Bleeding Hearts - 21. Chapter 21

The next few weeks passed by in a rose-colored haze that only someone who has experienced those first intoxicating days of a new love can understand. Everything revolved around Asher. Nothing else seemed to matter—or if it did, it did so only in the abstract, as if it were all far removed from us.

I did keep up with the developments on Seth’s and Zack’s murders, even though those seemed to be few and far between. At least the police were now taking both killings seriously. Publicly, they insisted they were examining the evidence and were confident they would find the killer.

Privately, through Mom’s lawyer, we learned that the renewed attention on the police department thanks to a public outcry after Zacks’ death paired with the charges against Dad had spurred an external investigation into the initial handling of Seth’s murder. It didn’t look good for Dad or the chief of police, though that was the extent of what we knew. They were keeping the details of the investigation close to their Kevlar vests.

While I wished for faster results on both fronts, I was too caught up in my new romance to be a detective. Besides, Adam watched me like a hawk to make sure I left everything to the professionals.

The police did finally release my car, and Adam got the windows replaced, so I had that back, at least.

Jake refused to speak to me after the big announcement. I’d tried several more times to explain to him that I hadn’t known what Asher was planning, but he never let me get more than two words out. Finally, I gave up.

Like her brother, Gilly was still pretending I didn’t exist. In fact, the only person in the Sheridan family who still acknowledged my existence was Todd, and that was only to glare daggers at me every time I ran into him in the halls.

For the most part, no one else really seemed to care that Asher and I were dating. In fact, several people had gone out of their way to let us know they supported us.

The first meeting of the gay/straight alliance went off without a hitch. Only ten people showed up—nine self-professed straight girls plus Kane—but we weren’t expecting a miracle. We had confidence that in time it would grow. Kane, meanwhile, felt like he’d hit the jackpot.

Of course, not everything was a fairy tale—no pun intended. A few jerks still made crude comments under their breath every time one of us walked by. There were more than a few incidents of name calling, but we knew it could have been worse. As time went on and it became obvious that our supporters outnumbered our detractors, those incidents became more and more infrequent.

Despite my earlier antipathy, I was starting to feel worse for Jesse than for Asher and me. He'd really changed since Zack's death, becoming quiet and withdrawn. I knew Zack was the real brains behind their dynamic duo—what little brains there were—and I was sure Jesse must have really been missing him. I almost reached out to him a couple of times—after all, we did grow up together and we'd once been friends, sort of—but each time, I remembered how he'd made my life a living hell and I kept my distance. Besides, I had enough stuff to deal with on my own. I could only hope he was getting professional help.

Adam and I had started therapy, and while I liked the guy, we were still in the early days of building trust. I’d only had two sessions, and I hadn’t opened up much. I felt like Adam was getting more out of it than me, and I wasn’t sure if that was on me or the therapist. Either way, I kept going.

 

 

Before I knew it, Thanksgiving was upon us. I was super excited. Mom was coming down for a huge feast that Adam and Steve had been planning for weeks. In addition to Mom, we were also expecting the folks from our last big celebratory dinner.

Adam and Steve spent the entire day before Thanksgiving cooking. Kane and I helped out where we could, but mostly we were assigned to cleaning duty. The entire house was dusted and vacuumed and polished to perfection.

Thanksgiving morning, I woke up early, too excited to stay in bed any longer. I couldn’t wait to see Mom for the first time since she’d moved to Pennsylvania to live with Aunt Kate. She had called the night before to make sure it was okay with Adam if she brought one of my cousins along for the ride. I had apparently met this cousin and had vague memories of him, but we hadn’t seen each other since we were little kids. They expected to get there a little after noon.

The morning flew by as Steve kept everyone busy with preparations for the meal. Altogether, we were now expecting thirteen people. Adam jokingly called it our very own coven, and Steve commented that he hoped it wouldn’t be our last supper. I lived with a bunch of would-be comedians.

Kane and I had put all the leaves in the dining table and set up a couple of card tables. Adam and Steve had been in the kitchen since daybreak, and the whole house was filled with the aroma of roasting turkey, dressing and sage.

We were so busy that no one even noticed Mom pull up until we heard the doorbell. I almost broke my neck racing to the door, yanking it open and throwing myself into her arms.

