of a loner. Hasn't had a fixed address in years. His last known residence was a bust. According to the neighbors of the family home, the family moved out years ago and haven't been seen since. There was a dad with addiction issues who died a couple of years back. No sign of the mom and an older half-sister, who left home at nineteen, was never to be seen again."
"Sounds like a difficult upbringing."
"Yeah, seems that way. The neighbor said the dad caused a lot of trouble and the kids didn't have much direction or encouragement to stay in school. Easy to see why Mackleton strayed into crime with influences like that."
"Any lead on the mom or the sister?"
"None so far. We're looking at known associates from his rap sheet but most are in jail, some are dead, and several unaccounted for, which could mean anything."
"How old was he?"
"Twenty-six."
"Imagine having a life of crime so bad that your friends are dead by that age," I said and Lily nodded her agreement.
"It's been the luck of our birth, the presence of our minds, and the influences in our lives that we were spared a life like his. We should be aware of how privileged we are in that respect," said Solomon. "And even then, it does come down to individual choices."
"It puts getting pushed off a bungee platform into better perspective," said Lily who was listening intently.
I shook my head. The memory of feeling like I was in imminent danger of death was still too real, too fresh. "It really doesn't," I said with a shake of my head. "Did my catalogue of the vault's items help any?"
Solomon shook his head. "It was interesting to see what the boxes contained but there wasn't anything that suggested a particular missing item. We're still in the dark from that angle. Did you notice anything unusual that you didn't include in your report?"
"No, sorry. The only thing I didn't write down was that mess of broken boxes."
"Charlie Sampson didn't have anything to add?"
"No. He was polite and helpful but he didn't have any sudden revelations or desperate moments of confession. Maybe we should do a background check on him as a precaution?"
"We should have done that already," said Solomon, tapping his palm to his forehead. "I can't believe I overlooked it. Can I leave it with you? Perhaps your task for the rest of today?"
Despite his calm demeanor, I could see the worry in his eyes. He wouldn't order me to do something, but during the work day he was the boss. "Sure," I agreed.
"I spoke to my contact about witness protection and Sophie's name didn't come up. You can strike that from your list," he said.
"Thank you." I wasn't sure how to process the information yet but it was definitely helpful to have it.
"Now I know you're okay, I'm going to head out," said Solomon. He leaned in and kissed me and Lily pretended to take a snap with an imaginary camera while cooing. "It's not cool when she does that," he whispered on my lips.
"I know. She's weird," I replied softly.
"But adorable," said Lily, leaning in slightly too close.
"Never give her a key to the house," said Solomon, pulling back and running a hand over my hair in a way that was both sweet and incredibly comforting.
"I know how to pick locks," chirped Lily.
"She can," I agreed. "Although for the purposes of any future conversations with law enforcement, I have never actually seen her pick a lock."
"I have no idea what's going on here," said Solomon, wagging a finger from me to Lily, "but I am definitely leaving. Stay at home, do some research. Stay away from Zach Gallo and Sky Outdoors. If he gives you any hassle, threaten a lawsuit to his employers after what he did."
Lily and I waved when Solomon left and I checked out his rear, which made me feel a lot better. Then I sighed and got up and took a walk around the kitchen. "I think I feel fine," I said. "My legs feel normal again."
"You thought you peed yourself."
"That's a reasonable thought to have while crashing to my death headfirst."
"I'm glad you didn't."
"Would you still have given me a ride home?"
"Sure, but in the trunk or tied to the roof. Like a deer."
I thought about that. "I'm glad I didn't pee myself either."
"Or smoosh your head. Are we going to search for this guy, Charlie, next? Where's your laptop?" asked Lily.