Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
The following day, Dave worked from home.
Things were too unbalanced for him to feel comfortable going into the office an hour away.
Oliver didn’t have classes on Thursdays, so Dave let him sleep in, keeping quiet as he moved around the apartment.
He made a large omelet, stuffing it with green pepper, onion, chopped-up deli ham, and cheddar cheese.
After cutting it in half, he moved one to another plate and set both on the table.
Adding two large mugs filled with coffee, he went to the bedroom and eased the door open.
Oliver was sitting up in bed, glasses on and swiping through his phone. He smiled and set it on his bare chest.
“Hi.”
Dave kissed the top of his head. “Good morning. I made breakfast.”
“You are the most amazing fiancé.”
“I bet you say that to all your fiancés.”
Oliver thought a moment. “You’re right I do.” He threw the covers aside and got to his feet. Standing on his toes, he gave Dave a kiss. “But with you, I mean it.”
“I’m overcome with gratitude.” He tugged his hand. “Come on, it’s getting cold.”
Dave returned to the kitchen. A short time later, Oliver joined him, dressed in joggers and a t-shirt.
“Thank you for breakfast.”
“You’re welcome. You’ve had a very stressful return to college.”
“That’s for sure.”
They ate in silence for a time. Oliver was even more quiet than usual since the mummy incident, often staring off into space. A few times, Dave had had to repeat himself, and when they ate something late the night before, Oliver had really only pushed his food around.
“Have any epiphanies overnight?”
“About the missing mummy or the murder?” Oliver shook his head. “There’s a sentence I never expected to say in my lifetime.”
They laughed together. Oliver took another bite and chewed thoughtfully. “The theft and the murder have to be connected somehow. It’s too coincidental not to be.”
“I agree. But who and why?”
“The age-old question.”
“Think anyone else on the team will talk with you? What about Vera? The way you said Dr. Brennan treated her, it sounds like she could have a good reason to hold a grudge.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
Dave hesitated. “What are you thinking about?”
Oliver set down his fork. He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. When he put his glasses on again, he met Dave’s gaze. “What if I caused something to happen because I…touched it?”
“Hey, you can’t take any of the blame for this, okay?”
“Yeah.” He picked up his fork again but didn’t take a bite.
“I’m serious, babe. None of this is your fault.”
“Even if I…” Oliver shrugged and wrinkled his nose. “Woke it up?”
“Yes, even if your touch woke it up. You didn’t do it on purpose, and you were helping out the team.”
“I know.” He shuddered. “I can still feel it on my fingertips sometimes.”
“It sounds really gross. Is that what’s been on your mind?”
Oliver blushed. “You’ve noticed?”
“Like it or not, I know you.”
“I like it.” Oliver’s smile was small but relieved.
“Good.” Dave lowered his voice. “Was there any kind of reaction that you could tell?”
“Like movement?”
“That, or maybe a spark or something?”
“No, nothing like that. I just felt the bandages and the bone underneath.”
“Which bone was it?” Dave made a face. “Was it his…?”
“No!” They laughed quietly together before Oliver continued.
“It was his forearm because I was up around his shoulders. Vera took samples of whatever got all over us, so I do want to talk with her and see if she figured out what it was.” Oliver took a long drink of coffee.
“And I’d also like to talk to Samira about the scroll that had been sealed in with the mummy.
Maybe it contains information that could at least explain why someone stole the body. ”
“You’re treating this like a typical Parson’s Hollow monster case and planning a lot of your own investigation,” Dave said. “Just remember the Glenmont police don’t know you like Lucia does. You’ll need to be more careful.”
“I know. I won’t get carried away. And I realize I shouldn’t get too wrapped up in it all, but…” Oliver shrugged.
“But you were questioned by the police and now you feel a driving need to prove your innocence and figure out what’s really going on.”
Oliver stared at him, speechless.
“Like I said, I know you, my love.”
“Jeez. I don’t think even I considered it quite like that.”
“Am I wrong?” Dave asked.
“Well…no. But that doesn’t mean I have to like hearing it.”
“It was said with love.”
He still looked a little stunned. Dave carried the plates and flatware to the sink. “What are your plans for the day?”
“There’s no wedding stuff that needs to be done, is there?”
Dave smiled as he shook his head. “We’re all caught up for now.” Oliver wanted to marry him, he knew that, but he wasn’t the best when it came to checking off boxes on a list.
“I was thinking of going to campus and see if I can track down Vera or Samira.”
“I wish I could go with you, but I have some important meetings today.”
“It’s okay. I know Robin has classes today, so they should be somewhere around campus.”
“Good. I like Robin. They seem really genuine.”
“They are. Leans in a bit too hard on the caffeinated beverages, but a good person all around.”
“One word of advice, if I may?” Dave said as he rinsed the plates.
“Of course.”
He shut off the water and turned, leaning back on the edge of the sink. “Stay out of Dr. Brennan’s way.”
Oliver nodded, wide-eyed. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”
“Good. Now, come here and give me a kiss before you head out.”
“Sir, yes sir!” Oliver said with a smile. He put his arms around Dave’s neck and delivered a firm, hot kiss.
Dave was a little breathless when Oliver broke their embrace. “Sure you don’t want to stay home? My meetings aren’t back to back.”
“Let’s wait until later so we can take as much time as we want.”
