Flowers for you

Anemone

After dropping Nathan off at the airport I quickly drove back to our neighborhood.

Parking the car in our garage, because why on earth would I park Nathan's car in front of Jaspers house, right? I walked the distance to Jasper's house barely stepping on the front steps when the detective assigned on Jasmine's case stepped out of the house.

I felt my feet falter for the briefest moment as his eyes fell on me. I wanted to get angry, scold him for giving up the search on Jasmine so easily like he couldn't be bothered by a runaway teenager. I discreetly glance over the house behind him. Was Jasper still at home? We still had class today before spring break but I hardly doubt he would mind skipping it.

"Looking for Jasper?" Detective Shawn suddenly asks and my eyes snap back at him, feeling the panic rise in my chest. I settle for a small nod. He looks at me for what felt like the longest moment before he gestures to the house.

"He went out for a while but you are welcome to wait for him inside," he starts as he turns and starts walking back towards the house. Something inside me told me not to follow, to just come back later but the bigger part of me, the one responsible for all my reckless decisions in the past, was screaming to follow. To get Jasper to explain what he had meant when he said the Rosemary was for him. I was already following detective Shawn before I thought better of it.

He unlocked the front door, pushing it open and letting me step inside before following. I walk immediately towards the counter by the kitchen where I could see the front lawn from the window. I could easily spot Jasper from here if he was already coming back.

"Don't you kids have school?" Detective Shawn offered me a glass, waiting for my response. I go with another silent nod. He sighs before taking what appeared to be an I.D by the counter and stepping towards the door.

"I won't ask why you are suddenly friends with my nephew after all those months of trying to convince me he had something to do with your friend's case," he eyes me from the door and I felt the familiar guilt in my chest, almost clawing its way out my throat. If I had known then, that they were related, would I have blamed Jasper so openly, still?

"But it's none of my business, really," he says quietly turning away from me. "That boy has been trough a lot, can't blame you for suspecting him. He's a good man who always finds himself in the worst situations."

With that he left me alone. Trusting me enough to let me wander the house. It felt empty. Almost like Jasper and the detective just slept and ate here but didn't live here. After a few minutes of waiting I decided to look around, sparing only a glance at the stairs that lead to their bedrooms.

The walls were scarce and there were only about 5 photo frames in the entire house. One picture caught my eye because for a moment I thought it was Jasmine and Jasper by a waterfall with two other people I assumed were Jasper's parents.

I bent over, trying to get a closer look when something made a sound upstairs. I jumped before my curiosity got the best of me. I glanced out the window to check if there was any indication of Jasper coming back home. When I was sure the coast was clear, I quickly ascended the stairs, already thinking of an excuse if Jasper found me in his bedroom.

These past few days may have slowly convinced me Jasper was innocent but I still had my suspicions, especially since it was possible the detective was hiding evidence for him. Somehow that thought made something vile rise up my throat. I made my way down the hall, peeking through an open door to find a neat room. Probably the detective's. Then my eyes wandered over the room at the far end corner, the door was slightly ajar. I tip toed towards it, my eyes barely seeing anything through the open space. The room was messy. Definitely Jasper's. With one quick look out the window, I carefully step inside his room, careful not to move or touch anything.