Chapter Sixteen

"Hey!"

Josh held an extra-large pizza box in his hands. A carrier bag hung off his arm, swinging a bottle of what looked like cola. The porch light shone on his face, reflecting off the outline of his blond hair. It almost looked like a halo around him, faintly glowing as he beamed at Chad.

"Yeah, I know, turning up unannounced is a bit of a dick move, but I've missed your face."

The cameras had alerted Chad to Josh's impromptu visit, and he'd had just enough time to usher a grumbling Romeo upstairs.

Josh looked over Chad's shoulder. His eyes widened. "Or is this a bad time?"

Chad tried to resist the urge to turn to look for the source, but in the end, he had to. Romeo's grim-reaper coat hung off the banister.

"Oh. Frank's here—"

"Great," Josh smiled. "I got extra-large."

"But he's sleeping."

"Wake the fucker up."

Chad cringed. "Not a good idea. He's grumpy as hell if he doesn't get his sleep. He works all kinds of crazy hours and has to travel a lot."

"What does he do again?"

"Do?"

"Other than you," Josh winked, then shook his head. "No, seriously, what's his job?"

"He's in the hotel management trade." Chad waved a dismissive hand. "It's not that interesting."

"Ooo, sounds fancy to me."

"But he just got back last night … he's proper jetlagged."

"Ouch." Josh dropped his voice. "We'll be as quiet as we can then."

"That's probably for the best."

"Pizza!" Josh announced, lifting the box. "It's pepperoni, extra-large, cheese stuffed crust."

Chad's mouth filled with saliva. "Sounds great."

He stepped aside, allowing Josh inside, who immediately turned to deposit all his goods onto Chad before dropping to his knees in front of Merc. Chad took the cola, pizza, and then juggled to hold the rucksack Josh had swung off his shoulder.

"What's this?" Chad asked, hiking it up.

"Later." Josh replied. He smiled, but it was small, almost shy, then he resumed fussing over Merc.

Chad had expected Josh to get on the floor and allow Merc into his lap, but he hadn't thought Josh would go one step further and roll around on the floor with Merc while growling softly and rubbing his slobbery cheeks.

Merc's tale whipped back and forth so fast it blurred, and he yipped at Josh, before climbing onto Josh's chest and slobbering all over his face. Josh scrunched up his face, laughing as the two play wrestled.

"You need to get yourself a dog," Chad told him. "There were plenty at the rehoming center."

Josh got back to his feet and dusted his knees. A patch of dog drool shone on his chin, and he grimaced as he wiped a hand through it. "Might make a good hair gel."

"You're disgusting," Chad said, pointing Josh in the direction of the kitchen.

Josh went through with a big smile on his face. He washed his hands while whistling a happy tune. Chad studied him from the doorway, squinting at his overly happy demeanor.

"Oh, god."

"What?" Josh asked while drying his hands.

"You and Angel didn't just … you know…"

"No," Josh blushed. "That was one time."

"You were overly happy for the rest of the shift. Ally thought you'd taken something on your lunch break."

"I'd not taken anything, but I'd given it."

"Okay," Chad rolled his eyes. "I'll be in the living room."

Josh jogged across the kitchen to catch up before taking the pizza from Chad's hands.

"What's with the rucksack?" Chad asked, swinging it off his shoulder.

"Later," Josh said again before Chad could open it. "What's with your face?"

"My face?"

"Yeah, I thought you were blushing because I'm hot and you can't help but get turned on, but now only one of your cheeks is red. Kinda looks like someone hit you."

"Later." Chad sighed.

"Did some one hit you?"

"Pizza first."

Josh used his shoulder to push into the living room. He collapsed down on one of the sofas before patting the space beside him. Merc launched himself up, still swinging his tail so fast he almost fell off from the momentum. He pressed close to Josh and lay down, eyes darting between Josh and the pizza box.

Josh flipped the lid. Chad placed the bottle of cola on the table before balling the plastic bag in his fist. He sighed as he threw it onto the opposite sofa.

"Is … Ally back at work?"

"No. Faye thinks she's about to retire."

"Retire?"

Josh shrugged. "She was retired, but started again around the time you moved up here. Strange that…"

"Why's it strange?"

Josh grabbed a slice of pizza. "You know, I think she sees you as her unofficial son."

Chad raised his eyebrow. "What does that make you?"

"Her unofficial grandson that she's not keen on."

Chad snorted, sat down beside Josh and grabbed a piece of pizza from the box.

"You should call her, though."

Chad hesitated before taking a bite of pizza. "I'm building up to it."

"Good, but try to make it this century, she's quite old…"

"If she was here—"

"I know, pizza in the face."

Chad nodded. "And you'd deserve it."

"It's been shit at work without you. I even found myself doing a crossword to fill the hole you left."

"Yeah?"

Josh snorted. "Biting insect, four letters."

Chad lifted his chin at the challenge. "Gnat."

"Yeah, I know that now. Gnat with a silent G. What's the point in silent letters? I mean they exist, for the sole purpose of being overlooked, so me overlooking them is exactly what I'm supposed to be doing, doesn't make me an idiot."

"You're not an idiot, Josh."

"Try telling Faye that. She looked at me like I'm a kid."

"I think you are the same age as one of hers."

"The DI is distracted and snappy, and Dead-Dave creeps me out. I need you back."

Chad smiled. "I don't think it'll be much longer."

"Good."

Chad put the TV on for background noise while they ate. Josh kept stealing glances at him.

"What?" Chad asked.

"Did someone hit you?"

Chad sighed, and gave his pizza crust to Merc. "Yeah. Lucy."

"Lucy? Lucy Hastings? What the hell?"

