Don't Trust Him | Daniel Brühl [Complete]

Chapter Ten | Half-Way To The Truth

Sage's POV:

The sound of my alarm clock went off at seven thirty. It was a little early, but I wanted to be awake when I called Eric. I got dressed and headed downstairs to get a cup of coffee and something to eat for breakfast. Ash was packing her lunch box for work and I couldn't help but feel a little awkward. I was kind of hoping that she went out for breakfast today just so I didn't have to run into her. After last night I just wanted to be alone. I felt like my friends thought I was being reckless by contacting Eric about his sister's death. But I felt like I was doing the right thing by searching for more clues and information. Just like Sherlock Holmes said, you can't make bricks without clay; clay in this sense meaning data/information. I grabbed a mug out of the cupboard and filled it up with steaming coffee. "So... are you still going to ask Eric questions about his sister's murder?" Ash asked, breaking the awkward silence. I turned around to find her zipping up her lunchbox. "Yeah, I am." I said as I pulled out a chair and sat down at the kitchen table. "You already know my opinion on this as well as Jay's, but I know there's nothing I can do to change your mind. Just be careful, okay?" She said with a mix of emotions in her eyes.
"I will. I promise." I replied. She left for work and I made myself some dippy eggs with a piece of toast for breakfast. When I was finished eating I went into my office to get prepared to talk with Eric. I had two bottles of water sitting on my desk just in case I needed a drink during my call. I'm not sure why I was nervous, but maybe that's because I wasn't being entirely truthful with Elizabeth's brother. Right at nine o'clock I called him and the two of us made small talk. After a while we eventually got into the serious questions I wanted to ask him, but I made sure to take things slowly. I didn't want him to think that I was asking questions that wouldn't be used in a college essay. We were on the phone for hours, but we didn't just talk about murder. He told me what kind of person Elizabeth was. According to him, she had a bright personality; she always knew how to make someone smile and always saw the good in everyone. "Well, she was like that until she got into a relationship with Mark. He was always so controlling over her. He never wanted her to hangout with her friends or even family members." He said. His voice was very passionate, and I could tell he held hate in his heart for Mark.

"I don't want to sound too forward, but... did they have an abusive relationship?" I asked him curiously, even though I knew they did. "Yeah, they did. I hate to say it but I was so angry that I even contemplated killing Mark. I hope that doesn't make you see me in a negative light." He replied. I told him that I didn't view him in a negative light; if anyone abused someone I think I might have wanted to hurt the abuser as well. To my surprise he had nothing but positive things to say about Daniel. "He was so good to Elizabeth. She told him about her past relationship and he was so gentle with her. She was back to her old self again thanks to him." He said. But then his sister went back into a state of fear when Mark started stalking her on social media, and it only got worse when he moved back. Eric told me various things that Mark did to her when he got back into town. All of them were so horrible, yet the police couldn't do anything because none of them had any proof. I felt so bad for their family. Especially since they had to watch the entire town turn on Daniel, a person the family loved and trusted. A person that helped Elizabeth be herself again after an abusive relationship.

I sympathized with him, even though I couldn't imagine how him and his family must have felt. "Since this particular case is still unsolved, I'm curious if you and your family members were suspicious of anyone." I said I started to bring the call to an end. "All of us suspected Mark, obviously. But due to not having any evidence the police didn't do anything. So everyone naturally accused Daniel since he was engaged to be married to her." He said. Eric also said that he felt bad about what happened to Daniel, especially since everyone in town treats him like he was the killer. "Have you talked to him? Like... have you let him know you don't blame him for your sister's death?" I said. I just hoped that someone told him they don't think he was responsible for her death. "Yeah, I told him that we don't blame him for her death. But... none of us have contacted him in a while to be honest. Now that you mention it... maybe I should call him up someday to see how he has been doing." He replied, and I could hear the guilt that was in his voice. I knew Eric hasn't talked to Daniel in a long time, neither had any of Elizabeth's other family members. It's one of the things that makes Daniel so sad. "I'm sure he'd appreciate that, Eric." I said. As we said our goodbyes he let me know that I could call him if needed more information for my essay, and I thanked him.

When I hung up I checked the time and saw that it was alright eleven thirty. Even though it wasn't lunch time, I was starting to get hungry. 'It's probably because you woke up so early.' I thought inside of my head as I finished drinking my last bottle of water. I quickly went to the bathroom before heading downstairs to the kitchen. I grabbed an apple and a granola bar for a snack and then headed into the living room. Jay was sitting there watching tv, but when he saw me he turned the volume down a little. "So... did you actually call Eric Green about his sister's murder?" He asked. I wasn't able to read the emotions that were in his eyes, and maybe that was for the best. "Yeah, I did. And he suspects that Mark killed Elizabeth too." I replied. His eyes went wide before he started asking me a thousand questions about the phone call I had. Luckily for him I took notes of what Eric had told me. I wasn't entirely sure what we could do with this new information and neither was he. We talked as I ate my snack and watched tv. I needed Ash's insight, but I wasn't sure if she wanted to get involved with this anymore than she already was. Mostly because she was so against me contacting Eric in the first place. All I could do was hope she would change her mind once she hears all the details.

After lunch I helped Jay with a couple videos he wanted to film. I even helped him stream a few rounds of Among Us as well. When Ash came home we ate dinner and she talked about her day at work. The whole time there was tension in the air, and I know that Jay felt it as well. I wanted to tell her what Eric had told me, but I didn't know how to present the subject for conversation. Thankfully, Jay did that for me. I didn't expect her to be curious, but she was. In fact she seemed almost glad that I found out some new information we could work on. "So, what do you think we should do?" I asked her with slightly furrowed brows. "Well... the only way we can find more about the murder is if we get access to the case files." She said. "And the only way we can do that is if we go to the police station." Jay added and she nodded in agreement. "But... why would anyone let the three of us look into those case files? Everything's top secret, besides everyone thinks Daniel is the killer." I said. "I've been doing some of my own private research. I went to the library on my lunch break today and found that they have a cop in the family. Lieutenant Joe Kenda is the head of the homicide division down at the station, and he just so happens to be Elizabeth's mother's brother." Ash said.

A rush of excitement washed over me. I wanted to run down to the police station right away, but I knew we couldn't. It was too late, plus we needed to come up with a plan first. How were we going to get in to see Lt. Kenda? The three of us stayed up late that night thinking of ways we could get in touch with him, just to see if he would be willing to meet with us. It was three in the morning before I eventually went to my bedroom that night, but I didn't get much sleep. My brain was too active to allow me to sleep. A part of me knew we'd eventually have to involve the Green family into this. When that time came, I wished that they would help us try and find Elizabeth's killer. After all, we needed all the help we could get. As I stared at the ceiling above me, I hoped that I didn't feel like a zombie in the morning, but I knew it was inevitable. So I tried to press my racing thoughts aside and attempt to get at least a little rest.

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