Chapter 27
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SEVEN
Rett
“Look for his murder locker.”
Of all the things Haz could have said when I told him I’d moved in with Hiro, that was the last thing on my list.
If I had a list.
I didn’t even know what a murder locker was.
Whatever it was, Haz seemed sure Hiro had one. Said Kieran kept his behind two secret doors. I was beginning to think I couldn’t keep up with Haz’s level of gossip.
So tell me why, instead of sitting at the dining room table and getting my work stuff in order, I was snooping through Hiro’s loft?
I glanced at the cell clutched in my hand—the phone Hiro insisted I keep with me.
Personally, I thought he needed to take it with him.
I mean, how was he going to call a car to get to Kieran’s?
When I asked him, he cackled like he had some secret.
I didn’t bother asking. One secret at a time, please.
Right now, the secret was a supposed murder locker. So… If I were a murder locker, where would I be?
What would I be?
Knowing what I knew about Hiro and Kieran, it was obvious a murder locker was something nefarious.
After wandering through the entire place, which was like four times the size of mine, I could say with absolute surety that there was no locker in here.
At least not the kind that they had at gyms and in subways.
Nope. No grungy metal box with a lock here.
As I said before, the place was pretty sparse. He had two rooms that had no furniture at all. I was going to ask him about that. I mean, why would you have this nice big apartment and barely have anything in it?
Also, Hiro had clearly lied when he said we didn’t have space for my bean bag and desk.
I think if I had an apartment like this and a bank account like Hiro’s, I’d probably have an abundance of stuff.
Hoarder level, really. But maybe that’s because I was used to having nothing, and the things I did have came from beneath dead bodies.
I think it would be nice to have all the stuff that made a house feel like home.
I’d definitely have lots of books.
I wandered through the main living area and past a large brown sectional across from the wall-mounted TV.
Before I could get too far, I doubled back and dropped onto my hands and knees, trying to ignore the ache in my wrists, fingers, and knees as I leaned down to look beneath the huge piece of furniture.
It was dark under there, so I clicked on the flashlight on the cell phone and aimed it beneath the narrow space. Nothing.
Giving up, I went back into the kitchen that was all exposed brick behind wooden cabinets and stainless-steel appliances that looked brand new.
There were a few open shelves with some plates, bowls, and glasses.
After snooping really well through all the cabinets, I went to the fridge for some water. Snooping made me thirsty.
I had a moment of guilt for meddling around Hiro’s apartment after he’d moved me in and confided in me about his past. Knowing what turned him into a ghost felt like I could finally see into walled-off places inside him.
Him trusting me enough to let me in was a big deal, so repaying him by searching his place was kinda diabolical.
Still, it wasn’t enough to stop me from wandering over to a large wooden door practically in the kitchen. I’d never seen a kitchen with a closet. After tugging it open, I stood there staring, surprised yet… not.
Hiro did love snacks. So I guess him having a massive pantry to put them in wasn’t that much of a shock. But wow, it was like he had his own personal bodega.
Inside was lined with shelves, not the flimsy wire kind either but thick wooden ones that floated right there on the walls. It was big enough to walk inside, and even if I closed the door behind me, I’d have space to move around.
The second I stepped fully in, a light clicked on overhead. He had a lot of lights around here that just came on when you got close enough. Like he couldn’t be bothered to flip a switch or turn on a lamp.
I glanced behind me, guilty, like somehow I’d been caught in the act.
Yes, Rett, caught in the act of looking at his snacks. Stupid.
The shelves were stocked with boxes of nuts, granola, and even Goldfish.
You know, those cheese crackers that look like fish.
I love those! Unable to resist, I leaned up to snatch a bag out of the box.
The bag crinkled as I tore it open, and the scent of cheddar rushed up my nose.
I tossed a few in my mouth and sighed happily. So good.
Still munching, I turned to the shelf behind me and let out a gasp at the entire row of candy. Twizzlers, Skittles, lollipops, M&M’s, and even Tootsie Rolls. Right next to that was a huge jar of popcorn kernels and a huge bowl.
He had other stuff too, stuff that was more boring. Protein powder, electrolytes, bottled water. For a guy who said he needed to get groceries, he seemed very stocked to me.
As I finished off the Goldfish, I noticed the walls were white like the rest of the place but somehow not the same. There was something different. Setting aside my empty snack bag, I leaned in to drag my fingers over the wall between the shelves.
It was textured. Like… wallpaper?
