Just Keep Breathing, GS Rhodes [best book club books for discussion TXT] 📗

McAdams that Kidd was enjoying getting to know, but he still looked incredibly handsome when he smiled. And that smile was all for Ben.

“Sure thing,” he replied. “Lunch and an embarrassingly cringe school reunion, I am blessed.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t—”

“I’m coming,” he said. “Now are you coming back inside with me?”

Kidd looked around John again, the people in the window quickly readjusting themselves to go back to whatever it was they were now fake-talking about. He tried not to laugh.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Kidd said. “I’ll see you tomorrow for lunch, yeah?”

“I’m working from home so I can take lunch pretty much whenever,” John replied. “So just let me know.”

They stood there for a few seconds, a strange amount of distance between them that John eventually closed, planting a kiss on Ben’s cheek.

“See you tomorrow,” he said quietly before turning back to the Druid’s and walking inside.

Not wanting to see the reaction of his friends when John made it back to the table, DI Benjamin Kidd quickly walked away, starting back towards his house.

He made his way out of Kingston’s Market Square, taking a shortcut down to the riverside. It was the long way around to get home, sure, but he wanted the walk to take in the night. It may have been glacial, but this was his favourite spot in the whole town, and even though there were the sounds of restaurants in the background, happy couples walking by, groups of friends heading out for drinks, he liked it here.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he took it out, seeing he had a couple of missed calls from DCI Weaver and a message from John. He went to that first.

JOHN: Hope you had a lovely evening, was nice to see you, however briefly. I’m looking forward to lunch tomorrow. And the reunion. Xx

KIDD: Nice to see you too. One o’clock suit you? Xx

The message came back through almost immediately, which made Kidd smile.

JOHN: Perfect. I’ll see you then. Sleep tight. Xx

You too xx

Kidd found himself hesitating before listening to the messages from DCI Weaver. He was off duty now. He was trying to get better at the whole work-life balance thing, learning to switch off so he didn’t end up staying up half the night thinking about it.

He’d been terrible at that before he ended up getting signed off with stress. But Weaver wouldn’t call unless it was urgent. It was almost like a change in the air around him. Something had happened, and he’d called Kidd because why? Because he needed someone to talk it over with? If he listened, he knew he wouldn’t sleep tonight.

Before he could stop himself, he moved to switch off his phone when another message came through. One from a name he hadn’t seen in a very long time.

Andrea Peyton.

CHAPTER FOUR

Hello Ben,

Long time no speak. I’m sorry it took me such a long time to get back to you. I wasn’t entirely sure what to say. The topic of Craig in our family is still a bit of a sore subject but you asking about him brought it all back.

Kidd’s heart was in his mouth as he read it, every word running through his head at a hundred miles an hour.

I hope you’re doing well. I know things must have been really difficult for you over the past two years as well. The family hasn’t had an easy time of it. I think a lot of them, my parents included, have just found it easier to assume that Craig is dead and won’t be coming back. I prefer not to think that way. I want my brother to still be out there.

Kidd practically ran the rest of the way home. He wasn’t able to message back as clearly as he had wanted to, his thumbs absolutely frozen so he couldn’t get the words down.

I want to know where he is too. More than anything in the world but I’m afraid with me you’re a little bit out of luck. I’ve kept looking when I can, but I keep coming up with dead ends no matter how hard I try.

I thought I was getting somewhere not too long ago, someone on a forum somewhere claimed to have seen him when I posted his picture but it all came to nothing. Someone was even using his old photos from Facebook on a dating app, can you believe it? Why do people do that?

He could barely get his keys in the door, his hands trembling as he tried to get them in the lock. When he managed it, he swung the door open with such force it crashed into the wall of the landing. He’d end up with a dent there, but he didn’t care.

He locked the door behind him, kicking off his shoes, and barrelling upstairs. He turned on his laptop and opened up his messages, reading it all through one last time.

But I do have one thing that I can share with you. It’s not a lot, and it might not be right, but it might help. I think it will. If nothing else, it will give you hope.

All love,

Andrea x

Kidd scrolled down to the bottom of the message, to the attachment that Andrea had attached to the message. He opened it up and there it was as clear as day. Well, not nearly as clear as he would have liked but he would recognise that person in a crowd of thousands. He was so sure it was him.

Craig Peyton was on a train station platform. It looked like Waterloo, but it could have been any of the London terminals. He couldn’t quite place it. But he was there on the platform.

He looked down at the date of the CCTV. It was dated just shy of a year ago.

Kidd sat back on the bed and stared off into the distance, his breath catching in his chest.

He looked at the picture again, trying to make