After a long hug, I stepped back to take her in. She looked fabulous, better than I had ever seen her. Her hair was a little longer than it had been when she left, and she’d had it styled. She had makeup on—the first I had ever seen her wear. It was just enough to accentuate her natural beauty. She looked younger than I’d ever seen her.

“You’re so pretty!” I gasped.

She grinned. “You don’t have to sound so surprised. I was young when I had you. And you look pretty good yourself there, sport.”

“True love must agree with him.” Adam had a grin of his own as he came up behind me. “Hello, Meg. It’s great to see you. I’m so glad you were able to come.”

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world, Adam.” Then, with a raised eyebrow, she turned her attention back to me. “True love? I know you and Asher are dating but didn’t know we were throwing the L-word around like that.”

I felt a blush creep up my neck as a new voice entered the conversation. “I dunno, he doesn’t look like a lesbian to me, Aunt Meg.” It had to be my mystery cousin, although I couldn’t remember his name.

Mom laughed and stepped aside, revealing my cousin, whatever-his-name-was. He looked nice, with wavy dark blond hair and bright green eyes that reminded me of a cat. He was older than I was by a few years, at least, and also taller. There was something about him that made me think he smiled a lot—as he was doing at that moment. He had a great smile. I instinctively decided I liked him.

“Killian, this is your cousin Aidan,” Mom introduced. “He’s thinking about transferring to Pemberton University next year so I thought this would be a good chance for him to see the area.”

Pemberton was one of several colleges in a nearby town. It was among the schools I was thinking about applying to next year.

I waved a greeting, and he responded by waggling one of the suitcases in his hands.

“Oh, excuse my rudeness!” Adam exclaimed. “Let me help you with those. Come on in, and I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping. I hope you don’t mind sharing a room with Killian and my son Kane.”

“Sounds like fun.” Aidan followed Adam as Mom and I trailed behind.

“Aidan, this is Adam,” Mom said a bit belatedly. “I guess you could say he’s Killian’s surrogate father now that Killian is living with him.”

Adam glowed at his introduction, then said, “Meg, I hope you don’t mind sleeping in the den. It’s not the most private, but the couch pulls out.”

“It’ll be fine,” Mom replied. “It’s sweet of you to put us up.”

Kane had followed me to the door, so our little entourage paused long enough for another round of introductions, which was repeated again a few seconds later when Steve wandered in to see what all the commotion was about.

Once their bags had been stashed away, Steve assigned everyone a last-minute task. We all worked busily until the other guests began arriving. Ilana and Lysander were the first on the scene, with a bottle of wine in hand. Then Asher made his entrance, after having begged off from his family dinner so he could eat with us. Bryant and Calvin and Heather and Nila arrived at the same time.

Calvin had bleached his hair until it was practically white with matching eyebrows that almost vanished against his pale skin. With his light blue eyes, he almost looked as if he had faded since I saw him last. Most of the time he did seem to fade into the background. Bryant was definitely the dominant force in their relationship.

Heather was also quiet, though not to the extent Calvin was. Her long brown hair was pulled back into a braid that hung down her back, and her brown eyes peered out uncertainly from behind her glasses. She was wearing a white shirt and plaid skirt that made her look like a Catholic schoolgirl. She was very pretty, but, like Calvin, she was overshadowed by her partner in some ways.

Nila’s dark bronze skin practically glowed. She was wearing her hair in many tiny braids with a gold bead at the end of each one. The beads complemented the other gold jewelry she wore—multiple earrings, a nose ring, a necklace with a stylized geometric design, bracelets on both wrists, one arm cuff, and several rings on her fingers. On anyone else, it would have been too much, but she pulled it off. With her ankle-length form-fitting white dress, she made a stunning entrance. It was hard to take your eyes off of her.

Dinner was fantastic, as I knew it would be. The conversation was lively, and by the time we were scraping the last bites of pie from our plates, I felt as if we were all old friends.

We left the dishes to sit while we gathered in the living room, accompanied by various moans and groans about having eaten too much.

“Let’s go around the room and each of us say one thing we’re thankful for,” Aidan suggested once we had settled into various states of semiconsciousness.

“Let’s not and say we did,” Mom teased. “I think I’m going to fall asleep.”

“Come on, it’s Thanksgiving,” I backed Aidan up.

