is not a lot they can do since the dog was adopted into a loving home.”
I thought about that for a long second, then offered, “I could get a friend to help. She’s really good with computers.”
He looked up at me with a frown on his face.
“I…” He blew out a breath. “I can barely take care of myself. What if I find him?”
“What if you found him and wanted him?” I asked. “What if he would help you heal?”
He didn’t have anything to say to that, and I took it as a sign to mind my own business.