By the start of April, Osian had completely recovered from his concussion. He’d only stayed in the hospital for one day. They’d released him when all the brain scans came back clear—a great relief to everyone involved.
The police had been busy completing their investigation. They’d had a lot of questions for both Chris and Osian. He’d almost lost his temper being asked the same things in twenty different ways.
After a week or so of being home, Osian had set up their recording equipment. He wanted to get back into the flow of podcasting. They might lose some of their audience if they maintained radio silence for too long.
Instead of covering recent murders in and around London, they went into as much detail as possible about their own recent experiences. Detective Inspector Khan had even volunteered to answer questions on air. It had been their most listened-to episode.
“I’m Danny. He’s Osian. This has been another episode of our London Crime Podcast. Be sure to say tuned next week when we interview an expert in personal security for tips and tricks to keep yourself safe.” Dannel closed out the hour of talk. He grabbed the bottle next to his notebook for a drink while Osian focused his attention on wrapping up the recording correctly. “Much better than D and Oz.”
“Not as hip.” Osian grinned at him. “Still can’t believe the spymaster agreed to be interviewed.”
“Are you ever going to stop calling Chris spymaster?”
Since essentially helping him rescue himself, Chris had become a much closer friend. Abra definitely approved. She’d been overly concerned about his health, much to their amusement.
“You didn’t see him slip out of those cuffs. I’m telling you, he’s some undercover agent.” Osian made sure to save a backup of their recording. He preferred to keep two copies when he worked on editing to avoid a catastrophe. “Our own Jason Bourne. Or Sam Fisher.”
“Chris wasn’t a government experiment. You’re not allowed to play Splinter Cell anymore.” Dannel shook his head and laughed. “How’s the head?”
He counted to ten silently to keep from getting annoyed. Dannel had asked him the same question at least five times each day since he came from the hospital. “I’m fine. Not even the hint of a headache.”
On the one hand, Osian understood the concern. Dannel struggled reading his expression and body language. His only way to make sure Osian was actually okay would be to ask questions.
So, Osian understood. And he did his best to never show frustration. Dannel didn’t need to feel bad for being a loving boyfriend.
“Are you ready for court next week?”
Osian heard the hesitance in Dannel’s voice. “As ready as I can be. I suppose Georgina and Joel have more reason to be anxious. I’m a victim and a witness. It’s their lives at stake.”
“Myron wants to go.”
Osian tried not to react. He’d been staying out of it while Myron continued to attempt to rebuild his relationship with his son. “And?”
Dannel lifted his shoulders slowly. “I don’t know. He’s trying.”
“We can’t stop him from attending court.”
“He asked.”
Osian appreciated the man being respectful enough not to add unnecessary stress to their lives. “It’s up to you, love. I’m not bothered one way or the other.”
“I’ll think on it.”
They’d been kept somewhat informed of the police investigation. Detective Inspector Khan had checked in on them several times since Osian’s release from the hospital. He’d come over to share a takeaway with them along with joining them on the podcast.
He was a friend. A stingy one, since he refused to give them all the details of the case. He had told them the villainous duo had been officially charged with Gemma’s murder.
Their laptop had been returned the day Osian came home from the hospital. The detectives had retrieved two computers from Joel’s place. It had been Georgina’s account sending the messages, however.
Osian thought both of them had likely taken turns writing the emails. He didn’t care, aside from being thrilled they’d stopped. “Archie’s finally responded to our panicked texting.”
“Finally?” Dannel paused in the middle of filling the kettle for tea. “Is he okay?”
“Perfectly fine. Confused as to why he had a million text and voice messages.” Osian joined him in the kitchen. He leaned against the fridge. “Abs thinks we should throw a welcome home party for him. Maybe also use it as a celebration of life for Gemma.”
“Here?” Dannel queried hopefully.
“We’ll stick with the first responder cosplay group then. Maybe Chris to keep Abs happy. Plus, we can take the mickey over their adorable romance.” Osian had anticipated Dannel wanting to stay close to home. He’d already begun to make plans with Abra and Evie. “Love?”
“Don’t.”
One of the more tangible impacts of their encounter with two killers had been Dannel’s increased desire to isolate. He hadn’t even gone to the station once since Osian had come home from the hospital. They’d become hermits.
Chief Wilson had come by to see them. Dannel had talked with the man for a while. He’d essentially transitioned from full-time to a volunteer position, helping around the station instead of going out on calls.
They hoped it would greatly reduce Dannel’s stress.
Dannel grabbed the edge of the counter, leaning forward with his head down. “When we go outside, all I can picture is someone grabbing you and me finding you dead on the ground.”
“Anxiety can be a right wanker.”
“It’s not like when we went out on our shifts and I knew you or I might face difficult and dangerous moments. But it came with the territory of being a first responder.” Dannel didn’t move when Osian stepped up behind him. “I can’t quit thinking about you passed out on the basement floor.”
“It’s okay, love.” Osian wrapped his arms around Dannel and rested his head against his back. “We’re going to get through this together.”
He had no doubts they would. They’d comfort each other through the continued nightmares. He fully believed they’d heal from the trauma of his kidnapping and their multiple near-death experiences.
“And Ian.”
“What?” Osian stepped away when Dannel moved out of his arms to grab the kettle. “What about Ian?”
“Let’s invite him to the party,” Dannel clarified. “He loves theatre, and our dinners always devolve into musical sing-alongs.”
There had been three major changes in their lives after his kidnapping. Dannel had hermitted, Osian had become even more obsessed with true crime, and they’d taken even better care of their neighbours. They checked on Ian daily even though he’d made a full recovery.
“When’s Archie coming home?” Dannel swirled the water around in the teapot. “Grab the biscuits?”
“He’s already home, actually. Wondered if we wanted to see him before the madness of a party.” Osian picked through the packets to find the half-eaten bag of Custard Creams. “He apparently met a guy while on his hike through wherever he was. Another adventurer. They came back to London together. His mum doesn’t approve.”
“Why?” Dannel peeked over his shoulder to look at his phone screen. “Tell Archie to come over. He can bring a pizza.”
“We’re having tea.” Osian spoke around the two biscuits he’d shoved into his mouth. He coughed crumbs when Dannel poked him in the side. “What?”
“Aren’t paramedics consumed with cleanliness?” He dropped a cube of sugar into one of the mugs of tea and slid it toward Osian. “Text Archie. See if he wants to come over this evening. We can throw him a party on the weekend.”
“You just want all the gossip about his new boyfriend.”
“Don’t you?”
“True.” Osian sent a quick text, then caught Dannel by his shirt to drag him over for a kiss. “I love you.”
Dannel carefully set his tea on the counter to avoid scalding either of them. “I love you too. I’m not letting you have my biscuit.”
“Selfish prat.” Osian dragged his fingers across Dannel’s jaw. “Still love you.”
***
Craving more mysteries? I have a few for you to be checking out. Meet Motts and the quirky cast of characters in her world. Poisoned Primrose is a quintessential cosy British mystery and an all-round fun story to throw yourself into.
You won’t want to miss out on reading my Grasmere Cottage Mystery trilogy. With love, wit, and a murder to solve, life for Valor and Bishan is about to get bloomin' complicated in this sweet gay romance.