Free Heartless by Leah Rhyne Page A

off. After the phone, we hadn’t found anything more interesting than some gum wrappers, cigarette butts, and beer cans. “DNA check?” Lucy said, holding up an empty can of Bud Light.
    “No. Nobody who could do this would have such terrible taste in beer.”
    We laughed together, a low, comfortable sound. We both tried to make light of the situation, even though we both knew how serious it was. There was a fine line between laughter and tears, and we skirted it constantly. Or, well, Lucy did. I couldn’t cry, so laughter was my only option. That said, there was little to do but keep on moving, so we headed up to see Eli. It was time to get Lucy in out of the cold and to find out what, if anything, Eli knew.
    I knocked on the door to his apartment, and his roommate Kyle answered. “Eli’s upstairs, Miss Houdini,” he said, less than friendly. To Lucy he at least smiled.
    “Houdini?” I asked.
    “Yeah. You know, you disappear and reappear at will.” He looked annoyed. “Thanks for the visit from the cops this morning, by the way. Had to flush some stuff down the toilet. You owe me for that.” His eyes were red and bloodshot, though. No way did he flush all his stash.
    “Oh, shut up,” I said, pushing him aside. “Don’t be a dick. I’m in no mood.”
    He stalked back to the couch, pushing aside the empty beer cans and open pizza box, half-full of partially chewed crusts and open tubs of marinara. Kyle picked up a video game controller and un-paused a monster-slaying game. As Lucy and I walked up the stairs we heard swords crashing and creatures moaning and groaning behind us.
    The moans and groans made me shudder. Those game designers were on to something…maybe they knew something I didn’t. I moved more quickly.
    Eli’s bedroom door was open, and he stood when he saw us coming. He’d been reading, stretched out on his bed among papers and textbooks. The rest of his room was spotless, though. Always spotless. Perfectly neat, perfectly studious, that was Eli. He never liked when I came in and left my stuff haphazard in the corner of his room. It drove him nuts, but I did it anyway, just because I could. I remembered the night of the fight, how my bag had lay in a heap with my clothes piled willy-nilly. I wondered where those clothes and that bag were now, and I realized they could be back at the morgue, where I never wanted to go again.
    Eli’s voice pulled me back from my reminiscing. “Ladies,” he said. “I didn’t know to expect you as well, Luce. Come in, have a seat.”
    Always well-mannered, too. Except for when he kicked me out of his apartment in the middle of a nighttime blizzard. But who was counting?
    Lucy stared at Eli and looked around his room with narrowed eyes, and I was amused to realize he was Suspect Number One in her mind. I knew better; Eli couldn’t hurt a fly, and wouldn’t even if he could. He wasn’t always exciting or passionate, but he was sweet. I wished I’d never mentioned that stupid German boy to him. I wished I’d settled down and stayed with him forever. Then I wouldn’t be in the predicament in which I found myself. Then I’d be alive.
    He reached out to give me a hug, but I sidestepped him and walked to the desk chair in the corner, sitting down. “We need to talk,” I said. “About the other night.”
    “I know,” he said, eyeing Lucy’s suspicious face. “I’m sorry I let you walk home so late. So sorry. That was dangerous, and I should never have let you leave in the middle of a snowstorm. You have every right to be angry.”
    “Something happened,” Lucy said, still glaring. “You should be more than sorry.”
    Eli’s face paled. “What? What happened? Are you okay?” He rushed to me and knelt down. His face changed as his eyes scanned my glasses, my hat. My pasty white skin. I watched panic set in. “What’s that smell? Jo, what’s going on? Why are you still wearing your coat and glasses? Take off your glasses. I want to see your