All Lost Things

Book 3 of the Killian Kendall Mysteries

By Josh Aterovis
Copyright 2026

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Chapter 15

The next morning, I woke up feeling far more optimistic than I had the night before. Seth was the first thing that came to mind, and I was surprised by how vividly I remembered my dream. I took it as some kind of sign. Before heading to work, I made sure Micah's business card was safely tucked in my wallet.

It took me all morning to gather enough courage to actually dial his number. I almost copped out and texted him instead, but I decided it was better to call. After I finally dialed, I started worrying that he might have lost interest while I listened to the ringing.

"Hello. Micah Gerber." I almost hung up. "Hello?" he asked for the second time.

"Um, hey. It's Killian. Killian Kendall."

"Hey, Killian!" He sounded genuinely pleased. "I was starting to think you weren't going to call."

"I, uh, wasn't, but then...a friend encouraged me. So I did." Great. I sounded like an idiot.

Micah chuckled. "I'm glad you did. What's up? Any new developments on the case?"

"No. I mean, yeah, but that's not why I called."

"Oh. Okay."

There was a long, uncomfortable pause before I managed, "I was wondering if, you know, you'd like to maybe go out sometime?"

"I'd love to," he answered without hesitation.

I released a small sigh of relief. "Sweet. So, uh, when are you free?"

I could almost hear Micah's smile over the line. "How about dinner Friday night?"

"Yeah. Great. That's sounds great."

"Perfect. I'll pick you up around seven. See you then."

"Right. See you then."

It wasn't until after I'd hung up that I realized I didn't know where we were going or how I should dress. It had all happened so fast. I hadn't even given Micah my address, so how would he pick me up?

"Just what I needed," I muttered, "something else to stress over."

"Who are you talking to?" Novak asked from his office door.

I gave him a sheepish smile. "Myself."

Novak chuckled. "Is the stress of the case getting to you that much, kiddo?"

"You know," I rubbed my face, "I think it is."

His expression became concerned. "Maybe you should take a couple of days off."

"Nah." I shook my head. "I don't think that would help. In fact, it might even make things worse. I'd just stew over the case constantly anyway, but then I couldn't do anything about it."

He shrugged. "Don't let yourself get burned out, Killian. You have to learn how to leave this stuff at the office. Changing the subject, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but did I just hear you make a date with someone?"

I felt my face heating up. "Um...maybe."

"So? Tell me about him." Novak looked at me expectantly.

"His name is Micah. He works at the newspaper."

"Is he the guy who helped us out with the case?"

"Yeah."

"I approve." Novak nodded and headed back into his office.

Shortly after lunch, Sergeant Kaplan called. There were no pleasantries or banter. He got straight to the point. "I need you to come down to the station."

The gravity in his voice put me on edge. "What happened?"

"I'll explain everything when you get here."

"Should I bring Novak?"

"You're the one I need to talk to."

"I'll be right there."

I stuck my head into Novak's office long enough to tell him what was going on — at least what little I knew — before I ran out the door.

At the police station, I was quickly ushered into Kaplan's office. I hadn't even sat down before he started.

"There's been another death."

I dropped the rest of the way to my seat. "Who?"

"Marco Martino."

I stared at him in shock. "What happened?"

"We're not sure. Since you told us about the hiding place in the barn loft, we've been keeping an eye on the property. Not twenty-four hour surveillance, but we've been dropping by at least once a day just to check on things. This morning, an officer found Martino hanging in the barn."

"Oh my God! Was he... Did he..."

"We don't know. We're still trying to figure out whether it was murder or suicide. We're leaning towards suicide, but only because it's not easy to murder someone by hanging — especially if they put up any sort of fight."

"But why would he kill himself? And in the Cohens' barn of all places?"

"We were hoping you could help explain that."

"Me?"

"You talked to him in the course of your investigation, correct?"

"Yeah, but that was last Thursday."

"You know more about him than we do. What did you talk about?"

"Caleb, obviously. They dated secretly for a while."

Kaplan frowned. "Novak mentioned that Caleb and Martino had dated, but I didn't realize it was secretly."

"Yes."

"Why the secrecy?"

"Marco said Caleb was afraid his dad would find out he was gay and the abuse would get worse."

"Do you know if Marco was ever at the Cohens' house?"

