“Thank you.”

“It’s not a compliment. What about this?” North pinched the stained Hog Hollow t-shirt and lifted it clear of the pile before dropping it again.

“Redneck phase?”

“Gays don’t go through redneck phases.”

“I don’t know. The cowboy thing, that’s kind of hot.”

“Really?”

“Well, I mean—”

“Because that would explain the leather chaps you’ve got in your dresser.”

Shaw was pretty sure he swallowed a fly because he was suddenly choking on something.

“All three pairs.”

Yep. Yep. Definitely a fly. Shaw pounded on his chest, trying to get his throat open, trying to get some air.

“I mean, it’s not really my thing,” North was saying. “But maybe Matty’s into it.”

“He’s not—I wouldn’t have—”

North’s face was innocent, eyebrows raised.

“They’re not mine,” Shaw finally managed to say.

“You’re just holding them for a friend.”

“Exactly.”

North stood and examined the piles of clothing again. “Somebody’s been in here, right? and we’ve got a narrow pool of suspects. Matty has been here. He told us that.”

“He said he couldn’t find his way back here.”

“He might be lying.” Before Shaw could protest, North continued, “Brueckmann knew where Mark lived. Hell, he owns the place. Regina—damn. Regina didn’t know.”

“Not necessarily,” Shaw said. “Regina was at Teddi’s brunch. She might have overheard what you and Teddi talked about. Or she might have asked Teddi later. It’s not like Teddi’s a vault, you know.”

“So she could have come here too.”

“And we know Barr and Reck were here. So that’s our five.”

“Do you think someone found the recording?”

North shrugged. He was staring at the clothes. “Two jerseys. One wizard robe. A lot of t-shirts with fucking Voltron—”

“I’m sorry, what was that?”

“—and then work clothes. He needed to keep his closet organized.”

“Not necessarily. I’ve never organized my closet.”

“You live in a house entirely by yourself. And you’re a fucking pig.”

“Hey.”

North shrugged. “This guy had a boyfriend—you don’t—and this guy had hobbies—you don’t—and this guy had a limited income—you don’t.”

“Hey!”

“So he had to prioritize. He had to organize his closet.” North pointed to the jerseys. “Most importantly, he had to downsize. The oldest stuff is what he has the least of. Every time he got a new idea, he had to pare back, and the oldest stuff was probably the first to go. Drag. Jerseys and cleats. Wizard robe. That’s the oldest stuff. The stuff he was into more recently—God only knows why he picked fucking Voltron—”

Shaw cleared his throat.

“—there’s a lot more of. And the work clothes. He was still working until a few months ago, so he’s got to have work clothes.”

“What about these?” Shaw asked, bending to pick up the Hog Hollow Hocks shirt.

“Pigs and Pups. That’s what’s leftover from when he was Brueckmann’s pet, at least, that’s what I think. The pig, get it? He’s Brueckmann’s pig.”

Shaw rubbed the cotton between his fingers. It was soft from repeated washings. He brought it to his nose. Breathed. And when he lowered the shirt, he was grinning.