“Too insistent,” Osian agreed. “I went through my texts with Gemma from the last month. The ones to just me and the ones to our group chat. In hindsight, she seemed stressed.”
“Aren’t we all?” Dannel sidestepped a mum trying to wrangle two toddlers on the pavement. “Adulting equals stressed.”
“More than the average level of anxiety.” Osian paused when they reached the entrance to the Tube station. “Right. Are we going to the family dinner or home to relax and nosh on leftovers?”
“You want to face our mums when we ghost them?”
“Family dinner it is.” Osian kept a hold of his hand while they manoeuvred through the afternoon crowds. “Maybe we should’ve gotten a cab.”
Part of Dannel did want to go home or at least grab a cab. He didn’t have much left in him to handle the crowded train ride. And family dinners weren’t exactly quiet with their loud, rambunctious families involved.
No matter how much their mums claimed to understand when they begged off the weekly dinner. Dannel always felt guilty. He’d push through, then spend time recovering when they got home.
As the carriage got increasingly crowded, Dannel regretted their decision not to grab a cab. It definitely would’ve been preferable to being jostled around. He felt like someone had shoved cotton into his ears—sounds were distorted by it.
“Dannel?” Osian tugged on his hand. “This is our stop.”
“Right.”
Getting to their feet, they rushed out before the door shut on them. Dannel pulled his earbuds out and dropped them into his pocket. Osian followed him down the platform, up the stairs, and out into the suddenly grey skies.
They wound up jogging through the pouring rain. Olivia waited for them by the front door with two large towels. Dannel grabbed one gratefully, listening to his mum clicking her tongue at their lack of an umbrella.
Who carries a brolly around on a sunny day?
When was the last time I even had one?
Do we own one?
Olivia inspected them while they tried to dry themselves off in the foyer. She grabbed both of them by the hand to drag them down the hall into her spare room. “You should both fit Drystan’s T-shirts. Poor Oz might drown in them a little. Let me grab you something to change into, and we can throw your wet clothes into the dryer.”
“Pushy bint.” Osian grinned, then dodged out of the way of his sister’s punch. “Thanks, kid.”
“Brothers.” She shook her head at him. “Don’t strip yet. I don’t want to see your bits.”
“Sisters.”
After a few minutes, Olivia waltzed back in with the clothes. She tossed them at her brother, then left, closing the door behind her. Osian simply rolled his eyes.
“Sisters. I don’t recommend them.” Osian changed out of his clothes quickly. He eyed Dannel as he stared blankly at a photograph on the wall. “Why don’t you take a nap? Bed’s comfortable enough.”
“I’m an adult.”
“And? Adults don’t nap?” Osian had obviously recognised how close to the edge of a shutdown he was. “I’ll turn out the lights. You plug in your earbuds and listen to a soundtrack. Food can wait.”
Dannel hesitated for a moment. “Okay.”
He bent forward to brush his lips against Dannel’s. “Love you.”
“Go on, Ossie. Before our mums decided to come help us.”
11
Osian
“Lose someone?” Olivia was waiting for him by the door to the kitchen. “Did Dannel need a rest?”
“He did.” Osian held his arm out for him to loop hers around. “We had a long day.”
“Oh?”
He shook his head as they stepped into the kitchen. He had no interest in alerting his mum or Dannel’s to their inserting themselves into the investigation. “I’ll tell you later.”
Olivia tapped her nose and winked at him. “Sibling cone of secrecy.”
“What are you two whispering about?” His mum narrowed her gaze on him. He dragged Olivia in front of him. “You’re both taller and wider than your sister. Quit using her as a shield.”
“Is she calling you short or me fat?” Osian grunted when she elbowed him in the stomach. “What? Mum said it, not me.”
“Behave.” His mum whacked him lightly on the shoulder with her spatula, then wrapped her arms around him. “What happened to Dannel?”
“He’s resting,” Olivia offered while Osian went from one hug to another as Dannel’s mum welcomed him. “He’ll eat later.”
