Page 16 of Dream a Little Dream

A few snickers from the office had him sighing. Dr Legs or Dr Swoony. He wasn’t sure which he detested more.

“Funny, Gail.”

“Which student?” Gail grabbed a pen from a pot and ripped off a post it note. “We have an intern today. I can get her to rush over to Charlotte.”

“Aaron Jones. Forensic Psych. He’ll be in Charlotte’s group. Can you get her to bring him to me after?”

“Will do.”

Kenny went back into his office, leaving the door open. Liam was right. If Aaron wanted him to know something, he’d tell him. So he had to give him the opportunity to do so. And as he was quite the expert at worming things out of people who wanted to keep their sordid secrets hidden, he figured the best approach was to hash it out with him. One on one.

Hand on his mouse, he went to click out of Aaron’s file, but something caught his eye. He leaned closer. “Fuck me!”

“Excuse me?”

Kenny darted away. Gail stood at his doorway.

“Nothing. Sorry.”

“The Dean told me to remind you of the faculty meeting today at four. In person.”

“To remind me in person, or the meeting is in person.”

“The meeting is.”

“Why? Is IT down?”

Gail shrugged and scurried off.

Kenny went back to his screen.

Date of birth: September twenty-first, 2005. At least that made him nineteen. Not that it was any consolation. He was still twenty years too young. But it wasn’t the year that had Kenny’s alarm bells ringing.

Saturday had been Aaron’s birthday.

Another coincidence?

What would Carl Jung say about that?

For the next half an hour, Kenny pored back over the files from the case that had never left his mind. Like on Saturday, here he was again, the anniversary knocking on his door and making him return to the horror.

“Dr Lyons?”

Ah, no. It was Gail knocking.

At some point, Kenny had put his reading glasses on and he ripped them off at noticing the pink hair glowing behind his secretary. Why? Because it was an instinctive reaction. Along with his elevated pulse.

“Yes?” He threw the glasses on his desk and shoved all the files into his folder, where he should leave them be. Forever. It wouldn’t bring her back.

“Aaron Jones to see you.”

“Thank you, yes, bring him in.”

Aaron teetered out from behind Gail, bag slung over his shoulder, denim jacket and ripped jeans, scarf still wrapped around his neck. Thank fucking god for that. Kenny wasn’t sure he’d be able to maintain the levels of detachment required if he could see the indentations of his dental records on Aaron’s neck.

Gail left them alone.

“Could you close the door?” Kenny pointed a pen at the door.

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