Alex Barclay - Harm's Reach

Because if it was, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. We have never had that conversation where I tell you that I worry about you. I could barely look at your plate.

Robbie came back.

‘Did I miss anything?’ he said. ‘Janine — did you order some actual food?’

No. No. No. Stop. Stop.

‘I was here for lunch, Robbie, eating a pizza that was twice the size of your girl-pizza.’

He smiled. ‘Well, I don’t know where you put it,’ he said.

‘It’s right here,’ she said, patting her stomach, ‘providing an absorbent landing spot for my beer. Would y’all like to come back to my place?’

‘I’d like that, but I’ve got to get going,’ said Robbie. ‘I hope you don’t mind.’

‘Um, we came in my Jeep,’ said Ren. And I do not want to leave for some clean-liver.

‘Stay over,’ said Janine. ‘I’ll drop you in to the city tomorrow.’

Ugh. Six thirty! To evil arch-enemy, Batman!

‘I shall get a cab in the morning,’ said Ren. She handed her keys to Robbie. ‘And you, go, enjoy whatever poor substitute of a night awaits you.’

‘Thanks, Ren,’ said Robbie, ‘you’re sure this is OK?’

‘Yes,’ said Ren. ‘Allow me to walk you to your vehicle...’

She gave Janine a meaningful look.

Ren put her hand on the door of the Jeep before Robbie had a chance to open it. He turned around to her.

‘OK,’ said Ren. ‘This may not be quite the right time, but you have got to tell me what the hell is going on. I am freaking out. It’s like, “Where is my Robbie gone?” You’re like—’

‘My parents split up,’ said Robbie.

‘What?’ said Ren. ‘ Your parents? When?’

‘Over the holidays...’

‘The Christmas holidays? It’s frickin’ May ! Why didn’t you tell me?’ What kind of friend am I?

‘I was embarrassed,’ said Robbie. ‘You know how I talk about them. And I hoped they might get back together.’

‘What happened?’ said Ren. She held up a finger. ‘You don’t have to answer that. But how are you? How are they?’

‘My mom is devastated. My father is... well, I think he’s had some extra-marital...’ He shrugged.

‘I’m so sorry to hear that,’ said Ren.

‘They hadn’t been... intimate... for years,’ said Robbie. ‘My mother felt the need to tell me that, which didn’t help...’

Intimate... creepiest word on the planet.

‘I thought he was so in love with her,’ said Robbie. ‘And, really, he was just... well, I don’t know. I feel like they sold me a lie. I bought into this idea of true love. I mean, you know me.’

‘But true love exists,’ said Ren. ‘It does. If your parents are anything like you’ve said they are, they did love each other. It was love. It is love.’

‘Can you love someone and lie to them every day of your life?’ said Robbie.

‘I... I don’t know,’ said Ren, ‘but... yes, I do believe that there are all kinds of love.’

‘But my mother thought it was real, romantic love... all kinds of love. She was tricked. And my dad had the outward appearance of the perfect family with the choirboy son.’

‘I’m so sorry,’ said Ren. They hugged for a long time.

‘Thanks,’ he said.

‘Why didn’t you tell me sooner?’ said Ren.

‘We were busy, then you met Ben...’

‘There’s Ben and me,’ said Ren, ‘but way before that, there’s always been you and me.’

And I will kill you if you make Ben stand in the way of that.

‘I know,’ said Robbie. ‘I know.’

Sad face.

Janine was waiting in the doorway when Ren got back.

‘What was that all about?’ she said.

‘Nothing — just Robbie’s been a little weird and I wanted to see had I done anything to offend him...’

‘And...?’ said Janine.

‘No, he’s got family stuff going on,’ said Ren. ‘And that, Detective Hooks, is about the only thing I got to the bottom of today.’

‘Tell me about it,’ said Janine. ‘So... want to look at those résumés?’

‘Oh, yeaaah,’ said Ren. ‘Check it out, people — we know how to party.’

Janine rented a cute two-bedroom apartment off Main Street in Golden.

‘It’s like walking into a hug,’ said Ren.

‘Aw, thank you,’ said Janine.

‘But it is,’ said Ren. ‘It’s just warm and cozy and old-school. I hate that bachelor minimalism crap. Unless it’s a hotel...’ For having sex in all night.

‘Wine or beer?’ said Janine.

‘Red, please,’ said Ren.

Janine came out with a glass of red wine and a beer and put them on the table. She pulled the pile of case notes out of her bag.

‘OK — twenty-three for you, twenty-four for me.’

‘No,’ said Ren, ‘give me an even number — twenty-six, twenty-four, twenty-two...’

‘You’re such a weirdo,’ said Janine. ‘Take twenty-two. I’m an expert in these...’

‘Never make anything sound even remotely competitive,’ said Ren.

Janine laughed. ‘It would be no different if they were your files. Except more of yours would be solved.’

‘Dead witnesses, obsolete phone numbers, undocumented people, vagrants, women listed only under their husbands’ names, perished evidence, botched autopsies, and on and on... the odds, Miss Hooks, are ever in my favor.’

‘Aw,’ said Janine.

‘Now, go, go, GO...’ Ren slapped her palm down on her pile of résumés. ‘Wait!’ she said. ‘How tenuous are we going, here?’

‘It’s a blunt instrument,’ said Janine, ‘but... let’s see... we have Laura Flynn: Irish, from Waterford, lives in New York, was staying recently in Golden, Colorado. If New York/Waterford/Ireland/Conifer is mentioned — or hinted at — anywhere on that one page, it’s in.’

‘Do not forget that the Princes “summer” in the Hamptons...’

‘We’ll throw it all into the mix,’ said Janine.

They began to read through the pages and the details that Janine had extracted for the résumé: name, age, occupation, status of the case (missing person/homicide), last-known address, last confirmed sighting, last unconfirmed sighting...

‘We forgot to include Chicago,’ said Ren. ‘If Laura Flynn was on a mission to Chicago, then returned here with more information to call you...’

‘Our net is being cast wide...’ said Janine.

They began again.

‘These ones make me sad,’ said Ren, holding up a page that was mostly blank.

‘I know,’ said Janine. ‘Needs-a-miracle.com.’

Ren and Janine kept reading, drinking and stopping for chats. Two hours passed and there were two piles: of thirty-two and fifteen.

‘Thirty-two possibilities,’ said Janine. ‘Hmm.’

‘I was kind of expecting a major cull,’ said Ren. ‘Like, a slaughter.’

‘And we haven’t even reached stage two yet,’ said Janine. ‘The actual reading of thirty-two case files.’

‘I have marked stars on some of mine, though,’ said Ren. ‘Those with that something extra that made my ears prick up.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me that? I could have done stars.’

‘Well, go back over yours tomorrow,’ said Ren. ‘The girl scout murder at The Flying G... that’s a hard one to ignore.’

‘I did mention that three hundred people were interviewed for that...’ said Janine.

‘You did,’ said Ren. ‘I’m interested in the staff, and the girls in the tents close to where Peggy Beck’s body was found. And “drifters”. I love a drifter.’

‘There is no way you can get away with talking to anyone about this right now,’ said Janine.

‘Ah, but I’m on excellent terms with the cold case detective,’ said Ren.