Page 69 of Good Boys Don’t Bite

Elliot laughed. He moved toward the staircase. Ronan watched him. Halfway there, Elliot stopped.

“What?”

Ronan looked at his shoes. Mud darkened the soles. Not unusual. Everything outside was mud right now. But a thin reddishbrown smear marked the outer edge of the left shoe. Ronan frowned.

“Your shoe.”

Elliot looked down.

“What about it?”

“You stepped in something.”

Elliot lifted his foot slightly. The smear had already dried.

“Probably mud.”

“Looks like clay.”

“So?”

“Nothing.”

Elliot looked at him. Ronan looked back. For a second, neither spoke. Then Elliot smiled.

“Coffee?”

Ronan sighed.

“Yeah.”

“I'll make it after I shower.”

“You already made coffee.”

“That one is probably disgusting now.”

“You made one cup?”

“Yes.”

“For yourself?”

“Usually how cups work.”

Ronan gave him the finger. Elliot grinned and disappeared upstairs. The shower started three minutes later. Ronan stood in the kitchen listening to water move through pipes. His gaze returned to the back door. Then the mug. Then the faint wet footprints Elliot had left across the floorboards. Completely normal. Nothing about any of it mattered. He knew that. Still, he picked up his phone and checked the weather. Sunrise had been at 6:23. Ronan looked toward the staircase. Elliot had come through the door at 6:42. If he'd been running for forty minutes, most of it had been in darkness. He closed the weather app.

“Stop.”

The word sounded stupid spoken aloud. Ronan tossed his phone onto the island. He was becoming paranoid. Mason Kerr had been murdered. Lucas Harper was missing. Bellweather had collectively lost its fucking mind, and apparently Ronan had decided to participate. Elliot went running. That was it. Nothing else. By nine fifteen, Merrick State had sent its own safety advisory. Ronan read it while sitting in the back row of Architectural Systems II pretending to care about load distribution. Merrick State University is aware of the ongoing investigation involving Bellweather University students and is coordinating with local authorities. Students are encouraged to remain vigilant when traveling between campuses. He deleted the notification. Thirty seconds later, Dylan texted.

DYLAN: cops want me to come back in

Ronan stared.

RONAN: why

The typing indicator appeared.