Page 76 of Zero Divergence
Freckles blinked a few times, and Royce waited for the Locke and Key jokes, but they never came.
“I’m Mick Sattler,” he said, extending his hand. The guy’s handshake was firm, and Royce noted the numerous calluses, reminding him of his aunt Tipsy’s hands. She’d spent countless hours working in her flower beds, saying it helped her relax and fed the nurturing side of her personality. People who hadn’t known Darla Connors well might’ve laughed at the suggestion she’d even possessed maternal instincts, but Royce knew just how deeply her feelings were rooted. He’d worked in her flower beds enough to know that various species had different root systems—some shallow and simple and others deep and complicated. If Aunt Tipsy had been a flower, she’d have fallen into the latter category. Her exterior was beautiful and dainty and might lead a person to think she was fragile, but the woman could withstand a storm better than anyone Royce knew. She was the one person Eddie Locke backed down to, and that was no small feat. Royce couldn’t look at flowers without thinking about her. She would’ve loved this store.
“Good to meet you, Mick,” he said. “Are youtheSattler or one of the sons?” Not that it mattered. The kid looked anxious as hell, and Royce hoped to put him at ease.
“I’m the oldest son,” he replied, offering a timid smile. “I hope you’re here to buy flowers for a coworker, but it’s doubtful you would’ve brought a partner who looks poised for trouble.”
“I’m here to talk about Bonita Brothers,” Royce said.
He swallowed hard. “Is she…hurt or in trouble?”
“Her family hasn’t heard from her for a few days, and we’re just trying to make sure she’s okay,” Sawyer said as he joined them.
Royce hoped the lie didn’t backfire, but it was their best option. They didn’t know who might still be in contact with Bonita, so they had to proceed with caution.
“Oh,” Sattler said softly. “Bonnie must not have told her parents we broke up if they recommended you speak to me.”
“Parents are often the last to know anything,” Royce said smoothly. “We’re looking for anyone who has talked to her in the last few days.”
“That wouldn’t be me,” Mick said dryly. “She packed her things and moved out of our condo this weekend when I was on a golfing trip with my dad and brothers. I was so relieved it was over that I didn’t follow up to see where Bonnie went. My mom fired her when she failed to show up for work again on Monday. She’d become so unreliable, but my parents hadn’t fired her out of respect for me. Once Bonnie moved out, they weren’t willing to overlook her blatant disrespect for their business.”
“Fired her how?” Royce asked.
“Mom left her a voicemail message yesterday morning.” Mick grimaced. “But only after the third unreturned phone call.” The guy took a deep breath.
“You said she’d become unreliable lately. Did she exhibit other signs of drastic mood swings?” Sawyer asked.
Mick nodded. “She’d been spiraling out of control the last three or four weeks.”
“About?” Sawyer asked.
“Anything and everything,” Mick said. “I don’t know what happened. Things were going great between us. We’ve dated off and on since we were thirteen and lived together for the last two years. The past six or seven months were hell. Bonnie had these vicious mood swings that seemed to come out of nowhere. One minute she was fine, and the next, she was screaming and pulling her hair.” Mick took a shaky breath. “I begged her to see a doctor, but she wouldn’t listen. I urged her parents to speak to her, but they thought I was overreacting. Bonnie started obsessing about true crime and injustice, researching cases all hours of the night. She didn’t eat, she didn’t sleep, and before long, I couldn’t cover for her at work anymore. She started showing up late if she came in at all. She was making constant mistakes like messing up the orders and delivering flowers to the wrong locations.”
“Does she have a history of mental illness or drug use that might explain her shift in behavior?” Royce asked.
“Not that I’m aware of, and I’ve known her since we were little kids,” he replied. “I didn’t break up with Bonnie or ask her to move out because I was concerned about her, even though she spent all her time humiliating me.” Mick’s face turned bright red, making those freckles stand out more.
“How?” Royce asked.
“It’s embarrassing, and I doubt it’s relevant to where she might be right now,” Mick replied, averting his gaze to stare at the ground.
“Mick,” Sawyer said gently, “it sounds like Bonnie is in a bad place emotionally. Right now, everything is relevant. We’re not going to judge you, okay?”
Mick slowly lifted his head and made eye contact with Sawyer and nodded. “She had started asking me to do things to her.”
“Things?” Royce asked. “Sexual things?” A chill snaked up his spine when Mick nodded. “What kind of things?”
Mick’s face turned impossibly redder, and Royce worried the kid was about to implode.
“Relax, kid,” Royce said. “This information goes nowhere.”
“You mean it won’t appear in an official report?” Mick asked.
“Do you want to press charges for something?” Sawyer asked.
“No. God, no,” Mick said emphatically. “I just want this to all be over and live in peace.” He blew out a frustrated breath, then covered his face with both hands. “Bonita wanted me to tie her up and pretend to assault her. And I… I couldn’t get—”
Royce met Sawyer’s gaze. They were drawing the obvious conclusions but needed the guy to say it.