Dinner crime

DELILAH GREYSTON

21:30

Dinner sucks.

I mean why stay home when you can go out? Although I must admit I'm relieved, I'm not in the mood to be partying after what happend. Even getting up in the morning has become a struggle, but that's not something I say out loud.

Noah called me yesterday and said he wanted me to meet his new friend over dinner. So I had to not only clean the house but make also dinner. I'm not complaining though, the guy seems pretty cool. And handsome. But I get the feeling that something is off with him. Since that night I've been so paranoid around people but I'm not gonna let my suspicions get in my head. He seems kind and he doesnt have the face of a phsychopath and I think he is talking to me.

"I'm sorry what did you said?" I turn to look at him. I just realized he has green eyes. I've always wanted to have green eyes. Instead I have a basic brown but it is what it is I guess.

"Noah told me you study economics. That's so great, I have a cousin who studies economics and she is all day home studying. Do you stay all day home and study too?" Nate says.

Huh? "Um.. no I actually go out a lot, I dont like staying home" Who likes staying home all day? It's boring. 

"She is a social butterfly" Noah finally says something. He is being quiet and that makes me unconfortabe. Usually I'm very good at small talks but in that case he just asks questions and I'm answering. Im actually curious what is Noah thinking about and he has the face of an grandpa with alzheimer.

"I guess so." He smiles. "Do you live alone Delilah?" He narrows his eyes and leans closer.

Is this going where i think its going? There is my paranoia again. Calm down its just a question "No i actually live with my parents" Im gonna kill noah for leaving me carry the conversation alone. He brought him here after all, shouldnt him like talk?

"Oh, I used to live with my parents too. They can sometimes be annoying, especially when they stay home all day, you know?" His eyes are so focused on me that makes me super unconfortable.

I glance at Noah who smiles at something. When Nate leaves I'm gonna take Noah and shove his heat into the toilet. Should I kick him under the table discreetly? 

"No my parents are missing quite a lot, they are on a trip right now and I have the house to myself." I smile and hope I did not give much informations. I don't know the dude after all.

My parents are missing quite a lot but I actually dont want them to leave. Every night I'm drowning in my own thoughts and I can not handle it anymore, I feel all the memories playing again and again in my head. At least when they are here they can take my mind off of it and I have someone to talk. Mum most of all, dad is not much of a talker.

I take a bite of the chicken I cooked. I stayed for at least an hour to make it decent and I even used a recipe I found online but it did not succeded. It came out raw on the inside and burned on the outside. It was a failure. Although Nate eats it without compaining. Noah on the other hand just looks at the wall and occasionally smiles at something. Idiot.

"Right. Noah also told me you had your birthday three weeks ago. How did you spent your day? With your family or friends." He leans closer and narrows his eyes.

At the mention of my birthday I go rigid. All the memories of that awfull day coming back and I feel my eyes blurring. Did he actually have to bring up this? I take deep breaths to calm myself. Why did noah said that? He must not have, he know what happened that day, he couldnt have said that. I feel my temples pounding and I want to punch noah in the face with my keys secured between mu knuckles. What is the matter with him today?

When I don't answer, Nate smiles. "Everything alright? You seem upset." 

No nothing is alright. "Yes everything is fine." I try to smile

I dont like this 

NOAH STEINHART

22:00

ELLIE ASKED ME OUT

I actually cant, cant,t believe this. Im so happy I want to get in the roof of a building and shout 'Ellie asked me out' but thats actually super extreme and I have to stay calm and indicate that it's not a big deal when actually it is. I want to grab delilah and shout to her about it for a solid hour. Damn dinner. This was my idea but that was before what happend with Ellie. I should have asked her but its the same. A date its a date. A date, a date with Ellie. I think im dreaming.

"Can you guys pinch me?" I say and offer my arm. This cant be a dream. The universe owns me that much.

They stop talking and they watch me with a confused look. Actually, Nate watches me with a confused look, Delilah seems like she want to rip my head off. She reaches my arm and gives me the most painfull pinch sinking her nails onto my skin.

"Ouch. What are you doing? I said pinch me not slice out my skin." I turn to look at her and she seems mad. Well, the good thing is that I'm not dreaming. 

