Two for Joy - Louise Collins Page 0,58
likes that one, what’s it called … Aliens Attack. You seen it?”
Neil shook his head.
“And he likes quiz shows, and crosswords, and this kids’ cartoon, I dunno what it’s called, but all the food has eyes, and it talks, odd program, don’t know why he likes it, but he does. Oh, and he likes paella, but without the prawns, and he likes ice cream, and Malibu with cola and ice, with a little umbrella in the top.”
Neil blinked up at him, looking more and more unsettled. Romeo pursed his lips. “Any of that ringing a bell? No? Okay, how about you tell me something Chad likes.”
“Don’t—don’t kill me.”
“Don’t be so boring, answer my question.”
“Chad liked this house.”
Romeo looked around the room. “It is impressive if you’re into that…”
“He liked the gifts, the holidays, the take-out.”
“Come on, Neil, try harder than that. Give me something he really loved because it certainly wasn’t you.”
He frowned. “His dog, Toby.”
“Yes,” Romeo laughed. “Gold star to you. He loved Toby. The only thing Chad’s ever loved, until me of course…”
“He doesn’t love you.”
Romeo grimaced. “He kinda does…”
“What do you want?”
“You were the last person to see Chad.”
“He came to me for help.”
“Yeah, and you ratted him out to the police.”
“They were looking for him—”
“So you just gave him up, no fight…”
“What do you want?”
“Someone has him. They’re going to do horrible things to him, I need to find him before they do, understand?”
Neil didn’t say anything. Romeo nudged him with his foot. “I said, understand?”
“I understand.”
“Then talk me through when he came asking for help.”
Neil licked his lips. “He was agitated, stressed. He said he needed a place to stay while he sorted his head out. I said no, the police were looking for him. But he said I owed him for leaking the countdown killer to the press.”
“And exploiting his apparent death, let’s not forget that. Then what happened?”
“The police came around once looking for him, but he hid in the attic. They said he was dangerous.”
“Chad dangerous? No, I’m dangerous. This is what a dangerous man looks like, this is what a dangerous man does.” He said, gesturing to Neil bound on the floor.
“The news said he was the next countdown killer, and I panicked, phoned the police. They waited here for him, but he didn’t come back.”
“Come back? Where did he go?”
“I don’t know.”
Romeo stiffened. “You’re gonna have to do better than that if you want to live.”
“But I don’t know where he went. He was trying to work out who was behind the murders. I said he should turn himself in, they’d help him, but he didn’t listen, he just kept on talking about the case, the details, the crime scenes.”
“You’d think he would’ve learned not to trust you with information.”
“He always talked about the cases when we were together, said it gave him another perspective when I listened, when he was away from the station.”
“Then you betrayed his trust.”
“I think—I think he suspected someone.”
“Who?”
“He didn’t tell me, but he was rambling, then suddenly stopped, and looked at me.”
“Looked at you?”
“Yeah, like a long hard look.”
Romeo huffed. “Do you actually want me to kill you Neil?”
“I don’t know, okay? Like a look, a realization, then he got up, told me he’d be back later and left.”
“Typical Chad,” Romeo growled. “He went off to confront a serial killer on his own … again.”
Romeo downed the rest of his wine, then got to his feet. “If I had more time, and more energy, I’d probably kill you, not because I enjoy killing, and I do— but because you deserve it for selling out Chad like you did.”
“I—I regret what I did. I’m not in that place anymore. I’ve got a new job now, I just needed something to tide me over.”
“Tide you over?”
“Yeah. I only did it because I needed the money to make him happy.”
“No” Romeo said, walking closer, until his shoe rested against Neil’s face. “Not to make him happy, that’s your excuse. All of this is for you, not him. Isn’t that right?”
“Y—yes.”
Romeo hummed, pressing his foot down on Neil harder until he grunted. “You needed the money, so you betrayed your fiancé, the man you claimed to love.”
“I did love him—I do love him.”
“No, you didn’t, no you don’t.”
“What the hell do you know about it?”
Romeo leaned over, getting close to Neil’s face, close enough to see his fear with his functioning eye.
“I don’t know much, if anything, about love. It’s alien to me. If I’m honest, a little