“Just one thing?” Bryant asked mischievously. He threw a lascivious grin at Calvin, who giggled.

“Yes, just one thing,” Adam agreed, “and please remember that this is a family show.”

We all laughed.

“Who wants to go first?” Kane asked.

Steve spoke up. “Why doesn’t Aidan go first since it was his idea?”

“Okay. I have mine ready anyway. I’m thankful that I have already made so many good friends down here, and I haven’t even moved yet.”

“Awwwww,” we all said in unison and then burst out laughing again.

Aidan looked to his left. “Nila?”

“Hmm, let me think. I’m thankful for all of you, also. It’s hard to be so far away from my birth mother at holiday time, but it’s nice to be here with my father and Ilana and such good people. And I’m always thankful for Heather.”

“Hey, that’s two things!” Bryant yelled as Heather turned bright red.

“Judges?” Kane asked Adam and Steve.

They exchanged a look. “We’ll allow it,” Adam ruled. “Heather, you’re next.”

“I’m thankful for having met Nila,” she said quickly and turned to Bryant.

“Oh, is it my turn already? Hmm...let me see...where to begin?”

“You’re gonna lose your turn if you don’t begin soon,” Adam threatened jokingly. Everyone laughed.

“Okay, okay...jeez!” Bryant pretended to pout for a second, then turned serious. “I’m thankful for people like Adam and Steve who do such selfless things as taking in kids who need a place to live, then inviting strays to Thanksgiving dinner when their own families tell them they aren’t welcome. The world is a better place because of you.” He raised his wine glass in a salute.

Everyone sat silently for a moment, caught off guard by the sudden sincerity.

“And I’m thankful for Calvin. Ha! That’s two!”

Everyone laughed.

We all looked at Calvin expectantly. He blinked as if surprised to find himself the center of attention. He cleared his throat nervously, then began to speak so softly I had to lean in to hear him. “I’m thankful for the support and encouragement that Bryant gives me. I don’t know what I’d do without him. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t even be alive.”

It was the most I’d heard him say all evening, and I wasn’t surprised to see tears suddenly appear in Bryant’s eyes. He reached over and took Calvin’s hand while swiping at his eyes with his other hand. There had to be more to their story than met the eye, and I wondered what it was. I knew it was really none of my business, but as usual, that didn’t temper my curiosity.

“I’m thankful to have this beautiful woman as my wife,” Lysander said into the silence that followed Calvin’s little speech. “And honey, why don’t you tell them what else we have to be thankful for.”

Ilana positively beamed. “I’m pregnant.”

The room erupted into a cacophony of congratulations, back slapping, hugs, and how-far-alongs. Eventually everyone settled back into their seats.

“My turn?” Steve asked.

“Yup,” we all chorused.

“Well, I’m thankful that Adam and I have decided it’s time for me to move in here.”

Another round of excited chatter followed this announcement. That was even news to me, albeit welcome news.

Then it was Adam’s turn. “I’m thankful for so many things. It’s hard to choose just one.”

“It was your rule!” Bryant complained.

“Rule overruled,” Adam shot back with a grin. “Seriously though, I am very thankful this year. In some ways, more so than in years past. Losing Seth made me appreciate what I do have so much more. And even though I lost one son, I regained a son I thought I had lost forever and acquired a new son I never expected. I love both of you boys so much. You are truly my greatest blessings in life.”

I felt a lump form in my throat, and from the look on Kane’s face, I knew he was as touched as I was.

“Wow, I have to follow that, huh?” Kane’s voice was a little shaky. I noticed several people dabbing at their eyes. “I’m thankful for my family—my whole family: Steve, Dad, and Killian. Your turn, Asher.”

Asher turned to look at me for a moment before facing the room once more. “I’m thankful that sometimes true love does conquer all.”

This was met with another chorus of “awws,” and I knew I was blushing again.

I regained my composure and took my turn. “I’m thankful that for the first time in my life I feel completely loved and accepted by everyone who is important in my life.”

I heard several more sniffles from around the room. It seemed like almost everyone was fighting tears by that point.

When Mom began to speak, her voice was thick with emotion. “As I sit here and look at my son—happy, healthy, safe...in love and loved by so many people—I can’t help but be so very thankful that he is even here and alive. I know what a gift that truly is, and my heart aches for you, Adam.”

