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Chapter Fifty-Four
Point of View: Narrator

When Brian pulled into Nick’s driveway the next morning at 7:00AM, to make sure Nick was up and moving for Zoe, he felt his heart slow to a stop as the Jeep broke through the trees and the house came into view. A police cruiser was parked in front of the fountain, aiming towards the end of the driveway, a cop leaning against the outside of the car, arms folded across his chest, and waiting. The garage door was open, the red Camaro was missing. Brian stopped the Jeep and got out, feeling… surreal.

“Good morning,” called the officer, striding towards Brian, his hand extended. Brian shook it, “My name is Officer Theo Walters,” he held up a badge, “And I’m looking for Nickolas Carter.” He paused. “Do you know where he is?”

Brian shook his head, “I thought he would be here,” he replied. “What are you looking for him for?” he asked, his head spinning.

“I’m the investigator working on the death of Krystal Armaletto,” Officer Walters answered smoothly, “And I have some extremely important questions to ask of Mr. Carter.”



"What's the special occasion?" Kayla asked, sitting down at the kitchen table as Zoe stood at the stove, flipping a pancake. Maple syrup sat on the table.

Zoe turned around just as Nick wandered in behind Kayla, his eyes winced at the light and hair a mess. "It's hangover food," she replied, pushing one on a plate and dropping it in front of Kayla.

"Hangover food?" Kayla looked confused.

Nick bent down and whispered in her ear, "Yeah, its great hangover food."

Kayla jumped, "Oh my God, you scared me." She paused, then looked at Zoe, "You went and got him?" She looked at Nick, then back at Zoe again. Obviously she got him, that was stupid. "You didn't kill him?" She looked Nick over. All his limbs seemed to be there...

"Yes I did," Zoe replied. She was pouring more batter onto the hot pan. "How did you sleep?" she asked Nick.

Kayla was staring in disbelief between the two of them, wondering what the fuck? When she'd told Zoe about the drugs, her aunt had gone through the roof, and by the time left Zoe to go to bed the night before, Zoe had actually been contemplating giving Nick back the money and quitting as his driving instructor because she didn't want to see him again. She'd asked Kayla to forget him, and move on. Now, she was acting like the whole thing had never happened.

"Better after the water and Advil," Nick admitted.

Zoe smiled. "Good." She flipped the pancake and started humming.

Humming? Kayla couldn't take it anymore. "What the hell happened last night?" she wailed, "I'm so confused right now!"

Zoe glanced at Nick, Nick stared at Zoe. Zoe spoke first, "I found Nick in his car and he couldn't sleep there, so I brought him in here to the guest room, and we talked. That's all."

Nick nodded, "Yeah."

Kayla wondered if this confused what the fuck? feeling was what Nick had felt when he woke up the day before and she'd thrown the fit because he hadn't said I love you sober? If it was, she wondered why anyone would want to purposely forget so much and feel this confused for the rest of their day.

Zoe dropped the second pancake onto a plate and shoved it in Nick's direction before pouring a third onto the pan. "There's butter on the counter in the tupperware bowl there," she said, pointing.

Nick reached over and grabbed it and opened it up. Kayla took some from inside, too, after Nick had, and they took turns with the maple syrup as Zoe plated her own pancake and sat to join them. "I don't even remember the last time I had pancakes," Nick groaned around the first bite, "God, I always forget how much I fucking adore them."

Zoe smiled. She’d always been a sucker for people enjoying food; she’d always been a comfort-foods person anyway, and so seeing others be comforted by food likewise made her comforted. Nick was wolfing the pancake down and grinning. It made her feel good. And it’ll fatten him up a little, thought Zoe, God knows he needs it. She wandered back to the stove and started making more as the first ones were disappearing off the plates.

Upstairs, Nick’s cell phone was ringing for the fifth time in a row, displaying Brian’s smiling picture ID.



“I know he can't be too far, sir,” Brian was saying, sweat pouring down his neck. This is not the time to have your freaking phone off, Carter, he thought bitterly as he punched the speed dial for the sixth time. “I’m sure there’s an explanation for everything,” he added, “Including why the Camaro’s gone.”

“I’m sure,” Officer Walters answered in a way that told Brian he was anything but sure.

“He has an appointment at 8:00 with his driving instructor,” Brian explained, “And one at 9:30 with his therapist. That’s why I’m here.” The officer nodded, but didn’t answer and Brian felt increasingly more uncomfortable and started hopping from foot to foot in nerves. “Answer your phone, Nick,” Brian begged in a quiet sing-song voice into the phone, as Nick’s voicemail message asked him to ‘leave one for later’, “Now, please.”