case, certainly not from Isaac. And he didn’t want Isaac here, in this place. It felt wrong. Like an invasion.
“Sir,” said the goth desk clerk as he and Isaac passed through the dim lobby. “Did you find your key?”
James slowed to a halt, frowning blankly. “Sorry?”
“I’ll take the extra back if you found the original.”
“Extra?”
“The spare key I gave you half an hour ago,” the goth said, glowering like he resented having to talk so much. “When you told me you forgot your keys?”
“I didn’t…” James stopped, suddenly getting it. Shit. Shit. “Sorry, still looking,” he lied, already rushing toward his room.
“What’s wrong?” Isaac trailed behind him as he flew up the stairs. “James. Seriously.”
James ignored him, stabbing his key into the lock and shoving the door open.
No one was there.
But someone had been. James’s eyes moved quickly around the room, taking in the details. His bags were open. Someone had sat on the bed. And the folder was gone from the desk. In its place was the hotel memo pad with the spare room key on top. James strode over to grab the memo pad, his eyes going wide as he read the note scribbled in black ballpoint pen.
Found you first
A mix of anger and disappointment rose up behind his eyes as he stared at the note.
Beau had been here. Beau had been here less than half an hour ago.
And James had missed him.
“What’s going on?” Isaac asked as James collapsed in the chair and buried his face in his hands. “Are you okay? Jesus, what the fuck’s been going on out here?”
James pulled himself up numbly and probed both of his bags before zipping them up. His stuff had clearly been looked through, but his iPad and his camera were still buried in his backpack. Nothing was missing. Beau had only walked away with information. He wasn’t some petty thief.
“I need a fucking drink,” James muttered.
“Okay. Great. Where can we get a drink?”
“Down the street.” James picked up his backpack and didn't argue when Isaac rushed to carry the duffle bag. They went back down to the lobby, where James returned the spare key with a mumbled thanks, and then they headed down State Street. Shelley wasn’t outside anymore, but he had no intention of taking Isaac to Brooks Tavern anyway. A bottle from the Mini Mart would be just fine.
The bell jingled loudly as he shoved open the door of the store. Brendan was working, and he looked particularly stoned. “Ayyy, it’s Beau the Second!”
Isaac looked between them in confusion.
“Just a pint of Jim Beam, please.” James said to Brendan.
“You know it,” Brendan said cheerfully, retrieving the bottle and slipping it into a brown bag. “You caught up with him yet?”
“No.” James passed him a twenty. “Have you seen him?”
“Dunno,” Brendan said slyly. “Could’ve been you, right?”
“Right. Thanks.” James took the bag and his change and left the store, the bell over the door jingling over Brendan’s merry farewell.
Outside, the light had gone rosy. A gauzy layer of pale gray clouds was stretched thin across the entire sky, picking up the shocking pinks of the sunset.
“All right,” Isaac said. “Is there somewhere we can sit and talk?”
James looked from the sky to Isaac with a dark frown. “Where’s your car?”
Isaac had a rented black BMW parked by the sea wall. James sat in the passenger’s seat and unscrewed his bottle, taking a large swig. As soon as it hit his tongue, he remembered that he’d decided just a couple of hours ago to stop binge drinking. Fuck. So much for straightening up his act. It had seemed so much easier with Hunter around…
“Give me some of that.” Isaac held out his hand for the bottle and took the next drink. “What happened to your face?”
“I fell in the woods. Tell me why you're here.”
“Okay.” Isaac wrapped his hands around the steering wheel like he was bracing himself. “But I need to clarify something first.”
James shot him a disturbed glare. The tone and cadence of Isaac’s voice were already grating on his nerves. Quick, polished, primed for the pitch.
“I know it was just casual, and I know you’re over it. That’s fine. We’re on the same page. But I do care about you, James.”
Ugh. “Noted,” he said coldly. “Say what you came to say.”
“Okay.” Isaac paused again, his hands slipping from the steering wheel to rub his face. “Jesus. Look. There’s a series in production about the case. It’s got a massive budget and it’s moving fast.”
James stared