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Caesar looks to me, and I feel sweat collecting on the back of my neck.
“I saw him in the shed before dinner,” I say quietly. “Didn’t see him after that.”
“Falk?” Caesar turns to him. “When did you see him last?”
Falk stares at Caesar for a long moment, his expression passive.
“Right before you and I left to meet up with those guys,” Falk finally responds, gesturing toward the four newcomers. “Never saw him after we got back.”
“Where were you after dinner?” Caesar asks. “Everyone else was here.”
“With Hannah in our apartment.” Falk doesn’t blink. “All night.”
Caesar and Falk stare at each other far too long. I glance back and forth between them, but I can’t read their expressions. Caesar eventually breaks the stare and writes something down on the pad of paper in his hand.
“So what happened to him?” Chuck asks. “I never heard any gunshots.”
“He was strangled.” Caesar looks down at the paper and taps it with his pen. “There was definitely a struggle beforehand. The place is a wreck.”
“It was always a wreck,” Ryan says with a snort.
“What about those men you ran into last week?” I ask. “The ones who shot at you could have followed you back here.”
“I don’t think they did,” Caesar says. “If they had caught up to me and planned on doing something like this, it would have been days ago, not now.”
“They might have been watching us,” Ryan interjects, “biding their time.”
“For what reason?” Caesar shakes his head. “Besides, I think I would have been a more likely target if they were going to do that. I’m the one who shot back. Beck wasn’t there.”
“Did you hit one of them?” I ask.
“No,” Caesar responds quickly. “I only fired two shots as I ran off. It was a deterrent only. If I wanted to hit them, I would have.”
“Then it has to be someone here.” Ryan leans back in his lawn chair and stares directly at Falk. “Someone with a grudge.”
Falk stares right back, unflinching.
“You have something you want to say to me?” Falk’s voice is cold.
“You were arguing with him yesterday.”
“He was arguing with me,” Falk says, correcting Ryan, “just like he does every day.”
“Maybe you just got tired of it.”
“Maybe you need to watch your mouth.”
“Enough.” Caesar takes a step forward, blocking the two men’s view of each other. “This isn’t helping. I’m going to go back to that other apartment—see what else I can find.”
“Want help?” Brett asks as he stands.
“Yeah, sure.” Caesar turns around in a circle, addressing the whole group. “I think it’s best if everyone stays close today. We don’t know what happened, and whoever did this might still be in the area. No one should wander off alone.”
Everyone gets up from their seats and heads off in different directions, talking in hushed voices. Most are heading toward their own apartments, but Christine makes her way to the kitchen area and starts washing pots and pans.
I look to Falk, expecting a lecture about staying close to him. I expect him to drag me back to the apartment and make me sit on the couch with a book while he stares at me, making sure no one gets close. I expect him to demand that I remain in the apartment for the rest of my life.
But he doesn’t say a word about it.
