Murder Mystery - H.S

45

Harry.

I could feel her eyes on me while Louis' words left his lips: "What?" I was a bit shocked and confused, not wanting to believe what I heard was true.
It sounded like the world had stopped, as if I had misheard. "Niall is dead," he repeats, looking over at my daughter, who was watching TV. "He was found in the bathroom of the casino, murdered."

I was surrounded by confusion, like a thick fog that obscured my vision. It was almost as though everything had abruptly stopped, and there had been an unreal break in the flow of time. In that moment, my mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions and thoughts, each one vying for my attention. Time itself seems to have stopped moving forward relentlessly, leaving me hanging in an unsettling silence. I stood there, silent and perplexed.

" Fuck." I wipe my face with my hand. "Who found him?" I had a million questions flowing in my head. Ones that i'm sure wouldn't be answered until I properly looked for them but I couldn't do it here at the hospital.

"Liam didn't give me much information; there were cops and shit. And, um," he says, turning to look at Juliet. His stare faced with pity, and I knew whatever he was going to say next wouldn't make anything better. "He was murdered, just like Rose."
My heart stops, and I'm not sure what to do. I breathed out and turned to face Juliet. She was just gazing off into the distance when, before I could say anything to her, she hurried out the room leaving us. .

" Juliet—" I called out for her, but the door closed before she could hear me. I felt completely helpless as a wave of frustration and sorrow swept over me, crushing me. I desperately wanted to go after her to check on her, but a suffocating weakness held me captive. My limbs felt as though they were made of lead, each step a monumental effort.

We all just watched her leave. I try to get up, find her, and comfort my girl. But the second I tried to stand up, I felt this intense pain in my stomach that made it difficult to even sit. It was a distressing experience. I felt a stabbing or cramping sensation that had me losing my breath.

"Whoa, Harry, stop it." Looking up, I felt cold hands on my body. I came face-to-face with Abby; we were inches apart, too close to my liking. I looked away and shrugged her arms away from me. They felt nothing like Juliets; they weren't warm; they weren't as caring; it wasn't someone I wanted to be touched by anymore.

" Stop it." Focusing on her I inhaled deeply a few times in an effort to manage the discomfort. My body seemed to twist and churn like a stormy sea in the midst of the excruciating pain. I clutched my abdomen, my knuckles turning white, and struggled to remain upright.

I muttered, "Go see if she's okay."

"Harry, she's all right," Zayn reassured me, "she just needs a moment to catch her breath. It's been a lot to handle." I fell into a heavy silence, my gaze shifting towards Zayn. "And maybe," I continued, "it's best if she doesn't listen to this."

He was right. Juliet shouldn't know about this not when her mothers death is what changed her, it's what keeps her up at night and haunts her.

The pain gnawed at my legs, and beads of sweat gathered on my forehead as I clenched my teeth, fighting to suppress the groan that threatened to escape.

"Louis I want you to figure out who killed Niall; we need to see the security cameras; I want Liam to talk to cops; figure out Niall's last location," I said as I leaned back against the bed. "Abby, I need you to close down the casino until further notice and we'll get rid of any evidence that can have us locked up. everything in the basement needs to be put away into the docks, call someone for help. I'll organize his funeral and notify his relatives."

"You need to relax," Abby says, crossing her hands over her chest. "You just got shot. You need to relax."

"I can't, Abby; what don't you understand?" I cleared my throat. "I need to know who's doing this, and everyone should understand." Our eyes locked, and in that moment, it felt as if a silent conversation unfolded between us. " We also can't get caught with fuckin' cocaine in the casinos basement or a torture room. The cops will investigate and we shouldn't give them a reason to be suspicious of us." Abby just stared at me and Words were unnecessary; our gazes communicated with a depth that surpassed language. Each glance and each lingering look revealed emotions, shared secrets, and unspoken understanding.