I thought wallpaper was ugly with giant flowers on it, and it peeled up at the corners. And you worried it would fall on you in the middle of the night and then you’d get smothered…
But no. This was definitely wallpaper. Because it was white, it wasn’t really as noticeable.
Why would a man who doesn’t decorate anything decorate his pantry?
Was he that passionate about snacks?
Furthermore, why would you take the time to decorate something only to make it blend in with everything else in the loft?
A lightbulb went off over my head.
Quickly, I tugged the phone out of my pocket and dialed Haz. Oh, I hoped Kieran didn’t answer. He’d totally know I was up to something.
“Did you find it?” Haz whispered the second he picked up the line.
“I think so,” I whispered back. Yeah, I was alone here, but it seemed important to whisper.
“Hang on a second,” Haz said quietly as air blew into the speaker as he moved. There was a thud and a quiet curse. “Stupid carpet,” he muttered and then went quiet again.
Seconds later, he blew out a breath and turned on what sounded like a spigot.
“What are you doing?” I wondered.
“Hiding in the bathroom.”
“Why?”
“Because they’re nosy, and this is good gossip.”
“Hiro is there?” I asked.
“Yeah, Doc is with him now.”
“Is he okay?”
“Of course he is. Now where’s the murder locker?”
“Well…” I hesitated, suddenly worrying. “I think it’s in the pantry.”
“The pantry?”
“Yeah, his house is pretty bare. Not many places to hide anything. I was pretty sure he didn’t even have a murder locker, so I came into the pantry to get a snack and noticed the walls in here are different.”
“Oooooh,” Haz sang. “It’s definitely a murder locker.”
“But I don’t see a door.”
“It’s there. Look for a latch or a button. Kieran’s is in his laundry room. I found it because the wallpaper peeled up a little.”
I guess wallpaper wasn’t just for nightmares, but it was good at hiding things too.
“Okay, hang on,” I said and got to work, looking for anything suspicious.
“Anything?” Haz asked after a minute.
“No,” I said, forlorn. “Wait!” I said, dropping onto the floor. “I see something.”
I crawled half under the lowest shelf, peering at the shape in the shadows. “Hang on,” I murmured, pulling the phone away and using the lit-up screen to see.
Disappointment crashed through me. It was just a Goldfish. I must have dropped it while I was chowing down.
“Ugh,” I exclaimed, closing my fingers around the fish to stand.
Thump! “Ow!” I howled as the back of my head slammed into the underside of the shelf.
“Rett?”
Hissing, I rubbed at my aching skull while backing out.
“Rett!”
Remembering Haz, I pulled the phone back up to my ear. “It was a stupid Goldfish,” I muttered.
Then I saw it. The wall had separated from itself. Like a door that had come slightly ajar. “The shelf,” I murmured.
“I’m dangling by a thread over here. What is going on?” Haz cried.
“I found it,” I announced as though this hidden door behind all of Hiro’s packs of nuts was the entrance to some sort of goldmine.
“Yesss,” Haz hissed. “How big is it? What’s in there? Does he have an Uzi? Ghost probably has an Uzi.”
Grasping the shelf, I tugged, and the door swung open on well-oiled hinges. The second it did, a light came on inside.
“Whoa.”
“I need you to take pictures,” Haz implored. “No. Don’t do that. Pictures are just evidence.”
It was like a closet within a closet, definitely of the locker variety. And it was lined with weapons.
“Just tell me if there’s an Uzi.” Haz went on.
“No.” I confirmed. “There’s no Uzi.” I wasn’t even one hundred percent sure what those looked like, but I knew Hiro enough to know he wouldn’t have one of those. “He is his own weapon,” I said, remembering what he’d said to Tommy.
Though, there were lots of different guns, all of them black. Some of them were small and some much more menacing-looking. There were also blades of all kinds, all of them with glimmering blades.
“There are these star-shaped things,” I murmured. “I think you throw them.”
“Cool,” Haz echoed.
“And a sword. Like the big ones they use in web comics!”
“What else?”
“Grenades. Some armor. Ooh, what is this?”
I grabbed a black baton-shaped thing off its shelf and pressed the button on the handle.
“Ahh!” I exclaimed, falling back as jolts of electricity shot out like bolts of lightning. Even after they disappeared, the device still crackled and buzzed.”
Realizing Haz was calling my name but seemed rather far away, I glanced around, realizing I’d fallen back onto my ass and the phone had skittered under a shelf of zip ties, matches, and cigarettes.
