“Speaking of sympathy, did you leave a card with the orchid?”
“No, just the plant.Why?”
Jessie told him a horror story about a hospital volunteer and botched surgery that made his scrotum retreat into his body in sympathy.But it also gave him hope.Who knew modern-day grave robbing was a thing?
“There were a few other people around at the cemetery.”
“Maybe one of them took the plant to brighten up their loved one’s grave?”
“Just moved it, you mean?”
“Exactly.”
That was a definite possibility.“I’ll speak with Dawson, see if he has time to swing by and check.Or Grey could go.He’s not helping much with the search for Amie.”
According to Brax, he spent most of the time on the phone with Ava or complaining to anyone else who would listen.Justin pulled out his phone to send a message, then realised Alexa had sent him one while the police search was going on.
Alexa
So, it turns out there’s a crossover between the audiences for true-crime shows and cooking shows.This is why you don’t put pictures of your house on the internet, dumbass.
Justin
It was the model fucking home.
Alexa
Whatever.
Justin knew what the link would say before he clicked on it, but he had to see how bad it was.The answer?Terrible.An eagle-eyed online sleuth had made the connection between archived photos of the Greenway Park model home and the background in Jessie’s latest “Dear Saylor” video.Folks were counting the number of windows and analysing the distance between the sink and the refrigerator.
Fuck.
“What?What’s wrong?”Jessie asked.
“Let’s open a bottle of wine.”
The expensive stuff.Might as well drink it before he got slung in jail for a crime he didn’t commit.
“Tell me.”
Justin blew out a breath.“The folks on the street worked out you’re staying here.”
“Oh, hell.I mean, how?”
“The kitchen here has a lot of high-end custom work.”
He waited for the meltdown, mentally inventorying the house for the nearest box of tissues.Melanie had flipped out over far less.And Eliza.Rebecca, not so much, but it turned out her mind had been elsewhere.
A single tear rolled down Jessie’s cheek, and that was worse than a torrent.Justin opened his arms, and she stepped into them, resting her head on his shoulder as he hugged her tight.What had they done to deserve this?Why was the universe punishing them?
“Ridge will know where I am,” she whispered.
“Do you want me to rent you a different house?”
He wished he could go with her, but if he left this place, the crowd outside would only follow.Jessie deserved peace.
But she shook her head.“The only thing worse than knowing he’s closing in would be knowing he’s closing in while I’m alone.”
