Ridley placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and passed me his eyeglass case. “I wish I could have met him.”
“Me too,” I said and fought back fresh tears.
We finished packing my stuff into two duffel bags and throwing my bathroom toiletries into an old shoe box.
“You know, I can’t believe that you fit all of your belongings into two duffel bags.” Ridley helped me carry my stuff down to my car. “What about your mattress and sofa?”
“Do I need them? They were thrift store purchases.”
Ridley shook her head. “Nope, the room I’m putting you in is totally furnished, and I’ve already got a sofa.”
“Okay. Let me run back up and grab the photos off the wall.”
I raced upstairs, glad to be doing this alone. I walked into my apartment and over to the wall where photos hung haphazardly. I didn’t add nails instead I used what had already been there and painted over. Sure, it made it look wonky, but it seemed to fit because my life was wonky.
I grabbed the first image—the only one I had of me, Mom, and Jared all together—and wondered if she and Jared were in Heaven together. Slowly, I grabbed the next photo and then the next before they were all in my arms.
I left my apartment and locked the door behind me. Another chapter in my life’s book was closing and another beginning.
“This is your room,” Ridley said as she pushed open a door. When we walked in, she had given me a brief tour by saying, “The kitchen is to your left, the living room straight ahead.” Then she led me upstairs past several closed doors.
“This old house has six bedrooms. Mine is at the opposite end of yours. Both of our rooms have en suite bathrooms, and the other four rooms share between two bathrooms.”
I stepped into the pastel blue room with blue ticking wallpaper and hardwood floors. Real hardwood, not the wood-o-leum that had been in my apartment.
The bed was large—a queen by the looks of it—with a brass headboard and footboard.
“This is so girly, I’m afraid that I might dirty something. I come home at night smelling of cigarette smoke and stale beer.
“You’ll be fine.” She chuckled as she set down one box and both duffel bags. I set the other two boxes and photos next to them then splayed out across the bed.
“Hold on,” Ridley said and ran down the hall. I heard her feet clunk down the stairs. I pulled myself up and grabbed one of my duffels to start unloading my stuff. I had just gotten my four measly hangers hung up in the closet when Ridley returned, holding a bottle of wine and two red Solo cups.
“So, let’s get the formal stuff out of the way,” I stated. “What’s rent and when is it due?”
“The house is paid for so why don’t we just split everything else, bills come in and I’ll let you see them. We both pay. We both stock the fridge and just cut it fifty/fifty.”
“You sure?” I asked as I took the cup she handed me.
“Positive. I’m actually excited to have someone here with me. This place gets lonely. By the way, eventually I want to turn part of the downstairs into a gym. The formal living room and dining room are side by side, so I want to knock down the wall between the two rooms and open it up then we can work out here.”
“I love that idea. I’m happy to help.”
“Great, we’ll add that to our plate.” Ridley took a long sip of her wine. “How long has your brother been gone?”
“Four years...”
“All four years you’ve been planning on taking down the Coyotes?”
“More or less. I’ve spent the majority of the time learning how to defend myself and studying their habits. That’s how I knew to apply at Sasha’s. She goes to the laundry mat every Wednesday morning. So, I started going to the laundromat every Wednesday as well. Eventually she and I started talking.” I paused for a moment and asked myself why I was telling Ridley all of this. Sure, I felt like I could trust her, but I didn’t know, not for certain. I shook my head. “Anyway, we got talking, and she offered me a job.”
“So, then you and Easton,” she said as she picked up the photographs that were on top of the boxes. “What’s the story there? I noticed how you got all crazy-eyed when you talked about him. Is he still in your life?”
“He’s the guy who left before I woke up. He also happens to be a member of the Coyotes.”
“Whoa.” Ridley held up one hand. “Your brother’s best friend just so happened to join the gang you believe is responsible for his death?”
“Yeah.”
“You sure he’s innocent, it seems sort of suspicious that he is part of the gang now.”
It was weird that Ridley was questioning this since she had no clue the cops had suspected Easton. But more than that, this was my deep worry as well. It was something that bothered me but I was trying to refuse to face. I kept telling myself that Easton was innocent, he was on mission like me, right? He wanted to find Jared’s killer as much as I did. “I’m positive,” I said but wondered for not the first time if that was the truth.
“Okay, I believe you if you say so. Let me ask you this then, after all of this, after you find out who killed your brother, what are you going to do?”
I