I looked at Adam to see his shoulders shaking with barely suppressed sobs.

“You’ve lost so much,” she continued, “and yet you’ve given so much. I can’t even begin to tell you how thankful I am for the way you’ve taken Killian in, even to the point of loving him like your own son.”

She stood up and crossed the room to hug Adam as he seemed to collapse under his grief. Without even thinking, I moved to hug him as well, and it wasn’t long before I felt Kane at my side. When I went back to my seat, everyone in the room was openly wiping away tears.

“Well, that turned out to be more emotional than I thought,” Aidan said, and everyone laughed, grateful to break the somber tone the night had taken.

Once we got ourselves back together, a concerted effort was made to lighten the mood. We played a few party games until everyone who wasn’t spending the night had to leave.

The rest of us stayed up a little longer, talking and relaxing, but soon, my eyes were growing heavy, and Kane had started dozing off. Adam announced that it was time for bed.

“You should stay over,” I suggested to Asher, who was also looking very sleepy.

“Are you sure four people can sleep in your room?” Adam asked doubtfully.

“Why not?” I replied with a shrug. “We have sleeping bags.”

“Did you even check with your cousin? I hope you’re at least planning on giving him your bed.”

“The floor is cool with me,” Aidan spoke up quickly. “Reminds me of summer camp.”

“It’ll be like a slumber party,” I said with a laugh.

“Oh! Can we do each other’s hair and makeup too?” Kane added mockingly.

I threw a pillow at him, which he dodged with ease.

Asher called and got permission to stay. As soon as he hung up, Kane said, “Great, now we have to listen to you two make out all night.”

I chased him up the stairs and tackled him on my bed, where I proceeded to commence tickle-torture.

He was screaming with laughter when Asher and Aidan joined in. They came to Kane’s defense by attacking me. It quickly turned into an all-out tickle war, until Adam called a stop to the ruckus.

“Don’t make me regret allowing Asher to stay over,” he said warningly, but his grin belied his threat.

After we’d calmed down, we hashed out sleeping arrangements. Kane ended up giving his bed to Aidan and roughing it on the floor in a sleeping bag. Asher and I shared my bed. With two other people in the room, there wasn’t much chance of anything happening.

After the lights were out, we cuddled into each other. I was almost asleep when Aidan’s voice snapped me back from the brink.

“So, uh...you guys are, like, a couple, huh?”

Kane snorted. “What tipped you off?”

Aidan laughed, but I was suddenly worried. I’d just assumed Mom would have warned him, and he’d seemed cool enough about it.

“Does that bother you?” I asked.

“No, not at all. I’m pretty open about stuff like that. If it bothered me, I wouldn’t have jumped into that little tickle war—or even been here at all for that matter. I think I was the only straight person here besides Aunt Meg.”

“I’m straight,” Kane piped up from the floor.

“Sorry, and Kane.”

“And Ilana and Lysander,” Asher added.

“Okay, okay...I was exaggerating to make a point. I won’t do it again, I promise.”

“I guess there were a lot of gay people here tonight,” Asher said thoughtfully, or maybe he was just tired. It was hard to tell in the dark. “You were definitely in the minority. That’s weird.”

“Not really,” Aidan said. “If you think about it, it kinda makes sense. You know that old saying, ‘Birds of a feather flock together?’ I think in a way it’s true. I mean, you’re naturally going to want to be around people who accept you for yourself and who are most like you. That’s probably the real reason Aunt Meg invited me to come down here.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, she said she thought I’d like to see the area before I moved down here next year. I’ve been here before when I was visiting campuses, though, and I’ve already put in for the transfer, so it’s not like I’m going to change my mind at this point. I think she knew it was going to be mostly gay people here today, and this is her way of telling me it’s okay with her if I’m gay.”

“Why would she think you’re gay?” Kane asked.

“Kane!” I said in exasperation.

Aidan just laughed. “It’s okay. He’s just being upfront about it. I respect that. And to answer your question as honestly as I know how, Kane...it’s probably because I’m not real sure myself.”

“You literally just said you were straight like a minute ago,” Kane insisted.

“Jesus, Kane,” I groaned, but once more, Aidan just laughed.

