Apex

19 | parasite

JUNE 24 - 25

MAUD

We argued over the phone.

"I can't tell if you want me to come back or not," Nicki said for what felt like the hundredth time tonight.

Sprawled out on my bed, I fought the urge to scream bloody murder into my pillow. "It's up to you."

"Maud," he exhaled a sigh that sounded like it hurt him. "I'm trying here. I'm really trying to understand what it is that you want from me, but you're going to have to give me something that isn't passive bullshit."

"Things are better now," I said, deciding to ignore his comment on me being passive, which I wasn't. "Grandfather answered whatever questions those psychos at the police department wanted, and they conducted a search at Pacific King. They found nothing of interest, and he's home now. Obviously."

I hated myself a little for feeling like I had to declare Grandfather's innocence as if it wasn't an absolute given. While I didn't know what the police wanted from him or why he was so reluctant to allow the search, that didn't matter. None of it did because this wasn't real. What was real was that my ex-boyfriend wrote a damn TV show in which the antagonist happened to be a fictional version of Grandfather - the key word being fictional.

Nicki remained quiet for a beat, and I could almost hear him thinking. "What about that old harpoon at the museum? Someone left an anonymous tip about it, and now the police are essentially calling it the murder weapon?"

"It was Allix," I disclosed, having been with Allix when she called in the tip. "And yes, they proved it was used to kill the orca. The department didn't release the details, but I guess there were still traces of blood on the shaft."

"Whoever did it had to have known that they needed to clean it more, meaning they must've felt rushed in getting it back to the museum."

"It also means they also had access to the museum or knew someone who did."

"That should help narrow down the list," Nicki said, suddenly sounding hopeful, but I didn't know what to believe in anymore.

A chilly twilight breeze swept through the open window, and I bit back a shiver. The last two weeks had crept by slowly, mostly because I'd kept to myself, not even wanting to talk to Syd. Grandfather's fate had been up in the air, and I felt like I was standing in a room with no exit as water rose up from under me. He was the only real family I had left. He was my home.

"Maud? Are you there?"

Realizing that I'd gone quiet for a moment too long, I flinched. "Yeah," I breathed out. "Yeah, I'm still here."

"I can come back this weekend. If not, I'll be back for the Fourth of July, and we can talk things through again then."

I swallowed hard as a knot started to form in my throat, knowing my answer would only widen the divide between us. "We should wait until the Fourth. The fireworks over the harbor never disappoint, and we can take out the boat."

I thought I heard him try to smile. "Okay."

"Okay."

Nicki ended the call, and I slowly pulled my phone away from my ear. The whoosh of my ceiling fan almost distracted me from my thoughts. Almost.

Sighing, I powered off my phone. That had been one of my better conversations with Nicki because it hadn't ended with me furious at how understanding and calm he was in the face of my selfish indecisiveness. It was cruel how compassionate of a person he was.