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“Chad has,” Faye whispered. “And so have I, but his phone goes straight to voicemail.”
Chad unhooked his suit jacket from the back of his chair. “I won’t be long.”
Ally blocked his path. “You seem to have a short memory.”
“What?”
“You’re grounded. You get here in the morning, and you stay here until your shifts are over. No leaving the station.”
“Josh’s place is practically around the corner.”
“So? It’s still outside the station.”
Chad looked away. “Come on, Ally … his apartment is a fifteen minute walk away.”
She spun around and looked at the clock. “He’s ten minutes late, what’s the big deal?”
Chad watched the second hand tick around the clock. Dread built in his gut until it became cramps that folded him in half. He could feel both Ally and Faye watching him, but didn’t care.
“I’m going,” he said, straightening from his impromptu bow.
Ally grabbed his arm. “Then you risk being suspended—”
“Fine by me … you can get me fired if you like, too, as long as I find Josh first.”
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” Chad shook his head.
“Clearlysomething is.”
“Please, Ally. We have to find him.”
Ally seemed to read something in his expression. She nodded, stepping backwards toward the door. Chad hurried to follow, but paused at Faye’s shout.
“What should I tell the DI?”
Ally stopped. “Tell him … tell him we’re downstairs with Dave.”
Chad broke into a run the second they left the room. Ally called out after him, but he didn’t stop, rushing down the stairs, and bursting through the front doors. He took off in the direction of Josh’s apartment dodging and weaving his way through the morning rush.
It was a fifteen-minute walk, but Chad ran flat out to get to Josh’s place while replaying their phone conversation in his head. Josh had been off. He’d sounded impatient, and he never sounded anything but happy on the phone to Chad, even when discussing a grim murder, there was still cheer in his voice.
Chad had been too wound up by Romeo to recognize something was wrong, but he kept remembering the abrupt cut-off. Josh never hung up on anyone. He needed to say goodbye at least five times down the phone before ending a call.
Ally once asked him whether he had OCD, but Josh had just shrugged and replied he wasn’t rude like some people.
Chad cursed himself.
He pounded along the pavement to get to Josh’s block, arriving at the same time Ally pulled up in her car. She shouted from the open window, but Chad didn’t slow his stride, he yanked open the door to the stairwell, and took the steps two at a time.
His fist hit Josh’s door with a thump and he yelled his throat hoarse with Josh’s name. He didn’t wait for a response, and shoved his hand into his pocket, bringing out his set of keys just as Ally came to a stop beside him. Her hand closed on Chad’s arm, but he shook her off.
“Jesus, Chad, give him a chance of opening up.”
Chad ignored her and jammed the key in the lock.
“You’ve got a key to his place?” she asked.
