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“You’re an amazing big brother, you know.”
“Yeah?”
“Perfect, actually, even when you’re a huge pain in the ass.”
“Good to know,” he laughed.
“I want to have Talon’s babies, by the way. Just thought you should know.”
He tripped over his feet, stopped, glared at me, and narrowed his eyes. “No babies. You’re too fucking young.”
I couldn’t help the giggles that erupted. “Oh my God. Your expression is priceless.”
“Are you saying that you don’t want his babies?” The words sounded hopeful.
“Not for a long time, Austin.”
“Thank fuck.”
Crow unlocked a door and led us down the stairs, turning left. “There’re only interrogation rooms to the right. No point going into those.”
“Icky stuff?” I asked.
“All icky stuff.”
I got my brother to say icky. Hilarious.
We stopped in a storage room as Crow pulled on a string, and a light bulb lit up the space.
“There’s not much here except junk. Old shit of Rook’s. Mementos. Leftover supplies from parties. I don’t know how you would begin to sort through it all.”
“Me either. I feel like I’ll just know.”
“That easy?”
“Well, yes.” I let go of my brother’s arm and walked around the room, stopping to stare at all the shelves and boxes. “It’s not in here,” I finally announced. “Anywhere else to look?”
“There’s a bathroom down here, but nobody uses it. It has an old linen closet next to it.”
“Show me.”
Crow led the way, taking another path that I wouldn’t have seen without his guidance. It was too dark, even with the bulb hanging in the middle of the storeroom.
He stopped as we rounded a corner, and a little nook appeared. A half bath could be seen from the open doorway. Next to it, as he had already said, a linen closet stored supplies.
I felt drawn to the door and opened it, almost cringing when it squeaked on the hinges. I didn’t know what I was supposed to find. It didn’t make sense, but I felt Uncle Derek’s presence. Rook was with us in spirit.
“Help me take everything out.”
“Gail.”
“Just do it, Austin.”
He grumbled but started staking rolls of toilet paper and paper towels, bars of soap, and other supplies.
I tapped my phone and touched the flashlight icon, turning it so the beam lit up the interior of the closet. There, in the back, my name was scrawled with a black marker. It stood out against the light brown wood, but it would never have been seen without adequate lighting, especially if someone had only stacked more things in front of it.
“Holy shit.”
