Page 22 of The Guy Next Door
I obviously told them about the break-in last week. And about the cops coming over and the broken lock on the back door.
But I haven’t brought up Zane.
I was still trying to figure out how to bring him up, even before that story he pitched me about possibly being stalked by a killer. But if I mentioned that, they’d rush back home and be worried…maybe for nothing.
Or maybe I need to believe it could be for nothing.
I don’t know what to think of Zane. He intrigues me.
Not just the wild things he’s told me, but the way he looks at me.
Something exciting about when his gaze is on me—and even thinking that his gaze might be on me when I’m not looking.
What the fuck is that about?
And then there’s his personality—his strange behaviors, his awkward sense of humor.
It’s…adorable, which isn’t something I’ve ever thought about another dude.
Since the last time I saw him, it’s been a rough week, especially trying to get to sleep at night. Although, knowing he’s watching me, that if anything happens, he’ll be over to help, sets me at ease. I don’t know if I should feel safe knowing he’s watching, but for whatever reason, it’s comforting. Probably the only reason I’m able to doze off eventually, even though I can stay up as late as one in the morning.
“Leif Anderson,” a woman says as she comes from a nearby hallway. Straight dark hair, and a warm smile pulls across her face as she approaches. It’s the sort of friendly face I wouldn’t expect to see on a lieutenant detective. Not that I know what a lieutenant detective would look like, aside from the ones I’ve seen on TV.
I push to my feet and approach her.
“I’m Detective Roth.” She offers a handshake, then asks if we can take the stairs so she can get some exercise in, and discusses the chilly weather as we head up to the second floor, her heels clicking against the cement steps. As we’re heading down the hall, she says, “Thank you for coming in today. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to meet with you sooner, but I was at a cabin in Jasper with my family when I was sent an email about your visit.”
“It’s not a problem.”
Although, I must admit, given the seriousness of what Zane told me, I figured it wouldn’t take nearly five days before someone contacted me.
She leads me into an office—tidy, only a few stray papers on her desk and a couple of dinged-up boxes stacked by a file cabinet. She invites me to sit in front of her desk, and as she settles behind it, I take in the view through the wall-length window behind her, overlooking the homes and mid-rises of downtown Wyachet.
“Before we went to Jasper, I knew something like this would come up. Always does. Butthis…I was not expecting.”
“It’s been a surprise for me too,” I confess.
“I’m sure. Now, I reviewed what you told Officer Kendrick, and from what I can make out, there was a break-in at your parents’ home on October seventeen, and while that took place, you were with Zane Grayson, who called the police.”
“That’s correct.” Correct-ish.
“I don’t know if you told Kendrick, but she didn’t note it—how do you know Zane?”
No trace now of that friendly expression she’d first offered in the reception area. Her stare and the tension in her jaw convey uneasiness, which I’m guessing has something to do with Zane. It’s a look that suggests he wasn’t bullshitting me about them not taking this seriously because of his involvement.
“He approached me after coming across something online…on a subreddit.”
She nods, waiting for me to divulge more, but I leave it there. Still, she waits some more, and I’m wondering if her silence is a police tactic to get people to disclose more details because I’m tempted. But if I start rambling, I’m gonna slip up and say something that’ll put Zane in a spot. And maybe have Detective Roth not taking this seriously, which considering there was someone in my home, it’s fucking serious.
When I don’t go on, she says, “Right. So you were never aware of Jason Kilbourne or Michael Grayson until you met Zane. Is that right?”
“I heard about the disappearances, around town.”
She purses her lips, nodding, her gaze shifting around her desk. “Yeah. As I said, this call was a surprise, but I wish it were more surprising.”
“You expected me to call?”
“Not necessarily you. It’s complicated.”