“The question we’re hoping you might be able to answer is what links Gemma and Osian.” Inspector Banks held a hand up when Osian went to comment. “Aside from the obvious of their all being paramedics.”
“What about the accident?” Dannel asked.
“The two of us worked on a fatal accident in London over a year ago.” Osian’s hand tightened on Dannel. “Terrible incident. Multiple vehicles, one of which caught fire on impact. Several fatalities on scene. It wasn’t just us. Abra and Archie were there along with a host of other first responders.”
“Where’s Archie?” Wayne asked.
Dannel turned toward Osian. “Archie? Isn’t he off finding himself again?”
After the terrible London accident, Osian hadn’t been the only one to quit. Archie had trekked around the world. They’d hardly seen him in the past year.
“Archie?” Inspector Khan drew them out of their murmured chat. “Who is Archie?”
“Archibald Dennis.” Osian reached out blindly to grab Dannel’s hand. “Archie. We traded off partnering with Abra and Gemma, depending on what shifts we were on.”
“He’s climbing a mountain somewhere,” Wayne added helpfully.
“How does this relate to the case?” Inspector Banks tried to draw the conversation back to their investigation. “You mentioned him for a reason.”
“Setting aside your other suspects for the sake of argument, what I believe they are suggesting is that if someone targeted Gemma because of her role in their family member’s death, the other paramedics involved might also be at risk.” Wayne held a hand up to stop Dannel or Osian from interjecting. “I’d never want to tell an officer of the law how to handle their case. But it seems you have two avenues of motive. Either it’s personal for Gemma, and either her ex or her current beau is responsible. Or there’s a larger issue at hand. My clients might need protection. I sent over the information on Joel Brown to you.”
“We’ll look into him, of course. You didn’t find him on any CCTV cameras around the time of the incident at a cursory glance.” Inspector Powell jumped into the conversation. “We’ll give it a closer look.”
“Have you crossed Osian off your list officially?” Dannel didn’t dignify Wayne’s muttered warning with a response. He wanted confirmation the detectives had officially decided Osian was innocent. “And given the faked CCTV footage, maybe you shouldn’t take not seeing Joel Brown, Noah, or Ethan as a given?”
“Inside voice” was Osian’s only response.
Dannel stared down at their joined hands resting on his leg. His mind kept considering the four paramedics. He sat up quickly. “Osian might be in danger.”
“Of course I’m not,” Osian said confidently.
Dannel wasn’t so sure. He tapped his fingers anxiously against the side of the arm of his chair. “If the killer can’t blame you for Gemma’s murder, what’s to stop them from coming after you in another way? Even if it’s not Joel, someone wanted you to be arrested for murder.”
Osian glanced from Dannel to the detectives. “I was really enjoying pretending not to be stressed for all of a minute. I don’t need both you and Wayne reminding me of the danger.”
“I could be wrong.” Dannel tilted his head to stare up at the ceiling. “What do we do now?”
The detectives launched into a lengthy discussion about being aware of their surroundings. They suggested staying somewhere else. Dannel felt all his anxiety returning, but for a different cause.
He did not do well staying in someone else’s home. He knew their flat. It offered him sanctuary to hide from the world.
“Or we could make sure all the tenants know to keep the front door locked and not allow guests in until the situation is resolved.” Osian knew him well enough to understand his immediate tensing. “We’ll manage. We can take care of ourselves.”
“All the same. It wouldn’t hurt to be more cautious,” Inspector Khan interjected. “We don’t want anyone else getting hurt. And we certainly don’t know for certain who’s responsible.”
“Agreed.” Chief Inspector Banks nodded. “If you don’t want to stay elsewhere, we’d appreciate you at least taking extra precautions.”
They made “extra precautions” sound like a mere inconvenience. Dannel knew better. He scrubbed his fingers roughly across his forehead.
“We’re open to suggestions.” Osian finally broke the silence. “Especially ones not involving us being locked up for our own safety.”
