Endless obsession

Chapter 26

The devastating news of my grandparents passing just seemed to get harder. I wasn't allowed to go to California to make funeral arrangements. It was too dangerous for me to go back until they caught who did this.

"Did he tell you what the note said?" Maddie asked, stuffing more clothes in a bag.

I shook my head, "it's evidence, he's not allowed to tell me yet."

She sighed, pulling me into a hug. I was beyond grateful to Maddie for going back home to make funeral arrangements for my grandparents. They didn't want a service, just to be cremated. She'd agreed to go as soon as Sargent Adams said it wasn't safe for me to.

"I don't understand why they think it was Derek. I saw him two nights ago Maddie. It doesn't make sense." I mulled it over in my mind, still not coming up with an explanation.

"He did say they'd been there a while." She said cautiously. "I'm not saying he did do it Alex, but you know he is capable of it."

That thought alone scared the life out of me. Maddie tried to keep the conversation light as she waited for her cab. She didn't want me to leave the apartment unless absolutely necessary. I still needed to go to class, but outside of that she didn't think it was safe to be out alone.

I hugged her tight when her cab arrived and we said our goodbyes. She promised to call as soon as she landed, and she was off. It was heart wrenching to watch my best friend leave, especially when I needed her. But she was only leaving to help me. That was out of her control and we both knew it.

I made my way back up to my apartment and locked the door. I grabbed my phone out of my hoodie pocket and opened my last text from Mr. Gardner, or should I say Nick. I still couldn't process the fact he was Derek's brother. I quickly typed out a message and sent it to him. 

'Won't be in class today. -Alex'

'May I ask why?' His reply was instant. I looked at the clock to see it was only 530am. Why was he awake already?

'Death in the family.' I typed back.

'I'm sorry, I'm here if you need anything.'

I snorted and put my phone on the coffee table. The fact he thought I was going to try and maintain a relationship with him was beyond wishful thinking. I'd much rather stay as far away from him as humanly possible.

I went to my room and curled up in my bed. I stared at the scar on my wrist, I'd finally gotten my cast off a few days ago. The scar was from the bone piercing the skin, I shuddered at the thought. I tried to relax, but the thought of never hearing my grandparents voices again crushed me.

~☆~

A knock at my door jolted me awake, I must have nodded off for a little while. I rubbed my eyes and trudged out to the hallway. I pulled the door open to reveal Nick.

"What do you want?" I croaked.

"I came by to check on you." He admitted. Pushing past me as he walked inside.

I rolled my eyes and closed the door behind him. I sat on the couch and watched him as he sat next to me. We sat in silence for a few minutes before he finally spoke.

"The police think it was Derek, don't they?" He said firmly. "It wasn't him Alex, he's been here since you got back."

I paused for a moment before replying, thinking carefully before I spoke."I don't think he did it. Derek knows how much my grandparents mean to me. They were the only family I had left." 

"I'm sorry." Nick said sincerely. 

We chatted for a little while about my grandparents. I told him how they helped my dad raise me after my mother died. After my dad died tragically, they were all I had. Nick sympathized with me, their mom had died when they were young as well. Their dad took it alot harder though. While my dad focused on raising me, their dad turned to drugs and alcohol.