The Precise Art Of Staying Alive

Chapter 48 - The Precise Art Of Exactly No Answers

After our fits of laughter had finally subsided, Theo and I walked out of the room, being enveloped by the massive crowd again. Theo leant against the wall, the crowd moving past him as if he weren't even there, and I tried to echo his stance, crossing my arms as I watched the fight in the ring, which consisted of Catrin and a tall, muscled man around twice her size.

"You know, it would be smart if we could use this situation to our advantage. Everyone's emotions are heightened, we could use that, manipulate them into telling us more than they would otherwise." Theo suggested. I looked towards him, trying desperately to hide my shock. The whole murder-investigation-thing hadn't been on my mind, but it had clearly been on Theo's. The more I saw of him, the more I was torn. He definitely could've been the murderer, he was cold enough for it, but there were glimpses of a normal teenage boy beneath his ruthlessness. The one thing I was sure about was that he was the one who the clue about money and the past had been about. He had a superior air about him, that of someone who was used to charming people out of their money from a young age, and he didn't seem open to talking about anything, which made me think that he had something to hide. I tried to keep my thoughts from showing on my face as I nodded.

"I can talk to Reid, if you like. He'll probably be more open to spilling his guts after what happened. I'm guessing that Asher would tell River if he knew anything, and Nicole must've got something out of Catrin, so maybe you can ask around about the murders, see what people are talking about, what details stand out to them." I said, speaking my thoughts aloud as I looked out at the crowd. I was hesitant to have to push through it again, but Reid could provide at least some answers. Theo nodded and pushed off the wall, heading towards the other end of the room and I looked around for Reid, trying to catch a glimpse of chunky-black glasses and a floral scarf. After five minutes of searching, I gave up, shoving my way through the crowd and upstairs with a little bit more ferocity that what was required. I walked out into the mercifully less empty, although still packed bar and immediately saw Reid, sitting on one of the bar stools and staring at an empty glass of what must have been beer. I slid into the seat next to him, readying myself to be as charming as possible.

"What do you want, to twist the knife further?" Reid slurred, turning to me and trying to look at me.

"No. I just wanted to know your opinion on the whole murder thing." I said bluntly. He was a lot more drunk than I'd thought, his eyes kept sliding off me, focusing and unfocusing. I couldn't be bothered to flatter him into telling me anything and he seemed open enough.

"It's like a painting, right? You got your base layer, all basic and...stuff." Reid began, waving a hand around before trailing off.

"And?" I prompted.

"So your base layer, everything's simple, easy, whatever. And then you get to your second layer, details, make it look pretty. Everyone who sees the difference thinks that they're so smart, and they think that's the final layer. But they're just idiots. There's another layer, just out of sight, and no one sees it because no one knows it's there. The final layer is the details, the right shade of blue on a single teardrop, the shadow of the shine on the hair, the other colour of the stars. When you finally see that layer, the whole painting comes together." Reid finished, his words falling into each other in a near incomprehensible mess.

"Right." I said, trying to hide my disappointment. I'd thought I'd at least get some answers, but all I got were drunken ramblings.

"Uh, thanks for the chat." I added as I slipped off the stool, seeing Theo standing near the door, waiting for me.

"What did you get?" Theo asked as I neared him. I fought the urge to bury my head in my hands.

"Nothing."