Grace
Grace checked Facebook, scrolling through the feed. She stopped and read some of her friends’ posts then watched a few cute animal videos. As much as she wanted to dislike them, she found them mildly entertaining. Okay, a lot entertaining. She loved cute baby animals.
Settled on the couch, she waited for Mikey and Brayden. The garage door squealed its way open and closed. Her guys walked into the house thirty seconds later.
She went to them and hugged them one at a time. Brayden held onto her longer than usual, his smaller frame trembling against hers. “You okay?” she asked.
His voice faltered. “Y-Yeah. I…I’m not sure…”
“It’s okay if you don’t know how you’re feeling.”
He nodded.
“Get your jammies on, kid. Then come back out here,” Mikey told him.
Brayden slumped his shoulders and dragged his feet to his room.
“Is he okay?” she asked Mikey.
“Yeah. I think at first he’s like ‘cool, a dead body’, and now the reality has sunk in and it’s not cool like in video games.”
“That had to be traumatic for him.”
“It was for me, so I can imagine.” Mikey sighed deeply, rubbing his temples.
“Now what?”
Mikey shrugged. “Watch some funny TV and try and get the picture of that poor woman out of our heads.”
“Maybe we should take him to therapy or something?”
“He’s already in therapy, remember? His mom was murdered.”
Grace smiled crookedly. “I know that. More.”
“I’ll mention it to his therapist.”
She swallowed hard. “I think I might join him next session. This is the second murder in two months. I’m considering becoming a hermit.”
Mikey gathered her close to his chest. “Mind if we join you?”
Brayden came alongside them and wrapped his arms around their waists, sobbing quietly. The sound carried far enough to set Grace’s tears in motion too. All three of them held each other until Brayden broke the group hug. He went to the couch, grabbed the remote, and sat.
Mikey and Grace didn’t say a word when Brayden picked out Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day to watch for the millionth time.
* * *
Mikey
The movie had ended and hour or so before, yet all three of them remained on the couch. Grace sat right next to Mikey, holding his hand. Brayden slept at the end of the sofa with a blanket wrapped around him like a burrito, per usual. Grace often joked, calling him “burrito boy.”
Mikey’s cell rang. “Hey, Harry.”
“How’s Brayden?”
“Sleeping. But I think he’ll be all right.”
Harry stayed silent for an uncomfortable amount of time.
“Is there something you need or did you call to see how Bray—”
“And you?”
“Me what?”
“You doing all right?”
“Yeah, I guess. You’re not accusing me of murder yet. So I suppose I’m doing good.”
Grace elbowed Mikey in the stomach. “Stop teasing my dad.”
Mikey pulled the cell away from his mouth and whispered, “He deserves it.”
“Feeling guilty about something?” Harry said.
“I heard that,” said Grace, putting her face close to the phone. “You can knock it off too, Dad.”
Mikey snorted. “You got in trou-ble. Anyway, I take it you need something?”
“Cam’s address.”
“Why, do you think he has anything to do with this do—ah. You identified the body. Don’t tell me it’s that waitress.”
“Just got back from informing her father. Judge Merlow.”
“Oh, jeez.” Mikey took a deep breath. “He lives over the vape shop next to Ink Addiction.”
“You don’t seem surprised it was the waitress.”
“Not really. I can put two and two together. Saw him checking her out at Bray’s party. Him and Needles.”
Brayden worked his arms out of the blanket.
“Listen, I gotta go, let me know if you need anything else.”
Harry grumbled a goodbye and hung up first.
“I only heard bits and pieces. What was that all about?” Grace asked.
“Cam.”
She let her mouth hang open. “He’s a murderer now?”
Mikey shrugged.
“I don’t think he’s capable of that. He’s so sweet.”
“It is possible. I mean, he was right there when you got run off the road.”
“Yeah, but he helped me.”
Braydon sat up, yawning. “I’m going to bed.”
“Good idea, kid.”