“And what did you do to my Danny?” Dannel’s mum glowered playfully at him.
Dinner thankfully distracted both of their mums from Dannel’s absence. Drystan and Roland showed up in time to eat, as per usual. Osian inhaled his meal, trying to politely leave to check on Dannel without insulting anyone.
He wasn’t overly concerned. Dannel came first in his mind—always. Family understood.
Or, if they didn’t, they’d learned not to pester him about it.
Osian stepped into the spare room to find Dannel stretched on his back, staring up at the ceiling. “Couldn’t sleep?”
“Thinking about Noah and Ethan.” Dannel rolled over on his side. “I should get up.”
“You could.” Osian dropped onto the bed beside him. “Or we could stay here and hide until everyone leaves.”
“Olivia would sneak food in for us.”
“She definitely wouldn’t let you starve.” Osian knew his sister adored Dannel and had already squirrelled away a plate for him. “Sadly, I think they’ll come searching for us eventually.”
And they did.
The family crowded into the guest room after fifteen minutes. They’d brought pudding. A dark chocolate roulade. It perked Dannel up enough to endure being fussed over.
After another hour of family bonding, Dannel gave Osian “the look.” He knew it well. It was the one that meant the love of his life had officially reached the end of his rope.
They made a quick escape, hopping into a cab for the ride home. Osian hadn’t wanted to risk another crowded trip on the Tube. He wasn’t surprised when Dannel immediately fled into their bedroom.
Osian stayed in the living room. He could hear the strains of one of Dannel’s favourite soundtracks playing. “One of these days he’ll stop pushing himself so hard.”
Grabbing his laptop off the table, Osian collapsed onto the couch with a groan. He kicked off his shoes. Right, let’s see what old Noah is up to lately.
Osian had barely gotten into Facebook when his phone buzzed. “Abracadabra.”
“Oz-man. Heard you riled up a hornets' nest.”
Osian stretched his arm out to grab his headset, allowing him to put his phone down and continue perusing the internet. “Who, me? Would I rile someone up?”
“Your existence riles people up. Who are you trying to kid?” Abra chuckled. He heard her telly going in the background. “Rumour on the paramedic grapevine is you were asking Ethan a lot of questions.”
“Really? Ethan was talking about it?” Osian had expected him to avoid everyone. “I’m surprised.”
“He seemed to want to ensure we all knew he thought either you, Dannel, or Noah killed Gemma.” Abra had always enjoyed a good gossip session. Then again, nothing stayed secret between paramedics. They spent too much time together. “Did the police really accuse you of murder?”
“No, no, they didn’t. He’s stretching the truth.” He wondered how badly their brief questioning had shaken Ethan. “Well, he’s going back on top of my suspect list.”
“Your suspect list? This isn’t one of your podcasts, Oz. You’re going to get yourselves in trouble.”
“I’m trying to get myself out of trouble,” Osian insisted. “What are you doing tomorrow?”
“Osian.”
“Aren’t you the least bit interested in why Noah has suddenly returned to London?”
“What?” Abra shouted so loudly he had to pull the phone away from his ear.
; “Are you kidding? After all the drama when he ran off?”
“Nope, I heard it straight from Ethan.” Osian wondered why Ethan hadn’t mentioned that during his attempt to deflect attention away from himself. “Dannel’s on shift tomorrow. Why don’t we go on an adventure?”
“If you get me arrested….” She trailed off her warning.
“It’ll be fine.” Osian had no intention of drawing attention to himself. “We’ll avoid imperial entanglement.”
“Nerd.” She laughed. “Fine. I’ll come around nine. We can grab brekkie together.”
Tossing his phone to the side after she hung up, Osian returned his attention to locating Noah. He didn’t want to ask Ethan. The man had clearly been ticked off at their questions.
Noah Rose.
It didn’t take long to find him on Instagram. I should’ve known. Noah had curated quite the account for himself, all glitz and glamour. All photos of his adventures in Europe. Noah looked more like an Instagram model than a paramedic. Osian wasn’t at all surprised.
