Yet a Stranger (The First Quarto #2) - Gregory Ashe Page 0,38
The other woman just made vrooming noises after she said his name. Rafael, vroom. Auggie couldn’t figure out what that was supposed to mean.
But when he got to Theo’s office and found the door ajar, he pushed inside. Theo was sitting at his desk, gaze focused on the computer, scratching his beard. His sleeves were cuffed above the elbow. He was filling out those chinos. Theo, vroom. And then Auggie got it. Vroom. Fucking vroom.
“Oh. Hey. How long have you been standing there?”
“Honestly? I don’t know.”
Theo rolled his eyes. “Shut the door. I was going to text you.”
Auggie shut the door and pulled a chair over to Theo’s desk.
“I talked to Cart,” Theo said.
“And?”
“And I don’t enjoy feeling like I’m sneaking information out of my boyfriend.”
“He’s your boyfriend?”
“Auggie.”
“I just didn’t know it was official.”
Theo crossed his arms.
“Because usually people, you know, go out to dinner with their boyfriends, and they introduce their boyfriends to other people, and they take them to work events, and they double date. Hey, that’s an idea. We can double date.”
The computer fan whirred.
“There’s this really cute upperclassman,” Auggie said. “He’s been flirting with me hardcore.”
“How old?”
“He’s been sending these adorable snaps from when he went to a friend’s house and played with a puppy.”
“You don’t want to tell me,” Theo said, “so either you don’t know, or he’s too old for you.”
“I think we’d have a ton of fun on a double date.”
Through the window came the clack of sticks, then a burst of laughter, and then a mock scream.
“I mean, did you guys actually say those words?” Auggie asked. “Like you both said, ‘Ok, we’re boyfriends now.’”
Theo scrubbed his face. “Ok,” he said. “Here’s what we’re going to do: let’s start over.” He dropped his hands. “Hi, Auggie. How was your day?”
“Great. Great day. So good. Do you want to see a picture of Dylan? He’s the upperclassman I was telling you about.”
“Sure. Then I’ll be able to recognize him when he shows up on To Catch a Predator.”
“I’m nineteen.”
“I remember.” Theo held up a hand to stop Auggie from speaking again. “Cart thinks this was more than just a drug deal gone wrong.”
“Cart’s not a detective.”
“Auggie, cut it out. I’m not going to do this with you.”
“Ok, ok. I’m sorry.”
“He says it wasn’t even staged very well to look like a drug deal gone wrong. He’s pretty sure someone killed Cal at his home, dressed him, and drove him out to that truck stop because they knew Cal had bought out there before.” Theo ran through the rest of his conversation, including the detail of the mismatched socks. “I called the neighbor, the one I talked to, and she said she remembered that Cal was barefoot when she saw him. I asked her why she didn’t say anything about it when I talked to her the first time, and she said, ‘You didn’t ask me.’”
“So helpful.”
“Right. So this is the part of the conversation where I tell you that the only responsible thing to do—the only safe thing to do—is communicate these inconsistencies to the detectives in charge of the case and let them pursue the investigation.”
“No.”
“Auggie, please.”
“You said you’d help me. You agreed. I said I’d do whatever you told me, and you said you’d help me.”
“I said I wanted to talk to Cart first. Now I’ve talked to him, and I want you to drop this.”
Auggie shook his head. “I’m not trying to be stubborn. Honestly. I know you think I’m—I’m immature, and maybe I am. But here are the facts: Cal was murdered, and the police aren’t handling the investigation right, and Orlando and his family need help. And you and I both know it’s not as simple as passing along information. Lender is dirty. And dangerous. And if he’s not following up on something as simple as mismatched socks, then it’s probably because there’s a reason.”
Theo leaned back in his seat. “I’m sorry, let me get something straight: you’re going to get involved in this investigation because you’re afraid a dirty cop is helping to cover up a murder?”
“Well, I don’t like it when you say it.”
“I’m going to call Fer. I’m sorry, Auggie, but I think I have to.”
Auggie’s first instinct was to cry. His second was to shout. He clamped down on both of them and kept his voice as steady as he could. “You can call him.”
“He’s not going to let you do this.”
“He doesn’t get to decide that. And neither do you. I do. Me,