17
Osian
The thrill of investigating a case of their own and not simply reporting on one for his podcast faded away when reality hit. Osian and Dannel had both been a little shell-shocked. Wayne had suggested they call in reinforcements to talk things over.
In other words, Wayne hoped a cluster of their loved ones would talk some sense into them. Osian couldn’t blame the solicitor, but he still disagreed on how best to handle the situation.
The killer or killers were an unknown entity. A ghost. Osian didn’t see a point in attempting to protect themselves from the hint of danger. Even the police hadn’t known for certain.
“So, we’re not hiding.” Osian started the conversation with the most important part. He and Dannel both agreed quite strongly on it. “And you know how stubborn we can be.”
They’d all gathered at Roland’s place. Osian hadn’t wanted to worry anyone. Dannel figured their friends and family were already concerned; they might as well be stressed about the truth.
It was a fair point.
“We’re definitely not hiding,” Osian reiterated. He peered around the living room at those who’d been able to make it on short notice. “We’re going to be a little more cautious.”
“A lot more cautious.” Wayne had definitely kept them from sugar-coating their meeting with the police. “I still believe you should stay somewhere other than your flat for a few days.”
“I agree.” Roland threw in his opinion.
Osian didn’t need to glance around the room to know everyone agreed. “If the killer or killers are after me, how is staying somewhere else going to do anything other than delay the inevitable confrontation? We can’t hide indoors indefinitely. Dannel has a job. We need fresh air. I’ll wilt without it. I’m a sensitive house plant.”
“Oz.” Olivia threw a pillow at his head.
Of their gathered friends, only Abra and Evie seemed to understand his point. The police had plenty of theories. No one knew for certain if the killer had intended to target their entire group—or just Gemma.
Evidence pointed in both directions, in Osian’s opinion. He didn’t think they should assume the killer wanted to rampage through multiple former paramedics. What if it turned out to be a jilted lover like Noah?
“Oz?” Abra followed him into the kitchen. “I tried texting Archie.”
“And?”
“Nothing. No response to email. He hasn’t been on Facebook in a week.” Abra shifted nervously in front of him. “I called his mum. She hasn’t heard from him either.”
“He’s climbing a mountain, right? He probably doesn’t get Wi-Fi up there.” Osian didn’t think Archie would appreciate them panicking while he was finding his inner peace. “He goes months without seeing anyone. It’s not out of the ordinary.”
“Aren’t you worried at all?” Abra clutched the glass in her hands tightly. “Even a little?”
“I’ll worry when I have a reason to do so.” Osian didn’t want to admit his concerns. “Has his mum reached out to the tour company? Maybe they’ll be able to make contact.”
“I’ll send her a text.” Abra leaned against the counter. She met his gaze after a few seconds. “We did nothing wrong that day, Oz. Nothing. We did our jobs. We’re not miracle workers. Bringing people back from the dead isn’t within our powers.”
“I know.” Osian mostly believed it to be true. “Not everyone agrees, apparently.”
“That is not your fault.” Abra set her glass down and walked over to hug him
. “Or mine. It wasn’t Gemma’s or Archie’s.”
Osian twisted away from her. He wandered over to stare blankly into Roland’s fridge before shutting the door. “Someone out there doesn’t appear to agree.”
“Oz.”
“Am I interrupting?” Roland joined them in the kitchen. He nudged Abra with his elbow. “Can I have a minute with the Oz-man?”
“Fine.” Abra grabbed the bottle of wine off the counter and sauntered between them. “We’ll be talking about you behind your backs while you’re in here.”
“So, Rolly, what’s the story?” Osian went back to leaning against the counter. “Now that we’re alone, are you going to confess your love for me?”
“First, it’s Roland. Second, no, I’d rather lick a hairy toad.” He gave a long-suffering sigh. “We have to talk to Dannel. He’s not understanding the danger.”
It was Osian’s turn to sigh very deeply and for an extended length of time. He didn’t want to have this conversation with Roland. Years of experience told him how a chat that started with “Dannel doesn’t understand” would go.
