he didn't know how to change a tire. "Want to learn?"
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
"I CAN ' T BELIEVE YOU TWO are just eating. We have to find Bry!" Mike stormed out of the dining room.
"Still got to eat," Jeff said. The bathroom sink turned on and Naomi could hear Mike splashing water on his face. "Drama," Jeff mouthed just as the doorbell rang. "You expecting anyone?"
Naomi shook her head and approached the door cautiously. She recognized the scent, but couldn't place it. Whoever it was, there were flowers. Someone from the flower shop? Why ring the doorbell? Naomi looked through the peep hole. Aaron stood in front of the door, flowers in hand.
"Aaron?" Naomi pulled open the door. "What are you doing here?"
"I just thought I'd stop by and see how you are doing." He smiled and tried to step into the house. His face fell. "Family emergency, huh? Missing brother? Who's that?"
"Jeff's my cousin."
"Like hell I am." Suddenly, Jeff was standing too close behind her. "Who's this?"
"My mom brought him down," Naomi said answering Aaron. "She's friends with his mom. They're trying to set us up."
"Then why'd you lie?"
"We called each other cousins growing up," Naomi said. "I don't think of him romantically. I'm just worried about Bryan."
"And now what? It's just the two of you here? I'm sure I interrupted some precious alone time. I'll just leave."
"Dammit Aaron, just come inside already. Mike, we got company!" Mike appeared from the bathroom. His eyes were puffy and red. "This is Aaron, my friend from the gym. He came to check on me, isn't that sweet?" Naomi finally accepted the flowers, but she didn't know what to do with them. Mike took them and began rummaging in the kitchen. "I don't have a vase." Mike waved a hand vaguely in her direction and kept rummaging in her cabinets.
"Naomi sat down in her armchair. The shelf looked empty without Mr. Fishyman. The men sat on opposite ends of the couch while Mikey kept looking for something to put the flowers in. Naomi stared at the empty spot, where the fish tank should have been.
"Do you have any clue where your brother is?"
Naomi shook her head, trying to think of something to say.
"We think it might be a hate crime," Jeff said. "No one has any clue where he is. Not his boyfriend. Not their friends. No one. We're afraid someone kidnapped him for who he is."
"I – I don't know what to say. Have you call the cops?"
Naomi shook her head. Again, Jeff surprised her by answering. "They won't take a report for 24 hours. So tomorrow morning we can file, maybe." Jeff shrugged. "Not a lot of clues to work off of. I don't know what they'll find that we didn't."
"What are you some kind a special –"
"Exactly. I'm a special investigator. A private detective up in Redding, but here… Nothing. I don't have any contacts. There's no trail to follow. I'm trying, but we're kind of at a crossroads and I'm stuck."
A light went on in Aaron's face, as if he decided he could help. "I could – I mean this is stupid, hippie dippy stuff, but my cousin Emma, she's into Wicca." Jeff rolled his eyes, but Aaron focused right on Naomi's face and ignored him. "She's really good at finding things with this thing she does – scrying! Maybe she could try it for your brother."
"I don't think so," Jeff said at the exact same time Naomi said, "Why not?" He glared at Naomi. If looks could kill, she'd have been dead and buried.
"At this point nothing could hurt," Naomi said with a shrug.
"It's all a bunch of –" He could not be about to call it bull.
"It's a great idea. Especially after everything we've already been through. We don't have any other options, so why not?"
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
"M Y COUSIN … S HE ' S A BIT out there, but she's good people. You'll see," Aaron said as they approached the front door. His cousin Emma had a small pentagram in the window. It was one of those wooden signs over the door and read, "Never again the burning times." Otherwise her house didn't look any different
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
"I CAN ' T BELIEVE YOU TWO are just eating. We have to find Bry!" Mike stormed out of the dining room.
"Still got to eat," Jeff said. The bathroom sink turned on and Naomi could hear Mike splashing water on his face. "Drama," Jeff mouthed just as the doorbell rang. "You expecting anyone?"
Naomi shook her head and approached the door cautiously. She recognized the scent, but couldn't place it. Whoever it was, there were flowers. Someone from the flower shop? Why ring the doorbell? Naomi looked through the peep hole. Aaron stood in front of the door, flowers in hand.
"Aaron?" Naomi pulled open the door. "What are you doing here?"
"I just thought I'd stop by and see how you are doing." He smiled and tried to step into the house. His face fell. "Family emergency, huh? Missing brother? Who's that?"
"Jeff's my cousin."
"Like hell I am." Suddenly, Jeff was standing too close behind her. "Who's this?"
"My mom brought him down," Naomi said answering Aaron. "She's friends with his mom. They're trying to set us up."
"Then why'd you lie?"
"We called each other cousins growing up," Naomi said. "I don't think of him romantically. I'm just worried about Bryan."
"And now what? It's just the two of you here? I'm sure I interrupted some precious alone time. I'll just leave."
"Dammit Aaron, just come inside already. Mike, we got company!" Mike appeared from the bathroom. His eyes were puffy and red. "This is Aaron, my friend from the gym. He came to check on me, isn't that sweet?" Naomi finally accepted the flowers, but she didn't know what to do with them. Mike took them and began rummaging in the kitchen. "I don't have a vase." Mike waved a hand vaguely in her direction and kept rummaging in her cabinets.
"Naomi sat down in her armchair. The shelf looked empty without Mr. Fishyman. The men sat on opposite ends of the couch while Mikey kept looking for something to put the flowers in. Naomi stared at the empty spot, where the fish tank should have been.
"Do you have any clue where your brother is?"
Naomi shook her head, trying to think of something to say.
"We think it might be a hate crime," Jeff said. "No one has any clue where he is. Not his boyfriend. Not their friends. No one. We're afraid someone kidnapped him for who he is."
"I – I don't know what to say. Have you call the cops?"
Naomi shook her head. Again, Jeff surprised her by answering. "They won't take a report for 24 hours. So tomorrow morning we can file, maybe." Jeff shrugged. "Not a lot of clues to work off of. I don't know what they'll find that we didn't."
"What are you some kind a special –"
"Exactly. I'm a special investigator. A private detective up in Redding, but here… Nothing. I don't have any contacts. There's no trail to follow. I'm trying, but we're kind of at a crossroads and I'm stuck."
A light went on in Aaron's face, as if he decided he could help. "I could – I mean this is stupid, hippie dippy stuff, but my cousin Emma, she's into Wicca." Jeff rolled his eyes, but Aaron focused right on Naomi's face and ignored him. "She's really good at finding things with this thing she does – scrying! Maybe she could try it for your brother."
"I don't think so," Jeff said at the exact same time Naomi said, "Why not?" He glared at Naomi. If looks could kill, she'd have been dead and buried.
"At this point nothing could hurt," Naomi said with a shrug.
"It's all a bunch of –" He could not be about to call it bull.
"It's a great idea. Especially after everything we've already been through. We don't have any other options, so why not?"
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
"M Y COUSIN … S HE ' S A BIT out there, but she's good people. You'll see," Aaron said as they approached the front door. His cousin Emma had a small pentagram in the window. It was one of those wooden signs over the door and read, "Never again the burning times." Otherwise her house didn't look any different
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