Oliver kissed him again, gave Dave’s already stirring cock a quick squeeze, and then left the kitchen. Dave hung his head and blew out a breath before he resumed cleaning up. It was going to be a very long work day.
The parking lot Oliver favored was full.
He drove to the other side of campus and prowled two other lots before a space opened up.
He sent a text to Robin letting them know he was going to try to locate Vera.
Grabbing his bag from the passenger seat, he got out and set off for the Earth Sciences building.
It was another amazing spring day. The warm sunshine, flowers blooming in well-tended beds, and trees with full canopies of leaves made it seem as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on.
He wasn’t familiar with this part of campus, so he paused to get his bearings.
Cutting over to the sidewalk behind the Engineering building might shave off some time.
A cluster of trees lined the sidewalk. The building to his right blocked the morning sun, and the trees crowded close on his left made the day feel more threatening than a few minutes before.
Something moved within the trees behind him.
Oliver stopped in his tracks and turned. He clutched the strap of his bag with both hands as he scanned the shadows between the trunks. Nothing moved.
A cold shiver ran through him, and gooseflesh rose on his neck.
He resumed walking, his steps quicker.
Another sound from the trees. Had it been closer this time?
Resisting the urge to look back, he picked up his pace even more. His hearing was cloudy from the blood pounding in his ears. Someone—or something—could be coming up right behind him, and he wouldn’t hear it.
The warmth of the sun found him the moment he cleared the building’s shadow.
He went another dozen or so steps before stopping to turn back.
No one was behind him. Farther down the empty sidewalk, a squirrel scampered from the trees to the safety of bushes along the side of the Engineering building.
He took a couple of deep breaths as his pulse slowed. It had just been a squirrel, nothing more.
But whatever he’d heard had sounded larger.
He resumed walking, dropping one hand to his side but the other still gripped the strap across his chest. The sunshine seemed a touch cooler than before.
His phone vibrated, startling a gasp out of him. He slid it from his pocket and read the text from Robin. They’d written in all caps like some kind of angry online poster.
DOMINIC IS DEAD!! DETECTIVE CARTER IS LOOKING FOR YOU!!
Oh, shit.
He had to think a moment to recall Dominic. The man had been thin and edgy, with messy blond hair and a beard that didn’t quite fill in. He’d been young. Younger than Lucien.
“Mr. Berridge.”
Oliver jerked his head up. Officer Montroig stood a few feet away, hands on his duty belt. Any trace of friendliness from the day before was gone. He watched Oliver closely, eyes sharp and expression still.
“Oh, hello. Hi, Officer Montroig. How are you?” Oliver winced as he said it.
“Detective Carter has been trying to find you today.”
“Oh? Well, it’s not my usual class day. I’m going to do some research and—”
“Can you come with me?” Officer Montroig gestured in the direction Oliver had been headed.
“Yeah, sure. Of course.”
Oliver’s mind spun. Each step he took felt more like a stomp. His brain wanted to dissociate, to float up above his body in a mental balloon and not deal with any of this craziness at the moment. But he needed to stay alert. Any slip-up speaking with Detective Carter could land him in jail.
His phone buzzed again. Oliver ignored it, focusing on his breathing and counting his steps.
When they reached the quad framed by the Earth Sciences and Communications buildings, he saw Detective Carter and Beryl sitting on a bench, talking.
When they were a few yards away, Carter noticed them and stopped mid-sentence.
Oliver’s heart beat even faster. His brain tried to drift away, but he kept it in check, taking note of the sights and sounds around him: birds overhead; the rustle and chitter of squirrels in the trees; the sound of a loud muffler out on the main road; a young woman’s bright laughter.
“Mr. Berridge, good to see you,” Carter said. “You’re saving me a drive to Parson’s Hollow.”
“Oh?” Oliver looked at Beryl. Her face was drawn, and tears shimmered in her eyes. “Are you okay?”
Beryl sniffed and shook her head. “Did you hear?”
“No, I just got here. Hear what?”
“Dominic’s dead,” Beryl said.
“What?” Oliver could feel both Detective Carter and Officer Montroig watching him, and he hoped his reaction seemed genuine. “What happened?”
“Where were you last night, Mr. Berridge?” Carter asked.
“Me? I was home with Dave.”
“You weren’t here on campus playing amateur detective?”
Oliver glanced at Beryl. She blushed and dropped her gaze.
“My fiancé and his brother drove Robin and me back to get my car. Since we were here, we wanted to try and find out more about what happened, so Robin texted Beryl, and we met up with her in one of the upstairs classrooms.”
“Where you proceeded to grill her about the team,” Carter said.
“Grill her? No, we did nothing of the kind. We just asked her some questions, that’s all.” He looked at Beryl. “Come on, we didn’t force you to answer anything. We just wanted to understand what the hell was going on.”
“Or you wanted to know how much of a case we had against you.” Carter got to his feet. He was big and imposing as he stared down at Oliver. “How about we take a trip to the station for a chat?”
“Do I need a lawyer?”
The detective’s smile was cold. “I’m not permitted to tell you yes or no. You are welcome to call a lawyer once we get to the station. But for now, I’d appreciate it if you’d come with me.”
Oliver swallowed hard. “Can I drive myself?”
“I think it’ll be better if you just ride with me.” He gestured toward the parking lot. “My car is right this way.”
He couldn’t do anything but nod and fall in step beside the detective. This was an absolute shit show of a situation. How the hell was he going to get out of this?