Nine times out of ten, it wound up with Osian losing his temper.
“Danny does understand the danger.” Osian thought Dannel had a better grasp of the danger than he did. “And you should definitely be having this conversation with him—not me.”
Roland peered anxiously into the living room. “I love my brother.”
“Then love him enough to trust he does actually understand far more than you give him credit for.” Osian mimicked dropping a mic, then left Roland in the kitchen to think it over. “Might want to bring more crisps. The masses are ravenous.”
The others had gathered in the living room to take their minds off the strain by playing a rousing game of Cards Against Humanity. Osian slid to the floor by the couch, sitting next to Dannel. He motioned for Evie to deal him a hand.
Roland joined them a few minutes later. He tossed out a few bags of crisps and managed to squeeze in between his aunt and uncle. “We’re only playing if everyone agrees to keep their tempers.”
“As opposed to last time when you threw the cards out the third-story window of my flat?” Wayne saluted Roland with his mug of wine. “We spent thirty minutes trying to find all of them. My custom pack.”
“Rolly? Is there any more wine?” Evie hefted up one of the empty bottles on the table.
“We’re going to have many regrets in the morning.” Roland shook his head. “And you’re all sleeping over if you can’t see straight.”
18
Dannel
Despite protesting about not wanting to stay elsewhere, Dannel woke up to find himself squashed up with Osian on Roland’s sofa. His legs dangled over the arm of it. He grunted in pain and tried to sit up without falling off.
“Ossie?” he whispered.
Osian shifted slightly, knocking Dannel onto the carpet. “Shit. Sorry, love.”
“Wine hangovers are the worst,” Dannel grumbled. He stretched out on his back on the soft carpet and tried to get his back to straighten out. “Did we all crash at Rolly’s?”
“Pretty sure your auntie and uncle went home.” Osian leaned up on his elbow to glance around the room. “I spy with my little eye a couple canoodling in the corner.”
Dannel twisted his head and spotted Abra and Chris whispering to each other over their coffee. “Don’t make it awkward.”
“Oi, Abs. Sleep well?”
Dannel reached up to flick Osian on the arm. “What did I say about not making things awkward?”
“The last time I had this many hungover people in my house, Chelsea had won the title.” Roland stood in the living room, appearing as pained as Dannel felt. “Or was it Tottenham?”
“Do not get them started.” Abra threw a pillow at Roland. “They won’t stop.”
As a couple, Dannel thought they agreed about everything. Their one point of contention had always been football. Tottenham versus Chelsea. It always devolved.
“But, Abs.” Roland dodged out of the way of a second pillow. “I’ll arrest you for assaulting a constable.”
“Don’t tempt her to make the arrest worthwhile. She’ll kick your arse from here to the police station and back.” Chris got to his feet slowly. He went over to sit on the chair across from Dannel and Osian. “When do you want me to come over to set up the security system?”
“I don’t want to plug into the Matrix.” Dannel knew enough to know systems could be hacked. “Aren’t there any low-tech solutions?”
“Low tech?” Chris exchanged a glance with Roland over Dannel’s head. “Would you settle for a camera by your front door?”
“There are CCTV cameras all around the street outside.” Osian appeared to be as uneasy as Dannel about the idea of having hackable technology inside their home. “We could change our locks.”
“Why don’t I drive you both home? I can give you an idea of what the setup would be. It’s not intrusive. No one’s going to be spying on you,” Chris offered. “I can’t force you to make changes to your personal security, mate. Think about it? You shouldn’t make decisions without all of the information. Hear me out at least. What’s the harm?”
“He’s trying to trick us into plugging into the system.” Osian winked at Dannel, who chuckled. “Next, he’ll say there is no spoon.”
“If you two nerds could get a hold of yourself for a second.” Chris laughed good-naturedly at them. “Why don’t we go pick up breakfast and head over to your place? I’m not due into work until this afternoon.”
