Anger sunk its teeth in. White-hot rage seared through his tense body. Mason hurled the shovel into a nearby pile of tires, hearing it clang as it bounced off and struck an abandoned kitchen appliance. Rodents scurried in fear.
“Goddamn it!” he yelled.
“Will you keep your voice down?”
Mason jerked a finger right at him. He wanted to hit this guy more than ever before in his life. Everything bad that had happened in the past few years somehow came back to him, and Mason wanted to see him suffer for it. But he just couldn’t. Bill had always had a charm that nobody could explain. It wasn’t a raw attraction—more of an endearing naivety. All the same, those old feelings of anger stirred back up in him.
They went to the cars. Mason crossed his arms across the roof of his Mustang and sunk his head into them. Exhaustion and helplessness were making him dizzy, swirling multiple colorful patterns even under his closed eyes. He also had closed fists, and his heart was no longer open for business. All he wanted was Diane.
In time, Bill collected the shovels, returned them to his trunk, then came back to stand at Mason’s side. His presence was known as always, but he didn’t say or do anything to intrude on the peace Mason was trying desperately to find.
Until he opened his mouth.
“What do we do now?” he asked.
Mason looked up and stared through the haze of fatigue. “We study. What else is there to do? Seeing as the police can’t help us because of your stupid goddamn lie.”
“I just didn’t know how to tell you.”
“With words, Bill. Like an adult.”
“There’s no need to condescend.”
Mason exhaled in a long, drawn-out breath. He closed his eyes again as he inhaled deeply, trying to maintain his calm. Finally, he opened his eyes and turned toward his old partner. “I need to be alone for a while.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Yes. You need to go be a cop, and I need to…” It disturbed him to realize how much he had to do. He had to find MJ and be a father. He had to keep Evie, Amelia, and Kylie safe. But how could he expect to do any of that while Diane was out there somewhere just waiting to become the next obscene proof of superiority from a madman’s twisted point of view?
“You need to what?” Bill asked.
“Just go,” Mason said, reaching for the car door. “I’ll be busy for a while.”