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“I understand—”
“She would have taken cash, and she would have done it while she was here cleaning.”
Auggie shifted on the sofa, his shorts whispering against the upholstery. He encircled Theo’s wrist with one hand; the muscles and tendons there were iron.
“It would be helpful,” John-Henry said in what Auggie was coming to remember as his chief-of-police voice, “if you could put together a list of anyone who’s been in the house in the last two weeks. The last month would be even better. I know this is frustrating, and it’s frightening, and it’s upsetting because your home has been violated, and you don’t feel safe.” And then he was John-Henry talking again. “I know, Theo. Auggie. I really do. Ree and I have been through this, and it’s awful. I’m sorry there’s nothing I can do. I can have some uniforms sit outside tonight if you’d like, and I can ask them to cruise the street more frequently.”
“We’re a hundred yards back from the road,” Theo said. “You can barely see the house for all the trees. At night?”
“Theo,” Auggie said.
But John-Henry gave them an understanding smile. “Think about it. If there’s something else you’d like me to do, I’ll do it. Ree and I can split nights over here if you want.”
Theo shook his head. His jaw was set, and behind the beard, his cheeks were flushed. He wasn’t looking anyone in the eye.
Auggie finally realized he was going to have to answer. “No, you don’t have to do that.”
“If you change your mind, call. Any time.” John-Henry’s smile crooked slightly. “I’ll even throw in Jem and Tean, no extra charge.”
Auggie laughed, and it felt like they were all doing one of his skits, like somebody had written out each agonizing second of this. He could practically hear the directions: you’re being supportive because that’s who you are, the supportive boyfriend, but our real goal in this scene is to make everyone feel awkward as fuck.
Maybe John-Henry felt it too, because sympathy washed over his features, and he squeezed Auggie’s shoulder as he stood.
“Wait,” Auggie said. “What about Shaniyah?”
“What?”
“Shaniyah. Theo’s student.” Auggie glanced at Theo, who at least seemed to be paying attention to the conversation now, although his face was a blank mask. “She didn’t show up for school today.”
“Do you think she might have broken in here? She’d been in the house more than once; would she have known that window was unlocked?”
“No, she didn’t—she’s missing, right? And then someone breaks in and takes my laptop and hard drive, and I mean, I was working on a video with Shaniyah.”
John-Henry was silent for several long beats. “From what I understood, her project had something to do with social media and teens.”
“But you said she came to the station. You said she was asking about a boy who went missing. And now she’s missing. And someone broke into our house and took my gear.”
“And you believe it’s all connected?”
The question was so careful, so noncommittal, that Auggie had to swallow a scream. “It doesn’t seem like a big coincidence to you?”
Instead of answering, John-Henry asked, “Theo, what do you think?”
Theo shook his head.
Auggie opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, John-Henry said, “I talked to Shaniyah’s aunt and uncle; they’re her legal guardians. And they told me that she’s not really missing, she’s just lying low, trying to get attention.” He held up a hand to forestall Auggie. “I’m not saying I believe them, but I’m saying right now, I’ve got limited options because when I pressed them, they said she’s probably on a bus back home, some little town in Kansas, and she’ll call when she’s ready to come back. It puts me in a difficult position; the guardians aren’t concerned, and all I can do is ask my officers to keep an eye open.”
“But—” Auggie gestured at the office.
In the quiet that unfolded, the sounds of Nickels and Yarmark moving through the house filtered into the living room.
“It’s a good thought, Auggie,” John-Henry finally said. “I’ll keep it in mind, and I’ll ask around. If I turn anything up, I’ll let you know.”
Which, Auggie thought from behind the wall of stunned disappointment, was cop talk—very polite cop talk—foryou’ve got to be kidding me.
“In the meantime,” John-Henry said, “I’ll have a couple of officers stationed here tonight. You’ll see them walking around, so don’t bash them on the head, please.” He softened the words with a smile. “I’m going to recommend that you make sure the windows and doors are locked when you leave the house—”
Auggie couldn’t hold back the wince, and he couldn’t bring himself to look at Theo. Under his fingers, Theo’s arm was still stiff, muscles clenched.