Dannel peered up at Osian, who shrugged and nodded. “Fine. We’re not agreeing to cameras in the loo.”
“You’re both ridiculous.”
After a lot of moaning at being awake, they were ready to leave. Dannel had made sure to help Roland clean up the living room first. It hadn’t seemed fair to leave him with a mess to handle all on his own.
“Danny.”
He paused on the way out the door, letting Osian and Chris go first. “Rolly?”
“Why must you insist on calling me Rolly? Constable Rolly.” Roland scratched his head roughly. “No one’s ever going to take me seriously.”
“Did you want something aside from whining?” Dannel simply stared at his brother. “Please be aware I have not consumed caffeine. And we drank wine. Lots of it. Bottles. All of your bottles, in fact.”
Roland snickered with him for a second. “Be careful, yeah? You’re the only brother I’ve got. I’m attached to you.”
“Is this bonding? You suck at it.” Dannel suffered through the tight hug from his brother. “Aren’t the police supposed to be more stoic?”
Leaving his brother to deal with the rest of the leftover guests, Dannel jogged down the stairs to catch up with Osian and Chris. They were standing by a Range Rover while Chris and Abra said goodbye. He snuck up to wait without disrupting them.
“Aren’t they adorable?” Osian whispered.
“Pretty sure you’re still making everything uncomfortable for them.” Dannel grinned when Abra glared at both of them before walking off. “They are sweet.”
“Are you two quite finished?” Chris unlocked his vehicle. “Get in. We’ll grab breakfast at Pret on the way to your flat.”
They picked up breakfast at the Pret not far from the building. Chris drove a loop around their building. He pointed out the various security cameras on the shop as well as the obvious gaps in their view.
All the way up to their flat, Chris insisted on assessing their lack of security. Dannel was feeling distinctly paranoid by the time they’d gotten inside. He wanted to hide inside the bedroom and never come out.
“Chris.” Osian finally snapped at their friend. “Maybe reel in the dramatics? We need to be able to sleep at night.”
Chris sat at one of the chairs around their small kitchen table. “I promise the system I want to set up for you won’t be intrusive. No cameras in your bedroom. I’m more interested in ensuring no one gets into the building or your
flat without express permission.”
“Uncle Danny’s in charge of the building. He’ll have to approve any changes.”
Osian came up behind Dannel, resting his chin on his shoulder. “And he’s not prone to spending money unless absolutely necessary.”
Dannel hid his smile behind his sandwich. His uncle had no issues spending money on the building or on his nephews. “I don’t want cameras in my home. Or weird things hackers can use to talk to me. I’d never sleep again.”
Chris bent forward to rest his head against the table. “I’m not suggesting you invite big brother into your place, for Christ’s sake. I want you to be safe. Maybe a camera on the front door of the building, inside and out. It wouldn’t hurt to change your locks either.”
Since neither of them could remember the last time the locks had been changed, Dannel didn’t really have an argument against it. He hated having people in the flat. They disrupted his calm.
It was the main reason they’d never gotten a pet. Animals, like people, tended to make messes. They were noisy.
So much noise.
“Why don’t we start with the locks?” Chris knew how to pick his battles. “I’ll chat with your uncle. I can get all the inner and outer doors changed out. We’ll tell the other tenants I’m simply upgrading the security. While I’m fixing those, you two chat about cameras.”
Grabbing his mobile, Chris left to coordinate with his office and their uncle. They both collapsed onto the couch with tired groans. Dannel was glad the fire chief had given him a few days of vacation.
Dannel twisted around to lie on the couch with his head in Osian’s lap. “I don’t want cameras in the flat.”
“I know.”
“And I want to find who did this to Gemma.”
“Me too.” Osian dropped his hand down to rest on Dannel’s head, massaging gently. “Why don’t we go track Noah down?”
“Not sure Chris or Rolly or the detectives would consider that safe or sane behaviour.” Dannel tilted his head to grin up at Osian. “How do we figure out where Noah is?”
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