Of all their co-workers, Noah had definitely bordered on arrogant when it came to his body and appearance. Osian had wondered if his ego hadn’t been able to take the hit of being dumped. Gemma had handled it as gently as possible, but still.
No one enjoyed a break-up.
No one.
From his most recent posts, Noah had clearly moved into a swanky penthouse. How on earth is he affording his rent? Is this fake? Would he Photoshop his life?
Definitely.
Smarmy wanker.
If he’s not, how the hell is a paramedic affording all of this?
After hunting through a few more photos, Osian realised Noah had reconnected with several of their mutual friends. He grabbed his phone and quickly texted one of them. They gladly offered up Noah’s new number and address without questioning why he wanted the information.
I just want to catch up with an old friend… and accuse him of murder.
Maybe I won’t mention that part.
Calling Noah an old friend was a bit of a stretch. They’d been cordial to one another. He’d rubbed Osian the wrong way on several occasions with little snide comments about patients.
The majority of people who worked with the ambulance service believed in handling their injured patients with respect and care. Noah often stepped outside the bounds of their code, in Osian’s opinion. Maybe that was why he could so readily believe him capable of murder.
Here’s hoping we find him at home and feeling chatty tomorrow.
The following morning went by in a blur. Dannel had woken up twenty minutes late and run out the door, barely remembering to get dressed. Osian had taken his time getting ready.
Abra showed up an hour after Dannel had left, knocking repeatedly and grinning when he yanked the door open. “Morning, Oz-man. Ready to play copper?”
“Is there coffee for me?” Osian gratefully accepted the cup she held out to him. “Shall we? Ready for the Tube?”
“Not a chance. The Uber should be here in a minute, so hurry up.” Abra grinned at him. “I refuse to deal with sweaty men at this hour on public transportation.”
“Are there any hours you want to deal with sweaty men?”
“Oz.”
“What?” He grinned.
After locking up the flat, Osian raced down the stairs with Abra. He waved to Ian, who was on his way out as well. They thankfully didn’t have time for a natter with him.
“So?” Abra asked expectantly when they’d slid into the back seat of their Uber and had ensured the driver knew where they were headed. “How are we going to get Noah to confess all his sins?”
“I’d settle for one.” Osian shifted uncomfortably. His legs were awkwardly squashed against the driver seat. “Appeal to his ego?”
“It is Noah, so it wouldn’t surprise me if stroking his ego does the trick.” Abra flicked Osian on the arm when he snickered. “Get your mind out of the gutter. You know what I meant.”
Their driver dropped them off a few streets away from where Noah lived. They’d wanted the walk to assess the situation. Or so Abra had claimed. Osian knew she was having second thoughts.
Confrontation was not one of her strong suits.
“Oz.” Abra grabbed his arm, keeping him from rounding the corner. “Isn’t—”
“Noah.” He cut her off when he spotted what had drawn her attention. “Bugger. Well, time to put your acting skills to the test.”
“What acting skills?”
Osian caught her by the elbow and propelled her forward across the street. They walked quickly to catch up with Noah, who appeared to be heading toward a parking garage. “Play along.”
“This was a terrible idea.” She shook her head.
“Noah? Noah Rose,” Osian called out cheerfully. He plastered a smile on his face when the man in question turned around. “How’ve you been, mate?”
“Good?” Noah frowned at him. He definitely didn’t seem thrilled to see either of them. “Osian. Abra. I don’t usually see you two wandering around these streets.”
Osian suddenly remembered why he’d avoided Noah so much. The man made him want to wipe the smarmy grin off his face. Please sir, can I have some more? Don’t be an arse, Oz. “Have you heard about Gemma?”
Noah’s smirk evaporated in an instant. He breathed out sharply and shook his head. “The police informed me. Ethan told them that I’d held a grudge.”
“Had you?” Abra asked.
