Page 144 of On A Manhunt: Complete Series

THEO

I picked up my phone and sent Mallory a text.

I have something for you.

Your dick?

No.

No?

Well, yes. You can always have my dick. But something else.

What is it?

Be there in an hour.

I couldn’t wait to see Mallory’s face when she saw her present. I’d barely kept it a secret the day before when we were at Mav’s for lunch. But the paperwork hadn’t been signed. Now it was, with a lot of extra cash for the county clerk to push the deed through on the weekend.

Between what she told me about her mom being difficult and having to work shifts at her brother’s bar even after her teaching job to save, I wanted to make it easy for her. To take care of her. To take on her troubles and make them go away. Whenever she talked about the little house, she lit up.

So when I took her hand and led her to my car, then drove away from Lindy’s house, she was confused. “What is it?” she asked.

I laughed. I hadn’t done that enough and it seemed Mallory was pulling them from me. Verna and Jeff, even Mac were all becoming good friends and colleagues, but Mallory… well, she was special.

I had no idea what that even meant.

I slowed in front of the house, then stopped at the curb, eager to share my excitement.

Mallory looked to me, then Mrs. Jonsdottir’s place. No, Mallory’s.

“Theo, I… what are we doing here?”

“This. This is what I have for you.” I turned off the car, climbed out and came around to open her door, but she was already climbing out.

“What?” she asked when we were on the sidewalk.

“Your house,” I said, pointing to the little white home. Wasn’t it obvious?

I pulled the keys from my coat pocket. “I got you your house.”

She stared at the keys, then me.

“You… you got me… my house?”

I took her hand, led her up the shoveled walk. I’d made her speechless, which was probably a first. “Mrs. Jonsdottir was easily swayed with a cash payment. I even offered movers to pack her up and she flew on the James Corp jet this morning to her daughter’s in Texas.”

“You… you got rid of Mrs. Jonsdottir?”

She followed, but almost tripped on a rise in the concrete where it had buckled a little over the years. That would have to be fixed.

“I didn’t get rid of her. I just moved her along with a generous incentive. She wanted to be with her family, and you wanted the house.”

“How did you know about her family?” she asked, still confused.

“I met with her on Friday.”

Since she was standing on the wraparound front porch like she’d been hit on the head with a fly ball, I took the keys back and opened the front door.

When it swung open, the hinges squeaked. Those needed some oil.

Mallory stepped inside.

“It’s empty.”

“We’ll move your things in tomorrow.”

She walked around the small living room, stared at the walls, the wood floors, everything. Then back at me.

“You bought Mrs. Jonsdottir’s house for me.”

I smiled, eager to christen every room in the place. I went over to her, cupped her face and kissed her. “Yes.”

She stepped back, looked at me with equal parts horror and anger. Like one of those Disney villains with horns and smoke coming out of their heads.

“YOU BOUGHT MRS. JONSDOTTIR’S HOUSE FOR ME?” she shouted, her voice echoing off the bare walls.

Oh shit. Clearly, I’d done something wrong. I just had no fucking clue what it might be.