Page 135 of Five for Silver

“What is it?” Chad asked.

“I booked us a little getaway.”

“We talked about this—in principle, itsounds great, but sneaking around a serial killer on a holiday willbe more stressful than it is relaxing—”

“It’s remote,” Romeo said, passing the phoneto Chad. “It comes with spectacular views.”

“It’s on a damn cliff top.” Chad said,widening his eyes. He scrolled through the pictures of a hugedouble bed overlooking the sea. The living room had a log fire, anda corner sofa perfect for cuddling up on.

“They allow one well behaved dog,” Romeoraised his eyebrow, “but Mercutio will have to do.”

“Merc’s perfectly behaved.”

“I can see sunflower seeds between histeeth…”

“Romeo, I … I don’t know,” Chad said. He satdown at the table.

“You need a break,” Romeo said. “We need abreak from this,” he gestured to the field. “A little time toreset, just be us. It’s got private access to the beach, there’snot another property for miles, and the key is in a lockboxattached to the house. It’s perfect.”

“It does sound good,” Chad admitted.

And it did. It sounded too good to be trueeven, a break where he wouldn’t have to acknowledge the world’shatred for him. He wouldn’t wonder about how close Josh was gettingto the truth, or think about how he was going to pursue Michael,who Chad was convinced had something to do with Harriet’sdisappearance.

A week of just him, Romeo, and Merc.

“Let’s do it,” Chad said softly.

Romeo beamed. “Here’s the plan. We fill thecar with everything we need, check in, then won’t leave the placeuntil our week is up. No TV. No phones—”

“No magpies.”

Romeo snorted. “No. No magpies,” he lookedout the window. “Not that there’s any here. I don’t know what’shappened to them.”

Chad scrolled through the pictures again. Heallowed a smile.

“So … when are we going?”

Romeo looked back at him. He leaned down tokiss Chad on the head. “Friday.”

“What would you have done if I’d have saidno.”

“Plan B was tying you up on thebackseat.”

“I’m glad it didn’t come to that.”

Romeo was about to reply, but paused at thesound from outside. The chuckle and chortle of magpies. He grinned,and pulled Chad from his chair.Romeo’s armssurrounded him, and held on tight. “We’re going to beokay.”

“I know,” Chad whispered.“I’m not sure what the magpies have to do with that,though.”

“They bring usluck.”

“More like headaches andthe fear of losing an eye to their claws.”

“Dramatic,” Romeo said,bopping him on the nose.

Chadrolled hiseyes. “Looks like the change of seed worked.”

“I didn’t change it,” Romeo murmured. “Justneeded your magic touch.”

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