"He told me he was there at least twice — once to pick up Caleb and once to try to talk to Caleb after they broke up. The first time, there was some sort of nasty scene with Caleb's dad. The second, he claimed he saw someone crawling through the barn window, presumably to meet Caleb."

"Did he identify the person?"

"He said it was Finnegan Byrnes."

"Who is he?"

"Another student at our high school."

"Have you talked to him?"

"Yes."

"Okay. We'll get back to him. First, let's finish with Martino."

"We are finished. That was pretty much it. Except, after a lot of arguing, I did manage to get Caleb to admit he dated Marco. He was way more concerned about Finn, though."

"What do you mean?"

"Caleb was meeting Finn in the barn, and he went to Finn's house when he ran away from the group home."

"This Finn person is his alibi?"

"Yes."

"And when were you going to tell me about this?"

"I just found out yesterday, and I was hoping Finn or Caleb would tell you. Right now, they're both unwilling to admit it."

"I can understand why Finn would want to stay out of it, but what does Caleb have to gain?"

"I think he's in love with Finn, or has feelings for him, at least. Caleb has been adamant that he doesn't want him involved. Finn doesn't want his parents to know that he's...whatever he is. Bisexual, maybe."

"But Finn told you?"

"Yes."

"And now you've told me, so that means I can at least bring him in for questioning. Where does he live?"

I flipped through my notebook and gave him the address. Kaplan called in an officer, gave him the information, and sent him out to pick up Finn.

"Can we go back to Marco for a minute?" I asked when the officer had left.

"Sure."

"Where...was he found exactly?"

Kaplan raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want to know?"

I shrugged sheepishly. "Morbid curiosity?"

"He was dangling off the edge of the hay loft."

I suppressed a shudder. "You said you thought it was most likely suicide."

"No, I said we're leaning towards suicide because hanging is a difficult murder method."

"But not impossible?"

"No, not impossible. The hard part would've been getting the victim's head in the noose while he was assumedly struggling. It's possible, I suppose, that he was unconscious when he was strung up, but without being too graphic, let's just say he had all the signs of someone who was hanged while conscious."

"I don't understand."

"Even if you're deliberately hanging yourself, panic sets in at a certain point." I stared at him blankly, and he sighed. "Fine, but you asked for it. Death by hanging isn't exactly pleasant, especially with a short drop or after being hoisted. Even if you're trying to kill yourself, it isn't instantaneous the way it is with a long drop, which breaks your neck and kills you immediately. With a short drop, you suffocate. Blood flow is cut off from your brain, and you strangle to death. It's slow and painful. In a suicide, your hands aren't tied behind your back as they are in an execution, so instinct takes over and you fight. You claw at the rope, try to climb it, anything you can do in an attempt to survive. Victims usually tear their flesh, rip their fingernails out, and have rope burns on their fingers and palms. Martino showed all those signs, as well as the typical purple face, protruding eyes, and swollen tongue. Oh, and for the record, he also evacuated his bowels and bladder. Anything else you'd like to know?"

I shuddered and gulped several times in an effort not to gag. Poor Marco. I was sure the images would come back to me later, but, for the time being, I tried to clear my mind so I could focus.

"Were there...were there any signs that someone might have been with him?"

"Unfortunately, no. There've been so many people up in that loft in the last week — you, officers, and obviously Martino — that any chance of looking for footprints is long gone. Why? You think maybe it wasn't suicide?"

"I don't know. I just can't imagine any reason he would have killed himself. He seemed fine when I spoke to him."

"Perhaps he acted based on something we don't know yet. We'll question Caleb again, and between him and Finn, maybe one of them will be able to shed some light on the situation."

I slowly shook my head. Something didn't feel right about Marco's death. "Will you let me know what happens after you talk to Finn?"

Kaplan thought for a moment. "I suppose I can do that. You've been a huge help on this case so far, although I wish you'd come to me sooner about Finn."

I looked down. "Sorry."

"In the future, don't withhold potentially important information. Is there anything else I should know?"

"Not that I can think of."

"Good, then get going." I stood up. "Oh, and Killian, there is one condition to my calling you. In light of this second death, I think you should back off."

I frowned. "What do you mean by 'back off'?"

"Just what I said. Leave things alone, at least until we have a better handle on the situation. Up to now, I was reasonably certain we had the right guy behind bars. If this Finn character does provide Caleb with an alibi, then we're back at square one — which means the killer is still on the loose. I don't like putting civilians in danger."

