Burning Bright by Nick Petrie

Author:Nick Petrie
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2016-11-28T16:54:24+00:00

29

PETER

Peter poured coffee into a pair of white china mugs and stood examining the contents of the fridge. For some reason, he was starving. Then June sauntered out of the bathroom, opened the warm oven, and pulled out a white paper bag. The smell of chorizo and cinnamon filled the kitchen.

“Breakfast burritos and fresh churros,” she said. “There’s this great food truck at the end of my running route.”

He wondered if it was too early to propose.

Her face looked much better, the swelling down a great deal in the night and the bruises fading from purple to a greenish-yellow, which she’d covered expertly with makeup. They ate on the couch with napkins on their laps and a bag of ice on Peter’s ankle. He wanted to jump her all over again, but June, now dressed in dark blue slacks and a crisp white blouse, was all business.

“Here’s my plan for today. Let me know if you have any better ideas.”

“I have a better idea.”

She gave him a look. “This is work time,” she said. “Before we try to track down those guys from the redwoods, I think we should meet that lawyer, the one who contacted my mom.”

“Jean-Pierre Nicolet,” Peter said, nodding. “He’s a pretty heavy hitter. If we’re going to approach him, I’m going to need a decent suit.”

She looked at him, maybe trying to picture him in a suit.

“I’ll tell you my idea on the way.” He got off the couch. “I’ll meet you at the car in a few minutes. I want to do something before we go.”

The house’s six-color paint job glowed in the filtered light. Leo Boyle’s dented black BMW was gone from the driveway, so Peter didn’t bother knocking.

If he hadn’t known the key was there somewhere, he’d never have found it. Even knowing the general location, it took him a couple of minutes to find the chiseled-out hollow behind a loose piece of clapboard siding. Boyle had created a weirdly excellent hiding place.

Peter wondered why the kid had told him about the key. Maybe he’d thought Peter wouldn’t be able to find it. Maybe there was something else he was tired of hiding. Or maybe he was just stoned. The old lock turned more smoothly than Peter expected.

He stepped into a small landing with peeling paint and a few hooks for coats. Steep, narrow steps wound down to a darkened basement and up to a closed door that Peter assumed led to the kitchen. Peter had worked on a lot of old homes with his dad, and the layouts were usually pretty basic unless the owners had made significant alterations.

The space was small enough to set off the static, but Peter was starting to get used to the low level of discomfort, the pricking at the base of his brainstem.

Maybe Don was right. He could do this.

Then June opened the door behind him. “What the hell are you doing?” she hissed.

“Leo said he’d take a look at your laptop,” Peter said quietly. “Before he gets involved, I thought I’d take a look at him.

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