spectator.’
‘But he didn’t try to stop them.’
‘It was two bigger guys against one young kid – how could he?’
‘I hear you,’ Jardine said, turning me around and walking me back towards my footwear. ‘I already got the number of Miller and Stafford, believe me.’
‘So Zak is off your radar?’ I felt hopeful enough to press for a straight answer.
‘I’m writing a report,’ was all Henry would say.
‘Including the fact that Zak wasn’t directly involved?’
‘Let’s say I didn’t see him with the empty gas can or the lighter in his hand, and leave it at that. OK?’ We stopped by the rock with my boots and socks steaming in the sun. ‘I’m not handing out any promises,’ Jardine added.
‘Thanks,’ I said anyway and let out a relieved sigh, sitting down to pull on my soggy socks.
He kept a watchful eye on me and ran a hand over his moustache. ‘You pop right up in the centre of events, don’t you, Darina? I’m not only talking about Zak Rohr – I mean, you’ve had some serious bad luck over the past twelve months. Witness to a shooting. Bereaved girlfriend. Anything else?’
‘It’s plenty,’ I said quickly. ‘On the Summer shooting – Iwas actually wondering if there are any moves to follow up the arrest of Scott Fichtner?’
‘Whoa!’ Jardine put out his hands in protest then waved his arms as if he was stopping a runaway horse.
‘Sorry,’ I mumbled. ‘I just read about it online.’
‘And you jumped to a conclusion, huh?’
‘I need to know what happened to Summer!’ Suddenly I let it all hang out – my feeling of horror at what I’d witnessed, my sense of loss.
Jardine heard it in my voice and read it in my eyes. ‘Come see me in my office,’ he told me quietly. ‘Tomorrow morning, early.’
‘It’s taking me a while, but I’m getting there,’ I told Summer as I drove out to her parents’ house in Westra.
She wasn’t with me in the car, but I guessed the Beautiful Dead had set a spy on me, so I went ahead and talked. Somehow the message would get through.
‘I’m following up the Fichtner connection,’ I explained. ‘Dean told me straight that you can’t remember the face of the guy who shot you and I hear what he’s saying. The others couldn’t remember the details either – I mean, Jonas and Arizona. I understand about you blocking out the actual event – the trauma and everything. So the photograph of Fichtner didn’t help – I get that.’
I stopped at a red light, glanced left, then when I looked right again, Phoenix was sitting beside me in his halo of silver light.
He looked straight at me, giving me his lopsided smile, saying nothing. God, he was beautiful!
The light turned green but I was too busy gazing at Phoenix to move forward. ‘So cool!’ I breathed.
He grinned at me. ‘Flying visit.’
‘Ha!’ The driver behind me blasted his horn. ‘Wait,’ I told Phoenix as I eased through the lights, then off the road. ‘If they don’t let you use your cell phone while driving, they sure don’t let you talk to the undead!’
‘Do they allow talking to yourself or do they pull you over for being a crazy person?’ He waited until I was safely parked, then drew me over. ‘I’ve been watching you since you left home,’ he explained between kisses.
‘How long can you stay?’ There were more kisses, before, during and after my question.
‘Really, this is a flying visit. Hunter wants an update.’
‘Tell him I spoke to Henry Jardine. I have an official meeting with him tomorrow at his office. I’m guessing he’ll put Scott Fichtner into the frame for us.’
‘So we really are getting close to an answer.’ Phoenix pulled away from me so that he could see me moreclearly. ‘Summer needs good news. She’s having a hard time right now.’
‘So is her mom. It’s the anniversary coming up – Jon Madison says she can’t handle it.’
‘Summer is so fragile. She’s scared there’ll be more
‘But he didn’t try to stop them.’
‘It was two bigger guys against one young kid – how could he?’
‘I hear you,’ Jardine said, turning me around and walking me back towards my footwear. ‘I already got the number of Miller and Stafford, believe me.’
‘So Zak is off your radar?’ I felt hopeful enough to press for a straight answer.
‘I’m writing a report,’ was all Henry would say.
‘Including the fact that Zak wasn’t directly involved?’
‘Let’s say I didn’t see him with the empty gas can or the lighter in his hand, and leave it at that. OK?’ We stopped by the rock with my boots and socks steaming in the sun. ‘I’m not handing out any promises,’ Jardine added.
‘Thanks,’ I said anyway and let out a relieved sigh, sitting down to pull on my soggy socks.
He kept a watchful eye on me and ran a hand over his moustache. ‘You pop right up in the centre of events, don’t you, Darina? I’m not only talking about Zak Rohr – I mean, you’ve had some serious bad luck over the past twelve months. Witness to a shooting. Bereaved girlfriend. Anything else?’
‘It’s plenty,’ I said quickly. ‘On the Summer shooting – Iwas actually wondering if there are any moves to follow up the arrest of Scott Fichtner?’
‘Whoa!’ Jardine put out his hands in protest then waved his arms as if he was stopping a runaway horse.
‘Sorry,’ I mumbled. ‘I just read about it online.’
‘And you jumped to a conclusion, huh?’
‘I need to know what happened to Summer!’ Suddenly I let it all hang out – my feeling of horror at what I’d witnessed, my sense of loss.
Jardine heard it in my voice and read it in my eyes. ‘Come see me in my office,’ he told me quietly. ‘Tomorrow morning, early.’
‘It’s taking me a while, but I’m getting there,’ I told Summer as I drove out to her parents’ house in Westra.
She wasn’t with me in the car, but I guessed the Beautiful Dead had set a spy on me, so I went ahead and talked. Somehow the message would get through.
‘I’m following up the Fichtner connection,’ I explained. ‘Dean told me straight that you can’t remember the face of the guy who shot you and I hear what he’s saying. The others couldn’t remember the details either – I mean, Jonas and Arizona. I understand about you blocking out the actual event – the trauma and everything. So the photograph of Fichtner didn’t help – I get that.’
I stopped at a red light, glanced left, then when I looked right again, Phoenix was sitting beside me in his halo of silver light.
He looked straight at me, giving me his lopsided smile, saying nothing. God, he was beautiful!
The light turned green but I was too busy gazing at Phoenix to move forward. ‘So cool!’ I breathed.
He grinned at me. ‘Flying visit.’
‘Ha!’ The driver behind me blasted his horn. ‘Wait,’ I told Phoenix as I eased through the lights, then off the road. ‘If they don’t let you use your cell phone while driving, they sure don’t let you talk to the undead!’
‘Do they allow talking to yourself or do they pull you over for being a crazy person?’ He waited until I was safely parked, then drew me over. ‘I’ve been watching you since you left home,’ he explained between kisses.
‘How long can you stay?’ There were more kisses, before, during and after my question.
‘Really, this is a flying visit. Hunter wants an update.’
‘Tell him I spoke to Henry Jardine. I have an official meeting with him tomorrow at his office. I’m guessing he’ll put Scott Fichtner into the frame for us.’
‘So we really are getting close to an answer.’ Phoenix pulled away from me so that he could see me moreclearly. ‘Summer needs good news. She’s having a hard time right now.’
‘So is her mom. It’s the anniversary coming up – Jon Madison says she can’t handle it.’
‘Summer is so fragile. She’s scared there’ll be more
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