Page 150 of Crow
“Neither do I.”
“I don’t need a fuckin’ spare key,” Crow said, crouching down to look at the doorknob’s lock. He pulled a bump key from the inside of his cut and inserted it into the lock. The door swung open.
“What the fuck, dude? That’s awesome,” Benny said as he entered the apartment.
“I’ll be fired for sure if I get arrested for unlawful entry,” Stu said, standing in the doorway.
“Josh,” Crow called out. He glanced around the sparsely furnished room. Everything seemed to be in order. “It’s me—Crow. Stu and Benny are here too. Are you home?”
“As Stu said, he’s probably at the gym,” Benny added.
Crow checked the bathroom, closets, and bedroom—nothing seemed amiss.
“We should go. Someone’s going to call the cops for sure.” Stu hadn’t moved from the entrance.
“Then come inside and shut the fuckin’ door,” Crow said over his shoulder. He approached another room and turned the handle. It was locked.
“I’m starting to side with Stu on this,” Benny said. “And we’re invading Josh’s privacy. If he comes in while we’re searching his place, it’s going to piss him off. Hell, I’d be pissed if he was in my place doing what we’re doing.”
“If you guys want to leave, go ahead.”
“We’re not used to this kind of thing. We’re not outlaws.” Stu whined. “I have a good job and a baby on the way.”
“Stop your pussy-ass complaining. I said to get the fuck out if you’re scared. I’m not doing anything but making sure Josh’s okay, and nothing’s outta place.” He inserted the bump key into the lock and turned it.
“Shit, you shouldn’t be doing this, man,” Benny said.
He looked over his shoulder and saw that Stu had come inside and shut the door.
Reaching out, Crow eased open the door. The room was dark, curtains pulled, and he couldn’t see anything.
“What’s in there?” Benny asked.
“I can’t see a fuckin’ thing.” Crow blinked a few times as his eyes became more accustomed to the darkness. “There’s a light switch on the wall.” He flipped it on and just stared at the scene in disbelief. “What thefuck?”
Photos of several people and newspaper clippings were plastered on the back wall. The photographs and some of the clippings had largeXs in red marker drawn across them. Crow walked further into the room to get a better look, and adrenaline rushed through his body as his muscles and veins strained against his skin. Nostrils flaring, he stared at the photographs of Angie—hundreds of them.
“Here’s his gym bag,” Benny said, coming into the room. “Maybe somethingdidhappen to him.”
“Nothing happened to himyet,” Crow gritted.
He scanned the wall. Shots of Jim were interspersed between images of Abe and other men Crow didn’t recognize. Then his gaze landed on a multitude of pictures of him with the wordsassholeandpussyscrawled across many of them.
“This isn’t his gym bag,” Benny said, walking toward Crow. “Oh, fuck.”
“I bet there’s a hoodie and two knives in that bag.”
“There is,” Benny said numbly. “There are a ton of photos of Angie … and you. Who are those other men?”
“His victims.”
“You mean Josh is the killer? No way. He’s the one who talked Stu and me into helping search for your friend.”
“I knew the killer was there,” Crow said in a steely voice.
“I don’t believe it. He’s probably trying to solve the mystery, and that’s why he’s got all these newspaper articles and pictures.”
“How do Angie and I fit into that scenario?”
