NOAH

Ch. 29

Chapter 29

My eyes stretch open as a yawn burns through my cheeks. I sigh, relaxing into Cherry's warm guest bed as bright white light chases away any last bit of sleep I had.

A groan rises from the warmth. "You took all the cover."

"I was on my side. How did I take all the cover?"

Noah pushes himself into a seated position. "You migrated to the middle of the bed and then rolled yourself up like a burrito with all the blankets."

I chuckle, heat rushing to my cheeks as I imagine myself moving across the king size bed closer to Noah. "Sorry, I'm not used to sharing the blankets."

His lips lift into a smile as he scratches his head, a yawn escaping afterwards. "I can tell."

I slide my feet from the bed, my teeth needing a scrub, and make my way to the bathroom. Noah follows after me, his body towering over mine in the mirror as I search the drawers for a toothbrush.

"You're so short."

"You're just tall."

He dances behind me in the mirror, making weird faces as I unwrap a toothbrush. I ignore him, reaching out to turn on the faucet and begin brushing. His forearm bounces against my waist, his chest pressed to my back as he reaches around me to grab a toothbrush of his own. Cold air hits my back when he moves to the other sink and I hope that it's enough to calm the candescence in my cheeks.

"Sorry, just needed a toothbrush."

I reach over, raising my brows as I open a drawer full of toothbrushes on his side. "Huh, isn't that something?"

He raises his arms in surrender as I begin brushing the minty fluoride onto my teeth and gums. Once finished, I glance at Noah to find him staring far off into the mirror.

"Are you OK?"

His eyes snap to mine. "I'm fine."

"Truth?"

He chuckles, shaking his head. "If I say yes, will you believe me?"

"Nope."

"Figured." He says, leading us back into the room. "I'm just...we're at a dead end and I feel like giving up."

"Noah, remember all those times I wanted to give up?"

"Yeah."

"You never let me. Now, look where I am. I have her home address and if I'd given up, I wouldn't have that. Don't let doubt cause you to lose sight of why you want this in the first place, because it will cause you to lose a lot more than just that."

A smile returns to his face. "You're really good at that."

"Good at what?"

"Making me feel better."

"Learned from the best."

He stares far off once more, but his eyes come back to mine as he speaks. "You know, I've never actually checked on her cause of death."

"You've never seen her death certificate?"

He shakes his head, swallowing before speaking. "I could never bring myself to read that so I just went with what my dad told me. But all he told me was she died in an accident, not the actual cause."

"Well, we have to get the certificate then." I lay my hand on his shoulder. "This could be the lead we need."

"It's probably in my Dad's office. I'm ready to drive if you're ready to go."

"Let's go," I say, throwing on some of Cherry's clothes.

Cherry rests against Blake's chest as they snuggle into the couch, a movie on the screen in front of them. Her head pops up when she sees us rushing from the room, her brows raised.

"And where are you guys headed?"

"We're going to search my house, we'll be back."

"Be safe."

"We will," I say, despite the birds that swoop in my stomach, the prospect of seeing his dad heavy on my mind. Noah explains that no one should be home as we take the drive to his house, but his father never does anything he should do. So, why would he now?

Even as Noah twists the key into the door and no one yanks it open from the other side, the birds never cease to flutter their wings, nearly splashing into the sea of bile that rocks just below them. They flap and fly even as Noah calls out for his family and no one answers, even as we step into the empty office, never ceasing until Noah closes and locks the door.

"Where do we start?"

Noah looks around, his eyes moving over every inch of the room before he points to a file cabinet. "Let's check that first."

I wrap my hand around the handle, tugging with every ounce of strength I have, but it wont budge.

"Do you need help?"

"Yeah, after I try one more time."

I lower to the ground, hoping to get a better grip, and my eyes spot something orange poking from under the computer desk. I shimmy underneath, sliding back out to Noah once the file is in my grip.

Noah steps closer to me. "What the hell?"

I glance over to him before opening the folder and sliding the documents into my hand. I hear Noah intake a breath before his hands squeeze my shoulders.

"You found it!"

My lips lift into a smile before falling as I read what happened to Noah's mother. Noah does the same, his jaw clenching as he reads the reality he's ached to know. Clouds loom in his eyes, a storm gathering, threatening to rain down as he stares at the paper.

As I go to grasp his hand, he snaps to attention, pointing at the report. "Wait, you see that, right?"

Cause of Death: UNDETERMINED

"Yeah, they couldn't figure it out I guess."

He shakes his head, pointing to the bottom of the page. "No, that."

Notes: Curved green bruising around the neck as if a ring was pressed against it (CASED CLOSED)

I take in a breath of air as the birds commence their restless flying again. "Oh my God."

"Nicole," Noah calls, turning to face me, "my dad wears a ring."

My fingers begin to tremble as I pull out my phone. I take a step back as the birds rush in circles around my stomach, the need to be out of here more pressing than ever. I snap many pictures of the document before diving underneath the desk to return the file where I found it.

And when I come back up, Noah is chewing his nails. Last time he did that, someone died.