"You wouldn't be putting me in danger. I got involved in this case on my own."

"Be that as it may, I'm respectfully telling you to step away and let us handle it. As I said, you've been invaluable, but I think you've done all you can do. That's an order, by the way, not a request."

I didn't like it, but I knew better than to argue. I nodded and left.

Of course, I had no intention of backing off.

I was discussing the implications of the second death with Novak when Kaplan called again. Novak spoke to him for several minutes before hanging up.

"What did he say?" I asked before the phone was even in its cradle.

"Finn confirmed everything he told you. Caleb officially has an alibi now."

"So what's the next step?"

"Since they have no direct evidence tying Caleb to the crime, and he has an alibi, they'll most likely release him."

I sank back into my chair, frowning.

Novak watched me closely. "What's bothering you? You did what you set out to do. You got Caleb released, even though he resisted you almost every step of the way. Case closed. Mission accomplished."

"It's just..."

"Just what?"

"Something doesn't feel right."

Novak leaned in over his desk. "I don't like the sound of that."

"We still don't know who killed Ira."

"That's not what we were hired to do. We were hired to help Caleb, and we did. The rest is up to the police."

"But..."

"But nothing. The case is closed. This is the point where, if we were actually getting paid for our work, we'd submit the bill and receive our money. There's nothing else to do."

"I'm not sure Caleb is innocent!" I blurted out.

Novak sat back in his chair and stared at me for several seconds. "Now's a fine time to come to that conclusion."

"It's all the things that I've learned in the last week. They don't add up."

"Okay, let's say he did kill his father — although, if his alibi holds up, I don't see how he could have. If this were a normal case and the client had hired us to give him an alibi, we'd be finished, no matter what kinds of doubts or hunches you might have. You can't keep investigating indefinitely. Our responsibility is to our client, and we've finished what we were engaged to do. You might never uncover the truth. Some crimes are never solved. You can't let the case consume you."

"So you think we should just drop it?"

"Yes, I do."

"What if Caleb is the killer?"

"Then it's up to the police to prove it."

I sighed. "That's so frustrating."

"Sorry, kiddo. Welcome to the real world."

I moped all afternoon. I knew Kaplan and Novak were right — I should back off from the case. The problem was I didn't want to. I wanted to keep investigating. I felt I was on the verge of some big discovery, and it was maddening to be told I had to walk away.

By the time I got home, I'd decided I'd do my best to follow their wishes, but I owed it to Asher to try once more to talk to him.

I tried his cell phone first, and was pleased when he answered. "Asher, it's Killian."

The line promptly went dead. I stared at the phone for a moment before deciding I must have lost the connection. I called a second time. That time it went directly to voicemail. I left a quick message then tried calling again. It went straight to voicemail again.

I dialed his house phone next. He answered, but I didn't even get his whole name out before the call ended. I frowned. I was beginning to think it was deliberate. I dialed once more.

He answered again, but there was no polite greeting. "I don't want to talk to you, Killian," he snapped. "Quit calling here."

"Asher, wait—" But he'd already hung up.

Getting hung up on three times in one night was my limit. With a sigh, I sent him a quick text saying it was very important that we talk as soon as possible. I sent it off, but I had a sinking feeling that I was wasting my time.

By the next afternoon, Asher still hadn't called or texted. I knew, because I was checking my phone every fifteen minutes, even at work.

Finally I couldn't take it any longer. I picked up the phone and called Asher's house again.

"Hello." It was Marcus.

"Hey, Marcus. It's Killian. Is Asher there?"

"Oh. Uh, no, you just missed him. Sorry, Killian."

I sighed. "I really need to talk to him, but he's avoiding me. He hung up on me three times last night."

"I'm sorry, Killian. I know he's mad at you and all, but, for the record, I think he's being a dick about this."

"Thanks. Do you know where he went?"

"Yeees..." He stretched the word out slowly. "Look, this Caleb guy he's dating—what do you know about him?"

"That's exactly what I'm trying to talk to Asher about. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I mean, he was arrested for murdering his own father, but you helped him get out, right?"

"I...guess you could say that."

"So, do you think he's really innocent?"

"I...don't know."

Marcus growled. "That's not what I wanted to hear."

"Trust me. I know the feeling. Wait, did you say Caleb is out now?"

"You didn't know?"

"I knew he might be released, but I didn't know he was out already."