"She was angry I'd been investigating her sister's disappearance. She got upset when she found out I'd been looking at her as a potential suspect."

"Jesus, Chad!" Josh dropped his slice. "You accused her of killing her own sister?"

"I didn't accuse her. I just asked her old friend a few questions."

"Do you really think Lucy did it?"

"I don't know, but statistically, you're more likely to be murdered by a family member or somebody you know compared to a stranger."

"Yeah," Josh nodded, "But that statistic drops dramatically when you're in the territory of an active serial killer."

"I know—"

"And you fit the killer's profile."

"She lied." Chad took a deep breath. "She lied about where she was the night Harriet went missing. She wasn't at home like she said."

Josh bit his lip. "Okay, that sounds a bit more promising."

"Harriet had just broken up with Gavin Hargreaves, Lucy's teenage crush, and he moved away."

"Motive. Good. But…"

"She had an alibi that night. She was with her friend Candice, unless the two of them were in on it together or Lucy did it alone and managed to destroy and conceal a body in thirty minutes, I don't know, Josh…"

"What does your gut say?"

"She didn't do it."

Josh shifted forward on the sofa to reach for the bottle of cola. "Any other suspects?"

"James."

"Ah, James."

"He told me about his relationship with Harriet, or his PG, watered down version of it at least where he let the infatuated schoolgirl down gently and she fled in tears."

"Your gut says?"

"He's lying about their relationship." Josh poured Chad a drink and handed it to him. "Thanks."

"But do you think he killed her?"

"He was arrested soon after her disappearance, and they didn't keep him in custody for the full forty-eight hours. They let him go without charge."

Josh clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth. "I see. Anyone else?"

"It's hard to find any new evidence for a case over thirty years ago when you're keeping your personal investigation a secret." He sighed. "It's not like I can make a public appeal for more information—could you imagine the fall out?"

"Maybe it was Vincent after all."

"Maybe."

Josh pushed back into the sofa again, sloshing cola from his cup into the pizza box. "And how is it chaperoning the one-hundred-year-old devil incarnate?"

"Not fun. The sooner he dies, the better."

"I'll toast to that," Josh lifted his paper cup, and Chad did the same. They both downed them.

Chad rubbed his throat before fixating on the rucksack again. "So…"

"No," Josh said. "All the pizza needs to be eaten before we start on that."

"Is it a new games console?"

"No, and no more clues."

Chad frowned but gave in after Josh glared at him. The pizza didn't last long, not with them both ravenous and Merc ready to gobble up any unwanted crusts. Josh held his fingers out for Merc to lick clean, much to Chad's disgust.

"What?" Josh asked. "Why you looking at me like that?"

"It's kind of gross."

"Hey, at the shopping center there's tanks of fish that eat bits of your feet. This is practically the same thing."

"If this is your business idea after you leave the police force, good luck to you."

Josh wrinkled his nose. "You'll be right there beside me."

"The rucksack." Chad asked.

"Okay, okay," Josh replied. "Just let me wash my hands first."

He left the room to wash them in the kitchen. Chad checked his phone and opened a message from Romeo.

I can smell the grease from here.

Chad grinned, messaging back.

Smells good, doesn't it? :)

"Right," Josh said, strolling across the room.

Chad pocketed his phone and looked up at Josh who hovered awkwardly. Josh bit his lip, reaching down for the rucksack. He heaved it onto the table and tugged at the zip.

"Where to start…" he murmured.

"The beginning would be good," Chad suggested. "What's going on?"

"Yeah, the beginning," Josh let go of a strained laugh. He stopped opening the rucksack, and waited. Chad didn't know what he was waiting for. He flicked Josh in the ribs.

"Why have you gotten so nervous?" Chad asked. "It's me."

Josh swung around to look at him. "I'm not nervous."

His cheeks had pinked, he avoided eye contact, and he mauled his bottom lip.

"I've literally seen you handcuffed to a bed," Chad reminded him. "You looked more at ease then than you do now."

"That wasn't a big deal."

"Yes it was," Chad mumbled. "I thought you were dead. Remember."

"You were the one that just made a joke about it. This," Josh rested his hand on the rucksack. "This is a big deal."

Chad groaned and grabbed the closest magpie cushion to sink his nails into. "Come on, Josh, you're killing me here."

"So as you know, I had my annual review with the DI a month ago and it went well. Other than the club incident, and then him walking in on me being handcuffed to a bed, he was pleased with my performance. He said I've got potential to go far."

Chad smiled. "I agree."

"But he also said I should start thinking about my future. I need to put myself out there, I need to take on more responsibility and look for ways of proving myself to him and the chief."

"O…kay."

Josh took a deep breath. "Last month, a woman came into the station. Charlotte Sinclair. I overheard her asking for help looking for her missing grandad, but she was palmed off by the guy on reception so I strode over and offered my services."

Chad snorted softly. "You fancied her you mean."

"Yes, but that's beside the point. Her dad went missing, just—completely vanished. He was due round her house for Sunday lunch, but never showed up. His car is still parked outside the house, and when she went inside, the TV was still on, and there was a cold cup of tea on the living room table. His phone was there, his wallet, even his hearing aid."

Chad scooted forward on the sofa, listening intently.

"Weird, right?"

"Weird," Chad agreed. "Hundreds of thousands of people go missing each year."

"More like 170,000 to be a little more specific, and around 90,000 of them are adults. They get less press time, less police resources."

"Someone has been doing his research."

Josh shot him a pleased smile, then yanked the rucksack wide open. He searched through the files inside before pulling out one and opening it up while directing another pleased smile in Chad's direction.

"This is him," Josh said, sliding out a picture, "Graham Brennan."