23
Oliver
It was almost 3:00 am when Kip pulled up to The Rosewood. ‘I’ll take care of the car,’ he said.
‘I can go with you,’ Oliver offered.
‘Thanks, son,’ said Kip. ‘This will be easier without you.’
Oliver hesitated as he got out of the car.
‘You’re doing the right thing,’ said Kip, rubbing his shoulder. ‘Now, wipe it from your mind. Get some sleep.’
But sleep never came. Oliver kept sitting up in bed, startled by even the most ordinary of city noises. The high-pitched barks of two yappy dogs. The whining engine of a garbage truck. A helicopter, sounding nearby for a moment before fading away. He closed the windows and lay on the couch. He turned on the TV, searching for a Friends rerun, but immediately turned it off when he hit a news channel. He paced the length of the living