"Yeah. That's where Asher is now."

"What? Where?"

"I'm not sure. He just said he was going to see Caleb."

My heart was suddenly racing. "Thanks, Marcus. I have to go."

I hung up and immediately dialed Kaplan's direct line. After several rings, it went to his voicemail. I waited impatiently for the beep. "This is Killian Kendall. I need to talk to you about Caleb Cohen as soon as possible. Please call me back."

I only had to wait about ten minutes for the detective to call me back.

"I thought I told you to drop it," he barked as soon as I answered.

"I just need to know where Caleb is staying."

"Why do you need to know?"

"I..." I stopped, took a deep breath, and tried to gather my thoughts. "He hired me to get him out. He's out now, and I'd like to at least check in with him — for my peace of mind, if nothing else."

There was a long pause. "Why do I feel like you're leaving something out?"

"You asked me to back off, and I am, but there are a couple of loose ends I need to tie up."

He sighed. "You'd better not be bullshitting me, Kendall."

"I'm not." At least, not completely. I just didn't see any point in explaining the whole situation with Asher.

"If I find out otherwise..."

"I'm backing off! I'm walking backwards as we speak."

"He's staying with the Haynes family."

"He's what?"

"He called them when he was released this morning, and Travis Haynes was there to get him within thirty minutes."

"But that's crazy! It's right next door to where—"

"I know. This whole case has been crazy from the start. I don't think anything would surprise me at this point." He paused, then muttered, "Famous last words."

"I'd better go, but thank you, Sergeant Kaplan."

"Just don't go doing anything stupid."

"I won't. I promise."

I hung up and leapt out of my chair. When I knocked on Novak's office door, he yelled for me to come in. I opened the door far enough to stick my head into the room. "Is it okay if I run out for a few minutes?"

Novak looked up at me over the glasses he only wore when he was doing a lot of paperwork. "What for?"

"Caleb was released earlier today. I thought I'd go check on him."

Novak raised an eyebrow. "How sweet. Are you taking him flowers, too? What's the real reason?"

I sighed, then decided to try the same tack I'd taken with Kaplan. If it worked for him, maybe it would work on Novak. "There are some loose ends I'd like to tie up before I drop it altogether."

"There are always loose ends. Get used to it."

"Come on! He hired me. Don't you usually meet with your clients after the case is finished?"

"Yeah, to get my check and give them my final report. Caleb isn't paying you, and I doubt he needs a final report. He got what he wanted — he's out of jail. Besides, I thought it was your former flame who asked you to investigate."

"But—"

"Oh, for the love of... Just go."

"Really?"

"I won't hear the end of it until you get it out of your system. Stay out of trouble, and don't be long."

"I won't!"

By the time I shut the door, he'd already turned back to his laptop. I grabbed my keys and raced out of the office before he could change his mind.

I spent the drive trying to decide what to say when I saw Caleb, but I still hadn't come up with anything by the time I arrived.

Becky Haynes answered the door and broke into an uncertain smile. "Hello. I didn't expect to see you again, now that Caleb has been released."

"Oh, well, I was just dropping by to check on Caleb," I fibbed.

"How nice. I guess we owe you a thank you for proving him innocent."

I'd done no such thing. I'd merely provided him with an alibi, but I decided it wasn't the best time to point that out. "You don't have to thank me. I was just doing my job. Is Caleb around?"

A slight frown tugged the corners of her mouth down. "No. You just missed him. A friend stopped by and they went for a walk."

"Oh. Do you know what direction they went? Maybe I can catch up to them."

She gave a vague shrug. "I didn't pay attention. May I...may I ask you a question?"

I was a little hesitant, but I nodded.

"Is Caleb...gay?"

My mouth dropped open in shock.

"I mean, not that it matters," she rushed on. "It's just...watching him with the boy that came by..." Her hands fluttered around for a moment as if she were reaching for the right words. "They seemed like more than friends. I would have thought he'd have told us."

"I, uh, think it should be his place to tell you," I said carefully. "If he is, I mean."

She nodded slowly. "I suppose you're right." She started to turn away and shut the door, but then caught herself. "Oh. Thanks again. Bye."

I walked out to the road and looked both ways, but I didn't see any sign of Caleb and Asher. On a hunch, I decided to walk towards the old barn.

I was still some distance away when I heard voices raised in a heated argument. I recognized Asher's voice right away. "I just don't understand why you went over there," he said, not quite shouting, but loud enough to make his frustration clear.