“No, you….” Noah trailed off. He crossed his arms tightly over his chest. “I moved on—and up. I had no use for Gemma. Why the hell would I hold a grudge? I hadn’t thought about her in months. And I certainly had better things to do than wander around with a bunch of adults in Halloween costumes.”
“Cosplay,” Osian muttered.
Noah’s eyes drifted up and down Osian. His mouth twisted into an unpleasant sneer. “Some of us prefer to grow up. Is there anything else?”
Before either Osian or Abra had a chance to respond, Noah sauntered away from them. He disappeared into the multilevel garage. Osian dragged his fingers through his hair.
“What a prince of a man.” Abra bumped her elbow against Osian. “Why don’t we grab a cup of tea and consider our options?”
“Our options?”
“Noah definitely had a motive. What arrogant prick doesn’t harbour a grudge when someone dumps him? I’ve watched all the crime shows.” Abra tucked her hands into the pockets of her jacket. “How do we find out if he really was at the convention or not?”
“CCTV footage.” Osian froze on the pavement. He had to speed up to catch up with Abra, who’d kept going. “What are the odds the detectives would tell us?”
“Slim to non-existent.” Abra gestured toward a café down the street. “Let’s get out of the drizzle. I’m not trying to catch a cold. What about Roland? Would he help?”
“Not sure a constable has access to CCTV footage.” Osian waved his thanks when someone coming out of the café held the door for them. “Wait. Would the security at the location still have their copy?”
“Dunno. Probably.”
“Doesn’t Chris work there?”
“Oz.”
“Abra has a crush.” Osian didn’t have space to avoid the kick to his shin. “Don’t you want to say hello to Chris?”
“I hate you.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Osian ignored her complaining to step up to the counter. “We could take him a coffee and doughnut.”
“Hate. Loathe. Despise you.”
“Want a slice of chocolate cake?” Osian pointed to the luscious treat in the display case.
“I mildly dislike you.” She grinned.
12
Dannel
“Dannel?”
He paused in the middle of cleaning up the fire station kitchen to find their chief waiting for him. “Sir?”
“There’s a detective who’d like you to chat with them about the incident over the weekend. Go on. He
ad out early. We’ll cover for you.” His chief gestured behind him. “You want someone to go with you?”
“Evie?” Dannel wanted to say no, but he couldn’t encourage Osian to have a solicitor, then refuse help himself. “I need to make a call.”
“What’s wrong?” Wayne didn’t bother with a hello when he picked up. “Did they pick Osian up again?”
“They’re here at the station wanting to talk to me. Can you meet me?”
“I’m on my way.” Wayne disconnected without saying goodbye.
“Rude.” Dannel slid his phone into his pocket. He washed his hands, then made his way through to the locker room to get into his street clothes. Evie came in as he pulled a T-shirt over his head. “Did the chief tell you?”
“Did you call Wayne?” Evie disappeared around the corner to get changed. “I’m not complaining about getting off shift early. But I’m thinking your solicitor’s a better choice than I am. He’s less likely to take a swing at someone taking the piss out of you.”
“Evie.”
“What?” She leaned around the row of lockers to wink at him. “Just remember you asked for me.”
“Evie.”
“Inside voice.”
“I actually meant to shout that time.” Dannel closed his locker and sat heavily on a bench to tie the laces of his trainers. “Why do they want to talk with me? I wasn’t even in the room.”
After they’d both finished changing, Dannel led the way through the station to find Detective Inspector Khan and his partner, Powell, waiting. He stared at the hand the detective held out. Evie ended up shaking it in his place.
I don’t like touching people.
The detectives offered to give them a ride to the station. Dannel kept his mouth shut. He had no interest in making small talk with them until Wayne was around to deflect any mistakes he might make.
Dannel followed the detectives up the steps into the building. He paused when a man stepped out who looked strangely familiar. “Have we met?”
“No.”
Dannel frowned at the oddly hard tone of the man who practically slammed into him on the way by. “What in the world?”
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