HIS EYES WERE ACCUSATORY YET PLAYFUL—HARMLESS ONE SECOND, AND FRIGHTENING THE NEXT. And maybe that's the conundrum the world always threw at us, because his laughter turned into panic and the phone call fell silent and the tires screeching deafened me for the rest of forever, and Liza and I laughed at his twisted sense of humour until we couldn't anymore.

Sirens had a distinct echo.

So did the scream which dared to spill out of my throat when I last saw him.

* * *