“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not, but thank you?”
That makes me laugh.
“My… dad texted me about it.”
“Your dad?” Ellis asks.
“Yeah… He’s going to play it off like it’s in exchange for what he took. Honestly, it’s no big deal. This is what he does. Jump into my life and then fuck off for years.”
When I reach the location, Cassel has messaged me that he doesn’t believe there’s a security system, so I drive around the block just to see what I think of the place.
It’s an awfully nice house, and while it’s in the suburbs, the property is large enough that neither neighbor is anywhere close. Instead, a large brick privacy wall surrounds it.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Shouldn’t we wear masks or something?” Ellis asks.
“Cassel said there aren’t any cameras, but don’t touch too much if you can avoid it.”
“We don’t have gloves?”
“Does it look like I came here planning to break in?” I ask.
“But Cassel even had those little booty things.”
“Cassel’s just weird,” I decide. We really don’t need him thinking that Cassel is superior in any way.
“Ah, okay. Note to self: taking resources so the police can’t track you down and throw you in prison is ‘weird.’ Got it.”
I eye him as I shut the car off. “Don’t sass me. And don’t start thinking Cassel is better. He’s so… little and not better. You coming?”
“I was actually thinking I’d be like the person who calls you if someone shows up. I’d sit out here and like… do bird calls to you or something if I see anyone suspicious.”
“Nah, definitely don’t need anyone like that. Come on, I’ll show you how exciting it is,” I coax.
Ellis doesn’t look overly convinced as I get out of the car, but he does follow… holding the cake.
“Why do you have the cake?”
“The car’s too hot. You heard the lady. I don’t want it to melt. I thought I’d set it down in the shade, but now I’m being chewed out by a squirrel. You think he’d get into it?” He eyes the sassy squirrel.
“Don’t know and actually don’t care.”
“But I don’t want their cake ruined. Leland seemed to think it was pretty special. Is it Waylon’s birthday?”
“It’s probably The Fence’s birthday. Just… put it on the roof of the car.” Then if we forget it and it flies off, it’s really no big deal.
Ellis eyes the roof of the car. “In the direct sunlight?”
“Yep.”
I head toward the house, and after a moment, I realize he’s still carrying the cake box. “What are you doing?”
“Finding a shady spot.”
“What if you forget it and now your fingerprints are all over the cake box, and when the police show up to investigate, they’re going to find a weird cake sitting here. So they go to the cake company and they’re like ‘Yeah, yeah, a handsome lad with dark hair and brown eyes came in and picked that cake up.’ And they’ll be like ‘Weird, there’s a guy who meets thatexactdescription who was in the building the dead guy was found in.”
Ellis hugs the cake to his chest. “I will not put it down.”