Caleb's voice was quieter. I couldn't quite make out his words, so I crept closer. It occurred to me that I was eavesdropping, and I felt a twinge of guilt, which I quickly quashed. I'd deal with the ethics of the situation later. At that moment, I needed to concentrate on the conversation.

"You've already said he was your friend," Asher snapped. "Several times. That still doesn't explain why you didn't come to me. What am I, chopped liver?"

I was close enough by then to hear Caleb's response. "I didn't want to get you in trouble."

There was a long pause, and I had to fight the urge to peek around the corner. I didn't want to get caught listening.

Finally, Asher spoke again. "I'd like to believe that."

"Then believe it."

"It's not that simple."

"Why not?"

"There's too much you didn't tell me. How am I supposed to trust anything you say now?"

"I didn't tell you about going to Finn's because I was trying to keep him out of trouble, too."

"Then what about Marco?"

"What about him?" Caleb sounded cautious, as if he suddenly found himself on thin ice.

"What do you mean, 'What about him?' He fucking hanged himself in your barn, Caleb. Why would he do that?"

"I...I don't know."

"You're lying to me again! This is why I can't trust you."

"I'm not lying!" An angry note had crept into Caleb's voice. "I don't know why Marco committed suicide. How would I know something like that?"

"Then what does Marco have to do with you? If you don't know why he committed suicide, maybe you can explain why he picked your barn."

There was another long pause. "I don't know for sure—"

"Caleb!" Asher growled warningly.

"I wasn't finished! I don't know for sure, but maybe it had something to do with the fact that he and I...dated."

"What?"

"Not for long. It was only a few weeks."

"When?"

"Before you and I started going out. I swear."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"It didn't seem important. Like I said, I broke up with him before I started dating you."

"I...You know what? We'll come back to that. Even if you guys had dated, that doesn't explain why he chose your barn to off himself in."

"Killian told me Marco was practically stalking me. Maybe he was just plain crazy. Or..."

"Or what?" Asher asked obligingly.

"Or maybe he killed my dad and hanged himself out of remorse," he suggested excitedly.

"Why would Marco kill your father?"

"If he was crazy, maybe he thought he was protecting me or something."

"Did he know about the abuse?"

"Yeah. And he'd personally witnessed my dad being a jackass. Maybe it all just got to him and he snapped."

Caleb's crazy theory almost made sense, except that it left so many questions unanswered. I was itching to pop around the corner and start interrogating him, but then I'd have to answer some questions myself.

Suddenly Asher asked one of the questions I had in mind. "Why did he wait so long to snap? If he thought he was protecting you, why didn't he act sooner, like when you actually still lived here?"

"I don't know, Asher. I don't understand how crazy people think."

"It doesn't add up."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I just don't know what to believe anymore."

"You believe I'm innocent, though, right?" When there was no response, Caleb prompted, "Asher?"

"I...I don't know."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me! You asked your nosy, interfering ex-boyfriend to get me out of jail, and you don't even believe I'm innocent?"

"I asked him to prove you innocent, which he never did. He simply provided you with an alibi, which turned out to be another guy."

"Are we going there again? Finn is just a friend!"

"So you keep saying. Who were you fucking in the barn? Marco?"

"If it was Marco, it happened before you and I were dating, so what difference does it make?"

"So was it Marco?"

"Yes," Caleb answered after a slight hesitation.

"How do I know you didn't keep having sex with him after we started dating?"

"Because I said so."

"Maybe that isn't enough."

"Then I don't know what else to say." Caleb's voice was resigned.

"In that case, I guess this conversation is over."

"I guess so. Does that mean we're over as well?"

"I...I don't know. I need some time to think."

"What's to think about? If you don't trust me, what's the point?"

"That's what I have to think about."

They both fell silent, and I wondered what was happening. Once again, I was dying to take a peek, but I resisted the urge.

Suddenly, Asher appeared around the corner.

I froze, wishing I were invisible, but his head was down and his mind was clearly elsewhere. He never once looked to the side where I was standing. If he had, there was no way he could have missed me.

I heard some scuffling sounds around the corner and quickly moved to the barn door just in time to see Caleb climb through the window. He was looking up towards the loft.

I ducked under the police tape and took a few steps towards Caleb. "That was some fast talking," I told him softly.

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