Chase // Van McCann

6. How Are You Holding Up?

I didn't tell Bondy I was meeting Lily today. If he knew, he'd talk my ear off. If he knew how I got her to agree, he'd have my head. Bondy was more lax when it came to investigations. As soon as he hit a dead end, he was fine with it. He'd look elsewhere. Me, on the other hand, wouldn't stop until I got what I wanted—hence me getting my way with Lily. But she was the same as I was so I wasn't sure what I'd get out of this meeting.

I was early, having a smoke outside Maxwell's. I kept my eyes peeled for her and checked the time. It was fifteen minutes past one and I was starting to get anxious. Maybe she did stand me up. I continued smoking to try to get my mind off the possibility she wasn't coming but it didn't work—I was a mess. Luckily, I heard footsteps down the street and saw her making her way towards me. She was wearing a floral dress that swayed with her movements and I found myself staring. She lost her sister weeks ago, but looking at her now, you wouldn't have guessed it.

"Sorry I'm late," she said as soon as she reached me. "It took a while to find parking. So shall we head in?"

I quickly stubbed my cigarette and followed her in. She ordered an iced coffee while I ordered tea. I didn't quite think things through. The café was void of people sitting inside but I wanted more privacy. I didn't want anyone to overhear our conversation. They might get worried and call the police.

"Why don't we walk to the park nearby and talk?" I suggested as soon as I grabbed my cup. Lily nodded and followed me wordlessly. My tea was hot and I was starting to regret ordering it. It was hot outside already and drinking this tea would only make me more hot. We found a bench to sit on and we put our drinks in the space between us. I crossed my legs and glanced at her.

"You ready to answer some questions?" I asked.

"Ask away," she answered.

"Alright, first question: was that Peter McLeod you talked to yesterday?"

"Yes."

"Do you think it was him who did it?"

"Based on what I heard yesterday, no. But he could be lying for all I know. Wait—isn't that your job to figure out?" she questioned and I chuckled.

"I just wanna know what you think. I'm not gonna arrest him based on what you say alone. I need evidence he's guilty before I do that," I answered, smiling slightly.

"But why do you wanna know what I think? You've been telling me to go away and now you wanna know what I think?"

"To be honest, I think you could help with the investigation. You know more about your sister than you're letting on," I admitted.

"Not really. For example, I didn't know she and Peter dated."

"But you know him. How did you know him if you never met him through your sister?" I questioned.

"I don't wanna say," she said, suddenly nervous.

"Is it because you buy drugs off him too?" I tried.

"You're not gonna arrest me, are ya?" she asked cautiously.

"As long as you answer my questions, no."

"Well I used to as a teenager but not anymore. I've long stopped."

"So how did you know he was the one who introduced drugs to your sister?" I asked.

"He told me one day when he was drunk. I kept pressing him to tell me more but he wouldn't when he sobered up."

We were silent for a while and remembered to drink our drinks. To be honest, I ran out of questions to ask her but I didn't want her to go just yet. I took the opportunity to try to get to know her more. It's the least I could do.