“No, he’s right. I did. But I think it’s mostly out of habit. I guess I’m still trying to figure things out. If I’m being honest, I’d say I’m probably bi, but I’ve never acted on it. I grew up in a tiny town in coal country. People jokingly call it Pennsyltucky for a reason. It’s very backwards. That’s one reason I wanted to transfer to another school. I go to a community college now and I just want to get out of there, figure out who I really am.”

“Oh,” Kane said.

“In a way, I envy you two—Killian and Asher, I mean. You’ve got everything all figured out and you have each other. You seem so happy together.”

“It’s not been easy,” I pointed out.

Asher snorted. “That’s putting it mildly.”

“My brother was killed because he was gay.” Kane’s voice was filled with pain.

“I know,” Aidan replied simply. “I’m sorry.”

“Killian almost died, too,” Kane continued.

“I knew that, too, but I’ve never heard what happened exactly.”

Between the three of us, we told him the whole story—from the first time I met Seth to the present.

“Wow! You guys have really been through hell and back.”

“Tell us something we don’t know,” Asher mumbled. He seemed to be getting very tired. He buried his face in my chest, his hair tickling my chin.

“But it’s awesome how you’ve each come out stronger because of it. In a way, it forced you to deal with issues you probably would have let sit unresolved until you were older...like me.”

“I guess,” I said slowly, “but for me, it wasn’t that I really thought I was straight. It wasn’t like I was out there dating girls.”

Asher snorted. “Except for my ex-girlfriend.”

“Come again?” Aidan asked.

“Long story,” I said. “Honestly, though, I’d never actually thought about it either way until I was forced to consider it when Seth kissed me. And then I knew. People talk about a moment of awakening. That was mine. After that, it was just a matter of admitting it to myself.”

“Killian is very good at ignoring things he doesn’t want to deal with,” Asher mumbled into my chest.

I swatted him.

“And very good at poking his nose into things he should probably stay out of,” Kane added with a laugh.

“Hey!” I protested.

“To be fair to Killian, it sounds like things work out for the best whenever he pokes his nose into things, as you put it,” Aidan said, coming to my defense. “You wouldn’t be living here now if it weren’t for him.”

“That’s true,” Kane admitted. “And he knows I’m grateful. I just like to give him a hard time. But not the same kind of hard time that Asher gives him.”

I was glad the darkness hid the blush I could feel heating up my face.

“Go to sleep, Kane.” Asher’s voice was muffled from where his face was still on my chest, but his annoyance came through loud and clear.

“It is late,” Aidan observed. “But maybe we can I talk some more in the morning before I leave, Killian?”

“Sure, but I don’t know what I can tell you. It’s not like I’m an expert on this stuff.”

“More of an expert than I am—at least you’ve been through it. Good night.”

“Good night.”

“G’night,” Kane added.

Asher mumbled something that might have been “good night,” but it was really anyone’s guess.

The next thing I knew it was morning, and Adam was banging on our door, telling us we’d slept late enough. Personally, I disagreed. I felt as though I had just fallen asleep. My arm was numb from Asher’s lying on it all night. When I pulled it out from under him, he blinked sleepily up at me. There was an imprint on his face from the creases in my T-shirt, and, with his hair matted down on the side he’d been laying on and his eyes all bleary, he looked so cute I couldn’t resist leaning in for a lingering good-morning kiss.

“Bleah!” Kane yelled. “Not before breakfast, please!”

We all laughed. Asher and I tumbled out of bed onto the floor, where we engaged in an impromptu wrestling match. Aidan sat watching us with an amused smile on his lips and a thoughtful look in his eye. I had a feeling he wasn’t thinking about the scene before him at all.

The morning flew by as everyone pitched in to clean up the mess from the previous evening. Far too soon, the time had come for Mom and Aidan to leave for home. I realized that Aidan and I hadn’t had time for our talk, but then I didn’t know what I could have told him anyway, so it was just as well.

The goodbyes weren’t too drawn out. Mom would be back in a few weeks for Christmas, and there was a chance Aidan would be coming with her.

As they were getting in the car, Aidan paused and turned to me. “Oh, Killian, about our talk last night. I’ve been thinking about it all day, and I’m pretty sure I’ve got everything figured out—it’s guys. Thanks.” With that, he winked and ducked into the car.

Mom and Adam both shot me quizzical glances. I just grinned and gave Aidan a thumbs-up. I’d let him tell them in his own time.

