Chapter 81

Ophelia and Emily have stayed huddled into a corner of the courtyard all this time. Now, they’re inching a bit closer to where Steve’s sitting.

He starts wriggling around while I tip the chair at an angle, “Come on man. Please don’t do this.”

“Are you ready to tell us why you’re here?” I ask.

“You know I can’t do that. What if you just let me go? I promise I won’t come back,” he pleads.

“It’s too late for that. Heck, it’s even too late to call the cops,” I say.

“I have a family; two kids at home and a dog waiting for me,” he says, darting his eyes from Thaddeus to me.

So, I was right about the dog. “You should have thought about that before taking the job,” I say.

“You got a wife, Steve? How old are your kids?” asks Thaddeus.

“I’m divorced. My kids are eight and ten,” he adds.

“What’s their names?” I ask.

“Katey and, ummmm, Mark,” he blurts out.

“Took you a bit long there, Steve. Can’t remember your own kids’ names, huh?” I ask. “I’m just taking a wild guess here, but someth