“Whoa, whoa, whoa, that’s enough,” Declan says standing up. But Kyan’s beat him to it, knocking his chair over in his haste to get to the front desk. Within steps he’s face-to-face with Randy, and for a moment it seems like he’s going to punch him.
“You can say what you want about us,” Kyan says, his fingers balled into his palms. “But have some respect for the dead.”
Randy sneers. “You didn’t know the first thing about her,mate.You think you were the only one she was screwing back then?”
Kyan lunges forward. Somehow Josh jumps up quick enough to pull him back, but not fast enough to hide the momentary panic that alights Randy’s face.
“Yeah, get your bitch under control,” he says as Josh shoves Kyan towards the door, telling him to cool off. But the embarrassed flush on Randy’s face is evident before he retreats to the stairway.
“Fucking loser,” Kyan mumbles, before shouting at Randy’s back. “Might want to lay off the hard stuff before noon. One of these days it might get you in trouble,Randy.” He says his name like a swear word before slamming the back door behind him. Adrien and Declan rush after him.
“Well, that was…something.” Ellery gives a humorless chuckle as we sit back down at the table.
“Yeah, it really was,” I say inanely, still processing everything that’s happened in the last hour.
“I guess we’re all a little on edge,” Josh considers.
“Well I’m going to go take a shower before any more brawls break out,” Ellery says, cleaning up the leftovers from breakfast and dropping them in the lobby trash can before heading upstairs.
“Never a dull moment in Jagged Rock apparently,” Josh says when it’s just the two of us.
I’m supposed to laugh at his attempt at a joke, but the easy comfort that usually lies between us is absent. My mind keeps snagging on something he said earlier when he was shooting down Declan’s proposal to report Nick Gould to the AFP.Does Detective What’s His Name know that we’re back here?
Sawkins must have been the one to call him, just like he did me, but Villanueva was the one leading everyone’s interviews; that much was confirmed by the others when we debriefed yesterday. And she was the one who told us not to leave the city.
“How was your interview yesterday?” I aim for a casual tone, but Josh’s wrinkled brow confirms it falls short.
“Wow, okay, giving me whiplash with that change of topic.”He chuckles. “It was fine, I guess. Detective Sawkins is a piece of work.”
I nod. I should let it go, but something pricks at me. A suspicion I can’t shake.
“Yeah, he was. What did you think of the other guy? His partner. Detective Anderson?” I try, wondering whether Josh will take the bait.
Josh’s tone is breezy when he answers. “I mean, he seemed a little more down to earth. I feel confident he’s got the investigation under control.”
No flick of his eyes to the left, no wringing of his hands. Nothing to indicate Josh is telling anything but the truth.
“Yeah,” I say, my mouth dry.
“Ellery had a good idea,” he says, standing. “I need to clean myself off after yesterday. Hopefully the water heater in this place can handle two of us showering at the same time. I’ll catch you down here in a few.”
He leaves, but I stay where I am, alone in the lobby. Thinking of everything he just gave away.
He never went to the AFP when he arrived in Australia like he told us yesterday.
Josh is lying.
But why?
18
Claire
Now
I had never planned to sleep with Josh.
He wasn’t even on my radar during the program. I was so all consumed with Declan that I couldn’t fathom being attracted to anyone else. And if I was being honest with myself, Josh was entirely out of my league. Much better suited for someone like Phoebe or Adrien. Someone beautiful and self-assured.