 

 

A couple of days later, Asher and I were cuddling on the couch watching a movie after dinner when Adam stuck his head in the door. “Hey, boys, Steve and I are going to run over to his place to start packing. He’s decided to move as soon as possible so he’ll be settled before Christmas. Kane is coming with us. Do you two want to come along or stay here?”

I looked at Asher and grinned. “Stay here,” we answered in unison.

Adam rolled his eyes. “How’d I guess? Just behave, huh?”

I gave him my best innocent expression. “Of course.”

He shook his head and sighed.

The door had barely closed behind them before our lips met. Soon, the movie was forgotten as we made out. When the credits came on, we surfaced for air long enough to turn the TV off, then returned to the business at hand, clothes flying off in every direction.

We were interrupted a few minutes later by my phone buzzing insistently.

“Ignore it,” Asher growled as my head popped up.

“It might be Adam checking in on us,” I protested.

I sat up and grabbed my phone. I frowned. “It’s Jake.”

Asher mirrored my frown. “Why would he be calling?”

I shrugged and answered. “Hello?”

“Hello, Killian.”

The hoarse voice wasn’t Jake. It sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it. Why did it fill me with such a sense of foreboding?

“We were interrupted at the party. I won’t let that happen again.”

Then it clicked. The last time I’d heard that voice, its owner had been wearing a Batman costume. “Who is this? Why are you calling from Jake’s phone?”

Asher sat up with a concerned expression on his face.

“Always so many questions with you. You can never leave well enough alone. If you’re not careful, it’s gonna get you killed.”

Something in his voice made my heart skip a beat. “What do you want?” I sounded frightened even to myself. I hated to be so obvious.

He must have heard it as well because he chuckled, a throaty, rusty sound. “I wanted you to leave me alone, but that was too much to ask. So now I want you to come join me for a little game. Do you like hide and seek?”

“I’m not going anywhere with you!”

“Who is it?” Asher asked, concern filling his voice.

I shook my head, but my mind raced. Could it be Jake? Was this some sort of sick joke? Was he trying to scare me because of what had happened with Asher? But he’d been on stage at the party when Batman had me alone.

“Oh, I think I can convince you.”

“If this is your idea of a joke, you’re really sick. I’m hanging up now.”

“This is no joke, Killian. And I wouldn’t hang up if I were you. Not if you want to ever see Jake alive again.”

I froze. “What... What do you mean? Where’s Jake?”

“We’re getting to that. Be patient. First, you and I have unfinished business.”

“Unfinished...business?”

“I should have killed you in the park when I had the chance.”

I suddenly grew cold all over as I realized who was on the other end of the line. I’d been looking for him for weeks, but Seth’s killer had found me first, just as Judy had warned.

Asher put a hand on my arm, and I jumped. I’d almost forgotten he was there. “Who is it?” he asked again, louder.

I clamped a hand over his mouth and stared at him wide-eyed, unable to answer.

“So here’s how this is going to go. Listen carefully, because I don’t like to repeat myself. You’re going to collect your little faggot boyfriend, and you’re going to drive to Jake’s house. I promise we won’t get interrupted this time.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then Jake’s death will be on your head.”

“How do I know you even have Jake?”

There was a pause, then a different voice came on the line.

“Killian?” The voice on the line was filled with such pure terror, it was almost unrecognizable.

“Jake?”

“Oh, God, please just do what he says...” His voice broke off in a sob.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

My only answer was a horrifying whimper before the killer’s voice filled my ear once more. “You have exactly half an hour to get to here before I kill him. Your time starts now.”

“Wait! That’s not enough time—"

“Then you’d be hurry. I’ll be watching for you. If I see anyone except you and Asher come near the house, he’s dead. If I even suspect you’ve called the police, I’ll make sure it hurts before he dies. You’ve got twenty-nine minutes.”

“Okay!” I choked out. “I’m coming. Just please don’t hurt him.”

“Good boy.”

“But I’m by myself. I won’t have time to go pick up Asher.”

“Liar. I heard him in the background.” He changed his voice to a high-pitched whine, “Who is it? Who is it?” He dropped back into his low gravely growl, “Bring him. You’re wasting time. Twenty-eight minutes.”

The line went dead.