CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

The neighborhood was exactly as AJ had described. Lots of trees, small parks, and middle-class homes. But there was also a vibe of young men and women out of control, kids running and working the streets, not even caring who they hurt.

Parking a block away from the home of Efram, they locked the doors of the rented SUV, having left Daph's car at her apartment. They could feel eyes upon them as if they knew they didn't belong. It was easy to figure out which house was his. There were police cars out front and a grieving widow being held by her teenage children. She sobbed uncontrollably, and the female officer led them all to a car.

"Probably taking her to ID the body," said Sebastian. Major nodded.

"Wait until they leave, and we'll go inside. There has to be something there that will tell us where he is."

"What about the crates? If he doesn't have them. Who does? And are there really mummies inside?" asked Forrest.

"I don't know, and I have to be honest. I don't care. This is all insane to me. Whatever is in those crates has already caused so much death, so much pain. It doesn't need to be seen by anyone. It can't possibly be that important," said Major.

"They're gone," said Alistair.

"You've been awfully quiet this trip," said Sebastian. He shrugged as they strolled across the street. "You alright, brother?"

"I'm good. All you guys falling in love and shit has me rethinking my life."

"What do you mean? Are you interested in meeting someone?" asked Major.

"Maybe. I don't know. Maybe I need to reenlist. It's not too late. Rangers would want me back."

"Are you fucking nuts?" growled Sebastian. "We went in at the same time; we got out at the same time, Alistair. We've done our time, and we've kicked our fair share of ass. We don't need to do that any longer."

"I'm aware, Sebastian. But Walker has Mags, Major has Elena, you've got Em, and Forrest has Maddie. That leaves me the lone man out."

"Uh. Hello," frowned Garr. "I'm still single, asshole."

"Sorry," smirked Alistair. "Don't worry about it. It's just a phase. I'll get over it. I probably just need to get laid."

They walked to the back of the house, the darkness helping to cover their movements. There didn't seem to be any pets, and definitely no alarms. Sebastian easily picked the lock and opened the back door. They'd obviously been in the middle of cooking their evening meal when the police arrived. The pots were still hot, and the table was set.

The house didn't have an office, but they searched the drawers of the buffet and any drawers in the kitchen. Upstairs, there were three bedrooms. The kids' rooms were so dirty you wouldn't have been able to find a dead body in there.

Efram and his wife shared a small bedroom with no room for any movement outside of sleeping and getting dressed. Back downstairs, they stared at the rooms, shaking their heads.

"Nothing," said Garr, frustrated.

"There has to be something," said Major. "See if there's a basement."

"There's no basement, Major," said Alistair.

"Damn," he muttered. "This is like looking for a needle in a haystack. How in the fuck are we going to find him?" Alistair looked around the dismally normal home. There were fashion magazines, sports magazines, and several books. The kids had left their gaming devices near their seats, the wife leaving behind her knitting in a basket beside a chair.

He slowly turned, feeling as though something was out of place. What was it? What was making him feel odd? That.

"That," he said, pointing to a photo on the wall. "Everything in this house is about kids and family. Everything except that. A framed postcard."

He removed it from the wall then removed the back of it. The postcard had an address on it. An address in Cambridge.

"Of course. He'd want to be near academics. He'd want access to libraries and research if at all possible," said Major. "He's there. I know he's there."

"Let's go, brother," said Sebastian.

They exited the back of the house, ensuring that they locked the door again. In this neighborhood, it wouldn't matter that they were a grieving family. Someone was likely to take advantage of their distraction.

Near the vehicle, four young men stood with massive cricket bats in their hands. Sebastian laughed, shaking his head.

"You don't want to do this, fellas."

"Yer Yanks," sneered one of the boys.

"Proudly. Yes," said Alistair.

The boy stepped forward, swinging the bat at him. Alistair gripped the handle, ripping it from the boy's hand. He shoved him backwards, causing him to fall to the street. The boy was wide-eyed but also humiliated in front of his friends.

"See, you went at him all wrong," said Sebastian, gripping the bat. "Never swing for the head. He's too tall, too big. Swing for the knees." He moved so quickly the boy couldn't move as the bat cracked when it hit his knees or the knees cracked. Sebastian wasn't sure. The boy screamed out as another boy came forward with his bat.

"Slow as shit, aren't they?" frowned Garr. He swept the boy's legs, causing him to fall backwards. Stepping on the hand gripping the bat, he took it from him and leaned into his diaphragm with the bat. The boy gasped for air, staring up at him.

"We told you not to do it, but you didn't listen." Garr gripped the bat in his hands and snapped it over his knee. "Come at me again, and that'll be you."

The boys wisely backed up, not willing to turn their backs on the enormous men. Entering the address into the GPS, they took off north toward Cambridge.

"I'm hungry," said Garr.

"Me, too," said Forrest. "Hey, there's a fish shop up there. Fish and chips, real fish and chips."

"I won't tell George you said that," smirked Major. "Alright, stop. Quickly."

Sebastian stopped to order several orders of fish and chips, including a few extras. Just in case. With an orange soda for each man and their fill of fried food, they continued their drive. The entire car smelled of fried oil, but the men's bellies were full.

"What do you really think is in the crates?" asked Forrest.

"I don't know, brother," said Major, shaking his head. "I'm not sure I want to know, nor am I sure that others need to know. Sometimes things are best left alone."

"Aren't you curious?" asked Sebastian.

"A little, I guess."

"Man, I'm dying to know. I was disappointed that those crates were gone. But Daphne was right. Those crates were big and heavy. You couldn't just lift them out of there. They'd have to be placed in a large truck, covered."

"All I care about right now is finding Elena's father," said Major. "I won't have him haunting my wife's dreams." Text messages sounded throughout the car.

"It's Brix. They made it back. She's in pain but will heal. He says Elena is doing fine. He won't tell her about seeing her father or about Efram."

"I'll have to tell her sooner or later," said Major. "I won't keep secrets from my wife. Not if I don't have to."

"Spoken like a man truly in love," laughed Sebastian.

"Is that funny?" frowned Major.

"No, brother. Not funny. Ironic coming from the man who swore off women except to scratch an itch now and then. Suddenly, you can't think of your life without her. I think it's cool, brother. I hope that Em and I have the same thing."

"You will," said Forrest. "She loves you, and you love her." The car was quiet, then the rustling of a paper bag made them turn to see Sebastian digging inside.

"What the hell do you have?" asked Garr.

"Sweets. Licorice Allsorts, they're a favorite here, and I like something sweet after dinner."

They could only shake their heads, laughing at the boyish antics of their friend. Major just smirked at his friend.

"You need to make an appointment with Londyn when you get back, or Em will never marry you. No woman likes a man without teeth."