“No. Raffe was the only person I saw besides Jenny.”
All true, but you never know who might have been lurking in the shadows.
“What’s wrong now?” Raffe asks, still sulking from having to leave Jenny.
“Jesse is missing,” I tell him.
Dirk snorts. “She’s not missing. She’s evading,” he quickly tells his friend, not wanting him to panic.
Raffe leans back in his chair. “You’re not tracking her?”
“I was … until I wasn’t.”
My lips curl between my teeth in an attempt to suppress my smile. Do these men really think we’re that stupid? We all know they keep tabs on us, and that’s okay. But we have our reasons for going dark from time to time.
“Why did you think she’d be at Jenny’s?”
“Because Rachel left her a letter, asking her to pay Jenny a visit. She was supposed to wait for me to drive her up there, but per usual my wife didn’t listen.”
“You don’t seem too worried about it.”
“Oh I am, and you should be too,” Dirk says. His eyes slide my direction, and his eyebrow begins to rise slowly. “Isn’t that right, little miss mail lady?”
I hold my hands up in the air. “I don’t know anything.” I glance at my watch. “Would you look at that? It’s time for me to get going.”
I’m almost to the door when the sound of his whistle grabs me around the ankles, halting me in my tracks. I was so close.
“Where’smyletter?!” he yells from behind me.
I turn around slowly.
Raffe looks at me. He knows there’s only one more, but he doesn’t know who it belongs to.
Dirk swirls the last bit of amber liquid in the bottom of his glass. “You know what? Don’t answer that.”
“It’s just not time,” I say quietly.
“When will it be time?” Raffe asks on his friend’s behalf.
“When Jenny comes home.”
Raffe laughs harshly. “Sorry, brother, you’re going to be waiting a while.” He stands and then storms toward the stairs. “Let’s get this shit done.”
Dirk looks confused. “What are you talking about?”
“Let’s get the rest of your shit moved.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Jesse and I finished last night,” Dirk says, his eyes narrowing on me. “But let me guess. A little bird told you I needed your help today.”
Raffe stops before reaching the stairs and spins to face me. “You lied.”
“Jesse wanted to talk to Jenny alone,” I say, shaking my hands.
“Why?” he asks, walking toward me.
I begin to back up. “It’s … it’s woman stuff.”
“That’s the exact story Jesse tried to sell me to keep me from reading her letter,” Dirk tells him.
