Five

Trey keeps returning to Cal’s house, timing visits around rain and food, and proves meticulous at repairs. Cal hears more local color—Mart’s scorn for the Reddys and Johnny’s absence in London—and gauges Trey as sharp but guarded. The pair share small talk about family, guns, and a childhood campfire tale, building a tenuous rapport.

On a rainy morning, while painting, Trey finally discloses his true purpose: his brother Brendan, age nineteen, disappeared on March 21. Trey believes someone has him and demands Cal investigate. Cal, insisting he’s retired and powerless without a badge, urges Trey to go to the Guards. Trey, convinced the police are useless, grows desperate.

When Cal refuses, Trey snaps: he hurls the roller, rams Cal’s loaned shirt into the primer, smears it into the desk’s cubbies, topples the desk, and bolts. Cal cleans up, recognizing the old itch to chase unresolved cases even as he tries to dismiss it.

Seeking distraction, Cal goes to town to check his firearm license. Garda Dennis O’Malley, affable and unhurried, says serious crime is rare and assumes Brendan, as a Reddy, simply left for city life. He confirms Cal’s gun license approval. Cal eats, shops for supplies, and heads home, still restless and doubting Trey will return.