Page 104 of The Haunting of Lockton

I placed my hand over his mouth.

Julian laughed. “Finally. Someone manages to silence him.”

Skyler cut his eyes at his brother before licking my palm, causing me to jerk my hand away.

I could already tell it was going to be a fun night. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone out with friends. Probablybecause I never had. Unless you counted Madison, but we rarely hung out together outside of work.

Once we had our drinks, we found a square table smack-dab in the center of the bar. Not my preferred place. I liked sitting with my back against the wall so I had a view of the entire room. Taylor was clearly the opposite. He liked being around people, not tucked away in the corner like a wallflower.

“What’s the deal between you and Jovie?” Skyler asked.

“Nothing’s between us,” Taylor answered. “She’s just a good buddy of mine. We hit it off when I first came here, and I’ve been a regular ever since.” His gaze fell to his glass. “I like someone else anyway. But they don’t feel the same.”

Callum.

“Drink up.” Julian clinked their glasses together.

“Don’t gotta tell me twice.” Taylor took a drink.

“Is someone performing tonight?” Skyler eyed the stage on the other side of the bar. A stool had been placed in the center, and a guitar case leaned against the back wall.

“Jovie plays sometimes,” Taylor answered. “That’s her guitar. She lets bands come in and play on the weekends. There’re also karaoke nights.” He tipped back his glass of rum and Coke for a throaty gulp before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “She’ll perform throughout the week too, mostly when it’s not that busy.”

“Cool.” Skyler tore his gaze from the stage and took a long pull from his beer bottle.

I recalled the acoustic guitar I’d seen in his hotel room and what he’d said about his dream of settling down somewhere, playing gigs at small joints like this one, and living a simple but happy life. As his gaze darted back over to the stage, I wondered if he was thinking of that dream right then.

Would I ever get the chance to hear him play? To hear him sing for real? Not just humming along to the radio or goofing around.

The boxed wine tasted too bitter for my liking but better than expected. After downing half the glass, it tasted even better. A flicker of heat surged through my bloodstream as the alcohol worked its magic. Half a glass already had me a bit buzzed, just enough to make me feel more comfortable in the social setting. Less nervous and awkward.

“What do we think about what Callum said?” Skyler asked, leaning forward on the table. “How will it help Roy? Or help any of the other ghosts there?”

“Well, we now have confirmation that the riot was started by a patient with magical powers,” Julian responded. He sipped his vodka and Sprite before looking at me. “You mentioned Owen being in solitary confinement? Maybe he’s still down there. We’ve experienced activity in that cellblock, so someone is definitely there. That’ll be my focus when we go back tomorrow.”

I recalled Roy’s ghost standing in front of the window with those sad eyes and melancholic voice.“I miss him so much it hurts. He was supposed to meet me here to watch the sunset.”

I jolted in my chair. “What if Owen is Roy’s lover?”

All attention moved to me.

The wine was probably to thank for it, but their eyes on me didn’t make me nearly as uneasy as it normally would have. Also thanks to the wine, when I continued, it all came out in an excited rush. “If he’s the same patient I read about, Owen was sent to solitary confinement the day before Roy’s lobotomy. That would explain why Owen didn’t meet him to watch the sunset.”

Skyler’s brows shot upward. “Hot damn. You may be right. Well done, Mr. Holmes.”

I snorted under my breath and shifted my leg over to bump his beneath the table. He lightly bumped mine right back.

Julian pondered my words, then nodded. “It’s definitely a good theory.”

I could’ve been wrong. Maybe Owen wasn’t affiliated with Roy at all, and him starting the riot following Roy’s death was just mere coincidence. But Callum had said Owen didn’t intentionally lose control; an intense emotion caused him to.

Wouldn’t the death of the man he loved be enough to push him over that edge?

Feeling Skyler’s knee pressed to mine, seeing the curve of his lips and the crinkle of his eyes as he peered over at me, I was fairly sure I’d lose my shit, too, if something bad happened to him. And I’d want to make the ones responsible pay for it.

Taylor slapped the tabletop. “This calls for another round.”

Another round turned to three.