What should I wear? Casual or Formal. Definately casual, I dont want her to think that I'm some spoiled bratt so a suit is definately not an option. Maybe a t-shirt with a pair of je--

"Noah are you even listening to me" Delilah whisper-shouts. "What is the matter with you and why are you not talking? He keeps asking me questions and I don't know what to--"

My eyes widen and she stops. Why is she saying that with noah sitting right here--

"Where is noah" I'm confused. He was there some minutes ago.

"He went to the bathroom." She says and I relax. I dont even want to know what I would say if he had heard us. But Delilah is not that stupid she wouldnt have said that if he was near earshot.

Maybe I should wear a shirt ands black pants. That's not casual, casual but not Formal either. Maybe I should--

"Noah!" Delilah slaps my arm.

"What?"

"I swear I'm going to beat you so hard if you dont get me out of this situattion. When he comes back tell him you need to leave."

"Fine, fine."

HENRY HAMFORD

22:30

We have been talking for an hour and I still have nothing. I did not actually believe that I'm gonna solv the crime overnight but I thought I'm going to get something.

I cant crack out anything from her. Her answers give me nothing and I have not much time left before I leave. So I decided to go upstairs and see for myself. I told her I need to use the bathroom and thank god she told me to go upstairs. And she didn't come with me.

i've been studying her brothers file for days but nothing from there either. Just a typical file indicating nothing.

firt name: JAKE

last name: GREYSTONE

fathers name: BEN GREYSTONE

mothers name: ELLE GREYSTONE

age: 26

date of birth: 21/9/1996

date of death: 16/3/2021

cause of death: SUICIDE

Typically the cause of death was suicide but the coroner found signs of resistans on the victim's body. The head officer proceeded in further investigation to the family. I was asigned, four days ago, to be in charge of the investigation group. I had not a way to approach the family so I had Delilah watched and then found Noah. It was easy to approach him with a fake identity and in two days I convinced him to go out. When he mentioned his friend Delilah I knew this was my chance.

Her brother's body was found hunged in the house and the report came from his parents. His father has been convicted in the past for murder. And that's one of the reasons we are searching the family's files before we go further into arrest.

Walking upstairs I find a large corridor; two doors to the right, one to the left. Without wasting any time I reach the knob and open quietly the door. When I take a look inside the first thing I see is a bra on the floor. That must be Delilah's room. I step back and close the door. The next door besides this one is locked. 

I hear something and stop to look around; nothing

Before going for the last door I take a look ,carefully, downstairs and I see them talking. Good. I turn and take a slow step to the last door and slowly turn the knob. This is it; parents bedroom.

I step into the room and turn on a small lamp. The room is a mess so they wont notice any object movement. I take a step forward and open the drawer to find some tossed clothes.

This is so unproffesional and wrong, snicking into the house is not what I'm asigned to do. If this gets somehow reported I would definately lose my position. But what else is to do? I've been searching their files for a couple of days and found nothing. We can procced to arrest and interogate them but without evidence everyone will refuse everything and then we are on impasse. So I don't think this is a smart move. And that's why I'm here risking everything.

Pacing to the wordrobe I feel something moving slightly under my foot. I stop and examine it with my foot. The tile is hollow. Years ago this would make a weird impression on me but some years on the job made me know better. 

I reach down and take out my keys. Stucking the key's sharp point into the side crack of tile.

I'm not shocked when the tile slides upwards. This is not my first time finding hollow tiles in a house. I'm actually afraid of what i'll find inside. Will it be something relevant to the crime or just some hiding place filled with money. And if it's not the lattest how I'm gonna--

"Nate?" I hear delilah's voice and imediatelly slip the tile into place and fly out of the room. Fuck.

I walk forward and see Delilah coming to the corridor. "Sorry, I was just cheking if you are ok. You were gone for ten minutes." She shruggs. 

"Yes everything's fine" 

Walking to the dinning room I seat back on my chair but I cant stop thinking about what I found upstairs and im a littleshaken. It may be nothing. I need to get a warrant. This is what I should have done in the first place. I'm annoyed at how many papework I need to fill for this.

"So maybe we should go 'cause I need to get up early tomorrow" Noah says.

"Yeah. So" I stand up "it was nice meeting you Delilah." I shake her hand and we make our way to the door.

"Yeah me too guys, we should do this again." She says but I know she doesnt mean it I'm not an idiot.

"Sure" I actually like her and I'm sorry for her loss. But whats going to happen its worse. If my suspicions are correct.

On our way out I spot a big picture frame of the family. Jake is not in it, they are just the three of them hugging. And smiling.