The Collected (A Jonathan Quinn Novel) by Brett Battles

entered the house. Orlando guided her to the couch, and the two of them sat down.
    Quinn glanced around the room. Everything looked pretty much the same as when he’d last been home. There were a few different books in the bookcase, and a dark gray hoodie draped over one of the chairs, but that was about it.
    Liz had left the blinds drawn across the back wall. He walked over and pulled them open, letting the late afternoon sunlight flood in through the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the city.
    As he walked back, he said, “Liz, we’re going to have to ask you a few questions. Are you up for it?”
    “Of course,” she said quickly. “Whatever you need.”
    He smiled, hoping to relax her a bit. “When you first came into the house, did you find anything unusual?”
    She thought for a moment, then shook her head. “No. Nothing.”
    “Have you moved anything?”
    “Some soap in the bathroom.” A pause. “A glass in the kitchen. That’s it. Oh, and I lay on Nate’s bed for a little bit. But I didn’t put anything away, if that’s what you’re asking.”
    “The gym?”
    “I only looked in. I didn’t touch anything.”
    Quinn looked around. “Where are your bags?”
    “Just one bag, a carry-on. It’s down in Nate’s room. I can go get it if you want.” She started to stand.
    “It’s all right,” Orlando said, putting her hands gently on Liz’s shoulders and easing her back down. “It’s not important.”
    Quinn knelt in front of his sister. “You’re doing good. This is helping. Now I need you to do me a favor.”
    “Of course. Anything.”
    “Orlando and I are going to check around the house, see if Nate left something that’ll help us contact him. I’d like you to stay right here. All right?”
    “I…I can help,” she said.
    “I know you can. But it’ll go faster if only Orlando and I do it. We know what we’re looking for.”
    She stared at him, her eyes pleading for something to do.
    “He’s right,” Orlando said calmly. “The most important thing right now is to let us do what we do best.”
    Liz took in a deep breath. As she let it out, she nodded. “Okay. You’re right. I just…” She pressed her lips together for a moment, then said, “I’ll wait here.”
    “Thank you,” Orlando said.
    “If you need me, though, let me know.”
    Quinn gave her arm a gentle squeeze, and rose to his feet. “We will.” As they walked out of the living room, he whispered to Orlando, “Downstairs first.”
    Though Nate had basically taken over Quinn’s house, he had not claimed the master bedroom. It was still occupied by Quinn’s furniture and belongings.  
    Nate’s room was the largest of the guest bedrooms. The only addition to the furniture that had already been there—the bed, dresser, and two nightstands—was a small wooden table in the corner Nate must have been using as a desk. On top of the table were a laptop power cord, a pad of paper, and a pen.
    Quinn ran his fingers over the pad, checking for indentations made by the pen. Nothing, just as he had expected. Nate had been trained better than to do something that stupid.
    “Where does he keep his computer?” Orlando asked.
    Quinn shook his head. “Don’t know.”
    “What about when you were living here?”
    “I never asked him. That was his business. Maybe he put it—”
    “Please tell me he wouldn’t have taken it with him.”
    “Absolutely not. He would have taken a field computer.” Leaving your main computer at home base, and taking ones you could afford to lose when you traveled was standard procedure. Something both Quinn and Orlando did without a second thought.
    “What about data backup?” she asked. “Was he using your system?”
    “He was before, so I assume he still is. You want to try to see if you can access his backup while I search for the computer?”
    She was already headed for the door before he even finished speaking. “If you find it, bring it up.”
    “Really? I thought maybe