|Eight|

•Week One• (2)

The next day, news about a murder close by spread like wildfire. Everyone was talking about it, everyone was scared.

I didn't know who the victim was, but I heard it was a gruesome killing. The person was stabbed ten times in the chest, and the police said it must've been a crime of passion. I agreed. The murderer must've known the victim, it all pointed to that.

It made me sick. Whoever the murderer was, they were a monster and most definitely deserved to rot in jail.

I took a sip of water and tried to ease my nerves. The murderer was probably not going to kill anyone else since it was a crime of passion, but that did nothing to calm me.

Jack interrupted my thoughts by tapping on my shoulder. "Ryan hasn't been out of his room at all today. I'm worried."

"Have you tried knocking?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "No, I'm completely stupid."

"I could live without the sarcasm," I retorted.

"You could live with it, too," he said, before continuing, "But Ryan hasn't been answering me. Could you go see what's up?"

I sighed. "Yeah, I'll go check on him."

I quickly walked to Ryan's room and knocked on his door.

No answer.

I knocked again.

No answer.

Jack walked up beside me. "See? It's like he's dead or something."

My heart beat slowed. "There's a murderer on the loose, don't say stuff like that!"

Jack looked sheepish. "Sorry."

I sighed. "It's fine, just don't say that again."

There was a sudden noise from Ryan's room that surprised Jack and I.

"Well, he's definitely in there. Let's go in and see what's wrong."

Jack nodded in agreement, and I pushed the door open. It swung on its hinges and made a faint creaking noise.

At first, I couldn't see Ryan, but I spotted him in a pile of blankets and pillows.

Jack looked at me, concern flooding his face. I matched the look.

We both hesitantly walked towards Ryan's cocoon and knelt down beside it. "Ryan?" I asked. The pile of blankets shifted.

"What?" Ryan's muffled voice sounded through the pillows.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked, putting a hand on Ryan's arm.

There was a long pause before Ryan threw the blankets off of himself and enveloped us in a big hug. My heart squeezed when I heard his quiet sobs.

We hugged him tightly back, letting him cry.

"I-I saw it happen- the killer, the stabbing- oh god, the stabbing and the b-blood." A sob racked his body.

Jack and I shared a look of fear before turning our attention back to Ryan's shuddering form.

"Oh, Ryan! I'm so sorry," Jack said, hugging him more tightly.

Ryan whimpered again.

~

After three hours, we were able to calm him down enough. He explained what he had saw, and how he felt so guilty for freezing in place.

"I just stood there! I saw it happening and I did nothing to stop it!" More tears slid down his face.

I shushed him. "It's okay. It's in the past, there wasn't anything you could do."

That didn't ease Ryan's stress and guilt, though. "B-but I was there! I could've intervened o-or something!"

Jack frowned a little. "Ryan, it's okay. If you intervened, you could've died, too."

I nodded. "At least the killer didn't notice you."

Ryan grew silent, and more sobs shook his body.

".... Right? They didn't notice you, did they?" I pried.

He began to openly cry again. "I'm s-so sorry," he sobbed.

Jack bolted up. "Wait, they saw you?!"

Ryan nodded, crying hysterically. "They looked me straight in the eyes a-and- they said-"
He stopped himself.

"What did they say?" Jack asked.

Ryan wiped his tears and hiccupped. "N-nothing. They didn't say anything."

He stood up. "I need time alone now. Please leave."

I pursed my lips, but left the room with Jack.

~

Jack had somehow convinced me to head down to the police station with him. I guess I was curious to see what clues the police had gathered, too.

We stepped into the bustling building and sat down on a waiting bench. I was nervous, what were we going to say, anyway?

Oh, our brother saw the murderer and didn't do anything.

No, that was suspicious for multiple reasons.

Hey, we're random strangers and we want to know about the murderer.

No, that was also suspicious for multiple reasons.

I was turning things over in my head, thinking deeply. Jack was practically jumping in his seat, and I was worried he was too excited to be here.

Nobody noticed us, and I looked up to see Jack's eyes glinting. I knew that meant he was up to something.
A sick feeling formed in my gut when Jack got up and slipped into a nearby office.

I looked around to make sure no one was watching, and slipped in after him.

After closing the door, I turned to Jack. "What are you doing?! We can't be in here!"

Jack shushed me and continued to skim through folders and file cabinets.

I nervously glanced around. This appeared to be the head detective's office. We could be arrested for prying and snooping around in it.

After a few minutes, Jack pulled out a small folder. "Yes! Found it!"

"What? What did you find?"

"A report on the murder from yesterday," he said, smiling cheekily.

"Why the hell were you trying to find that?" I asked, crossing my arms.

He rolled his eyes. "We're going to solve the case, obviously."

"We're what?!"

"Shh! Didn't you see how torn up Ryan was? Maybe if we catch the killer, he won't beat himself up about it."

I paused. It would make Ryan feel better, but was I crazy enough to try and catch the murderer? Yes. Yes I was, if it meant Ryan would be happy again.

"Okay, fine. Let's do this."

Jack squealed with delight, excited. "Yes! We're partners now." He held his hand up for a high-five.

I rolled my eyes but smiled before giving him a high-five.

"For Ryan." We agreed.