Page 92 of Noble Neighbor
And the only plausible reason he could come up with was that the notoriety of him being linked to a serial killer could put her in the spotlight.
But he and Clement would’ve gladly gone with them. They could’ve all started afresh somewhere else.
Now all he had left was her lingering scent and a house full of memories.
And the hens, Oliver. Don’t forget Henrietta and her coop mates.
Strange how such an arbitrary thought could unleash a barrage of emotion, and the hurt he’d held in since Sunny left finally found an escape.
Oliver released a guttural cry, unable to stop the torrent oftears that followed, and turned his head into the pillowto muffle the sound as he wept.
*
Oliver tried to swat away the irritating buzz in his ear, but it persisted, and he pushed himself upright. It took a few moments for him to realize he’d fallen asleep. Crying like a baby. On Sunny’s bed.
“Fuck,” he muttered, swinging his legs off the side. He gripped the edge on the mattress and dropped his pounding head to his chest, heaving a weary sigh.
And there was that annoying buzz again.
Oliver turned his head toward the sound. A phone? But before he could locate the sound, it stopped.
Then.Bzz-zz. Bzz-zz.
The bed. It came from the bed.
Oliver leaped to his feet and ripped the duvet off.Clunk. He lunged across the mattress and off the other side. Disappointment filled him as he viewed the black object lying against the wall. It was only a travel alarm.
Bzz-zz. Bzz-zz.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” On all fours, he crawled across the floor and grabbed the alarm. It took him a moment to realize what he held in his hand was not an alarm but an old flip phone.
He opened the phone, located the answer button, and pressed it. His heart pounded nineteen to the dozen in his chest.
“Finally!” roared a male voice.
“Hello?” Oliver croaked. He cleared his throat, trying thegreeting again. At least his second attempt sounded human.
“Who the fuck are you?” This time the man growled.
It took Oliver a beat to respond. “Who the fuck areyou?”
“Where’s Sunny?”
“I don’t know,” he yelled.
It was silent for so long Oliver held the phone away, thinking the call had disconnected. But no, it was still active. “Who am I talking to?”
“Who wants to know?” asked the stranger.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Oliver huffed. “My name is Oliver. I just found this phone in my girlfriend’s bedroom. Mymissinggirlfriend. It rang. I picked it up. Now, who the fucking hell are you?”
“Sunny’s missing?”
“That’s what I said, moron. And I’m looking for answers,else I’d hang up on you. But as you might have the fucking answers I need, I’m willing to have this fucking conversation with you. Now, I’ve given you my name, so who the fuck are you?”
“I’m Aleck. When did Sunny leave?”
Aleck. Oliver groaned. Of course it had to be fuckingAleck. But Aleck was a friend, not a foe, of Sunny’s.
