Page 126 of Butterfly

Ollie waited for an explanation.

“It’s for the smell.”

“The smell?”

Captain nodded. “The smell of fire, smoke. It was starting to bother me. I don’t know how, but Jarvis could tell. I could smell it on Rory and Sebastian.” He shot Ollie a quick glance. “On you too.”

Ollie tucked his nose down to sniff himself. He couldn’t smell smoke.

“I think it’s more in my head than anything. Bad memories.” Captain spun the lid off the pot. “I didn’t think it would help, but rubbing it above my top lip is a great distraction.”

He swiped it across his skin to demonstrate.

“You get to breathe in Jarvis.”

Captain rolled his eyes. “I get tonotbreathe in smoke. Anyway…” He fixed the lid in place again and curled his fist around the pot. “How are you doing? Stupid question, I know.”

Ollie looked down at his hands. “I’m thinking… I’m thinking, what if Teddy gets angry?”

Captain’s brow folded. “Of course he’s going to get angry. One look at your face and we’ll all have to take cover.”

Harrison shifted in the driver’s seat, joining his angry colleague in shooting concerned looks in the mirror.

“No. I meant angrywithme.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Pichard’s dead.”

Captain pulled a face as if to say ‘And?’.

Ollie didn’t look away.

“From what Jarvis told me, he’ll be relieved.”

Ollie scrunched his eyes shut. “But he once cared about him, loved him even.”

“And then Pichard trapped, manipulated and isolated him. You’ve got nothing to worry about on that front.”

“It’s complicated, though. Caring for someone…and them changing, and hating the changed version of them, but still being able to remember the good times no matter how fleeting or far apart.”

Captain squeezed Ollie’s thigh.

“I just worry he’ll look at me differently, knowing I—”

The pressure on Ollie’s leg increased, and something flashed in Captain’s eyes.

Ollie wasn’t as good at lying as he thought he was.

Captain clearly knew Ollie had omitted a few key details.

“Knowing I’m the reason he fell. If it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t have been on that scaffolding.”

“He was the one who tookyouup there. Serves him right that he fell off the edge.”

Captain released Ollie’s leg, and Ollie resumed his pondering while gazing out of the window.

When they arrived at the station, it was after one in the morning. Harrison took Ollie over to the reception desk, explaining the situation to the woman on duty.

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