I thought he quit.
Haz was still yelling, so I grabbed the phone. “I’m here,” I said. “Sorry. I dropped the phone.”
“Oh my god, what happened?” Haz asked. “Did you shoot yourself by accident?”
“Wha—”
“What in God’s sake is going on in here?” Kieran’s loud voice cut me off. “Why is the sink running? Are you trying to run up the water bill?”
“I’m on the phone,” Haz said like he was inconvenienced and not at all intimidated by Kieran’s rage.
“Are you trying to cover up your voice? Who are you talking to?”
“No one—”
There was a scuffle, and then Kieran’s voice was in my ear. “Who is this?” he demanded.
“Umm, Rett.”
“Ghost!” Kieran bellowed.
I winced. “I have to go.”
“You hang up that phone and I will turn you into a before-and-after photo.”
“Kieran!” Haz yelled.
“Sit down before I tie you up,” he snapped.
“Why does it sound worse than a low-budget action movie in here?” Ghost’s voice joined the party.
“He threatened to turn Rett into a before-and-after photo!” Haz accused.
A heartbeat of silence.
Hiro’s voice was quiet. “We’ve talked about this, Vaughnn.”
Kieran didn’t seem the least bit intimidated even though the hair was standing up on the back of my neck. His voice was dry when he responded with, “He found your murder locker.”
“My what now?” Ghost asked.
“How did you know?” Haz was plaintive.
Kieran sighed. “Why else would you be hiding in the bathroom, flapping your lips like a politician during election season?”
“It’s giving cartoon character after too many espressos,” Ghost added.
Haz groaned and then totally tattled. “I think he hurt himself! I heard a loud zap, and then he yelled and there was a crash.”
To be fair, if I were trapped in a bathroom with two hitmen, I’d sing like a canary too.
My stomach twisted nervously, and I was suddenly sorry I’d eaten those Goldfish. He was going to be mad, wasn’t he? Big mad.
The line shuffled, and then Hiro’s voice was deep in my ear. “Pip? You hurt? What happened?”
“I’m fine,” I squeaked. “I, ah, found your taser.”
“Put it down!” he hollered. “Do you know how many volts that thing puts out? It has enough juice to reset your entire personality, and I like it the way it is.”
Oh. “You do?”
“You snooping through my house, Pip?” Hiro asked.
“I-I-I ate some Goldfish,” I blurted. “I’m sorry.”
“You like Goldfish, hm? I’ll get some more on the way home.”
“You aren’t mad?”
“Why would I be mad? It’s your house too,” Hiro said.
“But I found your murder locker.”
“You like it?”
I was confused. “What?”
“It’s cool, right?”
“I like the sword. It’s like right out of a book.”
He laughed softly. “Adorable.” But then his voice turned firm. “Don’t touch it. It will rearrange your guts. The only one allowed to do that is me.”
“TMI,” Kieran yelled.
“You’re the one who called me in here,” Hiro retorted.
“Is he okay?” Haz asked.
“Baby, tell Haz you aren’t shish kebab,” Hiro said warmly.
“Rett?” Haz said.
“I’m fine,” I promised. “The taser just startled me.”
“So what else is in there—Hey!”
“You lost your phone privileges,” Hiro quipped. Then, “Tell Doc I’ll be right there.” Into the line, his voice was more of a purr. “You miss me?”
I smiled. “Yeah.”
“You still wearing my clothes?”
“Yeah.”
“My guyyy.”
I giggled.
“I’ll be home soon.”
“I have to go sign in to work now,” I told him.
“Make sure you close up the murder locker first.”
“Okay.”
“You sure you didn’t hurt yourself?” he asked one more time.
“I promise.”
I pulled the phone down, but he called my name.
“Were you just about to hang up on me?” He was incredulous.
“Wasn’t the conversation over?”
“Phone rule number one…”
I groaned. What was he, some kind of rule connoisseur? More like bossy as hell.
“You don’t ever hang up until you tell me you love me.”
“What?” I burst out and then giggled again.
“I’m as serious as my grandmomma with her wooden spoon,” he swore. “That shit hurt for days.”
I laughed again.
“Don’t worry, Pip. I’ll always say it back.”
My fingers curled into the too-long sleeve of his hoodie.
“Your stomach fluttering again?”
How’d he know? “Yes.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“That’s the stuff.” He sighed. “You can hang up now.”
Before I did, I whispered, “Hurry home.”