Scrabble » Zarry ✔

🔍FOURTEEN🔎 ❔

In a thorough search throughout Donald Hedrick's home, Zayn and Harry found nothing incriminating. So they turned their attention to their newest lead: The gambler that supposedly lost thirty thousand dollars to Niall.

As soon as Donald mentioned the name Matthew, Zayn and Harry already knew who he was referring to. It had to be Matthew Millar. So they got in the car and drove right over to his house. When he opened the door to the detectives, Zayn and Harry were surprised to find that he was actually upbeat about seeing them.

"Come in, detectives." He offered as he opened the door wider. They walked inside and stood in the foyer while Matthew pushed the door up. "So I'm hoping that having you here means that you have good news about Niall's murder."

"Good news?" Harry asked. "Why do you assume that?"

Matthew turned to face them. He eyed them suspiciously. "Because you're here at my door. If you don't have good news, why are you here?"

Zayn was the one to speak up first. "We have some new information on the case that involves you."

"Me?"

"Yes."

"And we'd like to verify."

"That's just a fancy way of saying question me. But you questioned me already. Twice."

"Matt?"

They heard the voice come from behind them. So they faced it and realized it was Matthew's wife.

"Is everything alright?" She asked.

"Yes, dear. It is. They're just asking me some stuff. They're still looking for Niall's killer."

She did not look happy to hear that. "Didn't I tell you two that my husband is not a murderer? Why do you keep coming back?"

"Sweetie." Matthew said with a slight warning tone.

"What?"

"Don't start that. We both know I haven't killed anyone. I'm just answering some questions."

She still folded her arms at them. So Matthew huffed. "Hold on a minute. I'll put on some shoes and a coat and we'll take this to the workshop outside."

When he disappeared, Zayn and Harry had to endure the looks that Mathew's wife was giving them. Clearly she was not happy to see them and she was making her feelings known. But they had been through this before when solving other cases. So she didn't make them as uncomfortable as she thought she was making them.

When Matthew finished getting dressed, he came back to the foyer to get them and all three of them went out to the workshop.

"Okay. I'm ready to answer whatever questions you have."

Zayn and Harry looked between each other to see which one of them was going to be the one to speak up first. And since Harry looked like he wanted to be the one to do it, Zayn let him.

"We were told by someone we would rather not name that you once lost thirty thousand dollars to Niall. Is that correct?"

He hesitated.

"Is that correct?" Harry repeated.

"Yes. It's... It's correct."

"And how did that make you feel?"

"Initially, I was a bit shocked about it. It was the most I've ever lost at once by a large margin. Plus that money came out of my retirement savings. But I was never mad about it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm sure. But funny you should ask. Niall didn't believe me either so from then on, he decided we'd only play for fun and not real money. We haven't played it in so long. Probably five months."