Free Hollowed by Kelley York Page B

inside, seeing how my coworkers are.
    Oh, right. Ex- coworkers.
    Paul would not be super happy to see me. Not when the cops are still looking for me as a suspect in Sherry ' s disappearance.
    I tell all this to Algonquin, who listens with that silent intensity cats have when they ' re interested in something. Ears pivoting, gaze locked on my face. I look down at his head peeking out of my zipped-up jacket.
    " Maybe we should go back, " I say. " If Cole and Oliver wanted to stop me, they could have. I ' m still pissed at them, but they didn ' t mean to upset me. Did they? " Algonquin blinks his wide eyes slowly. I take that as a sign I should head back to the hotel.
    I ' m about to, anyway, when I sense someone. Well, of course I do — there are people in buildings all around me. But this is different. Familiar. Oliver.
    He steps outside of my bar across the road, shoulders squared, mouth drawn, that permanent crease between his brows. He spots me and some of the tension eases out of his stance. Hands buried in his pockets, he crosses the street to me. Us. Algonquin starts purring up a storm. As he approaches, Oliver has the grace to lower his eyes to the concrete guiltily.
    " Were you looking for me? " I ask.
    " We were worried. " He glances around in that paranoid way of his. " You ' re all right? "
    Sure. I am now, now that I ' m away from my stalkers. I shrug easily. " I ' m fine. "
    He squints, seeing right through me, but he doesn ' t push the issue. " I got this for you. " The first thing I see on the newspaper clipping he offers out is a picture of Sherry.
    " What is it? " But even as I take it, I have a pretty good idea. Her obituary. Her pretty face, date of birth and death, the names of the family members she left behind. No mention of how she died . Does this mean they found her body?
    Cold prickles under my skin and I shove the clipping into my pocket, looking away. " Her memorial service is tomorrow. "
    He nods slowly. " Will you go? "
    " Not very smart, is it? They all think I had something to do with it. " I don ' t like being held accountable for shit I didn ' t do, either. Especially not this. The idea that they think I ever could have hurt someone I loved as much as Sherry kills me.
    " Hasn ' t stopped you thus far, " Oliver points out. " It's a memorial service, not a funeral. She ' s a murder victim, so I doubt the coroner has released her body yet. It might not be the goodbye you ' re wanting anyway. "
    What would he know about what I want? I shrug it off and turn away, forcing back the anger and the resentment and everything else bubbling up insi de. Saying goodbye to Sherry... I can ' t do it. Not until I make Joel and Artie pay for what they did.
    Oliver sighs and touches a hand briefly to my back. " Walk with me . "
    I can ' t think of a real reason to say no. Even if I ' m not ready to entirely let go of my earlier anger, being near Oliver is probably where I ' m safest. He won ' t let the others hurt me. I lift one shoulder. " Lead the way, captain. "
    Oliver keeps at my side as we head down the street. The sound of his steps, the brush of his arm against mine now and again, accompanied by Algonquin ' s motor-boat purring...it ' s soothing. I try to imagine my life, just like this. Me, Cole, Oliver, Algonquin. Never seeing home again. Maybe starting a new home somewhere else. Would Cole and Oliver take me with them when they leave town? Or would they leave me here to fend for myself? No family, no friends.
    No Mom and Dad and Sherry. No Noah.
    We round the street corner and I blurt, " They know where my parents live. "
    Oliver slows. " What? "
    I pause a few steps in front of him but don ' t look back. " I went to my parents ' house today. They found me. "
    " The two from the park? "
    " No, the others. The ones that attacked me and Sherry. " It dawns on me we ' re heading down a path I ' ve taken way too many times before, one that ' ll lead us to the light rail station. And the bridge. A chill