Page 149 of Crow
The screen flashed Benny’s name. He held up his finger to Angie, signaling to wait while he answered the phone.
“Have you seen Josh?” Crow asked.
“Not for a couple of weeks. Stu called and said you were worried. I don’t think anything’s going on with him, except he likes to pull away when the flashback shit from Afghanistan gets to be too much.”
“I guess. I’m gonna head over to his place and make sure everything’s good.”
“I’m almost in Alina. Wait for me, and I’ll go with you. Are you at the pool hall?”
“Yeah. I’ll call Zach and see if he can come in early to take over.”
“See you soon, bro.”
Crow met Angie’s gaze. “None of us have heard from Josh.”
“What do you think happened?”
“Who knows? Sometimes he likes to walk around at night. Maybe this fuckin’ killer thought he was homeless and gutted him.”
She gasped. “That’s too awful to even think about. Besides, Josh doesn’t look homeless. He’s pretty buff, so I’m sure he could hold his own.”
“A crazed psycho with a sharp-as-hell knife isn’t easy to defeat no matter how ‘buff’ a guy is.”
“Is Benny going with you to check on him?”
“Yeah, he’ll be here pretty soon.”
“For someone who lives in Durango, he sure is here a lot.”
“I’ve thought the same thing. He just started coming around a lot in the last year or so. I don’t know what’s up with that. I better call Zach.”
“And I gotta get back to the deep freeze. Be careful, and call me when you find anything out about Josh. I hope he’s okay.”
“Me too. Ink will follow you to the hotel after work and walk you to our suite. Lock the doors and wait for me.”
“I love getting room service, clean sheets, and housekeeping, but I’m getting tired of living out of a suitcase. My brothers are starting not to buy my infestation of termites and wasps story. I want to go back to my townhouse.”
“I understand, but this asshole is still out there. The only reason he hasn’t come back is because of Ink, me, and metal security doors. I know this is getting old. We’ll talk about it later. I have to make sure Zach can come in early.”
“Okay, I’ll see you later tonight.” She leaned over and kissed him. “Remember to call me.”
“Text or call me when you get back to work.”
It was nearly four o’clock in the afternoon when Crow, Benny, and Stu entered Josh’s apartment building. The men stood silent in the elevator, each lost in their own thoughts. Benny had tried a few more times to get a hold of their friend, but the calls all went to voicemail.
Crow knocked on the door several times, but there wasn’t any answer. He placed his ear against the door but couldn’t hear anything stirring inside the apartment.
“He’s probably at the gym,” Stu said.
“But why hasn’t he called any of us back?” Crow said.
“I told you he goes through periods like this. He’ll come around,” Benny replied.
“Josh isn’t Jim,” Stu said in a low voice.
“I know that, but my gut’s telling me something is so fuckin’ off here. I’m going in.”
“I don’t have a spare key,” Benny said.
