Author's Note: here's the next chapter! :D
Night Eyes
"Konnor," Jayden got the boy's attention later that day. He'd left the office a little before eight, and he had to admit - at least to himself - that it felt a little strange. Konnor was still up and full of energy; he was used to getting here later, when the boy was fast asleep.
"Yeah?" He looked at Jayden, and his eyes seemed too old. It was the same look that Lydia gave him sometimes. Those were eyes that had seen too much, souls that had suffered for too long.
"Do you have a leash for Chester?"
Konnor tilted his head to one side, curious. "Yeah. Why?"
"You wanna go for a walk?" Some surveillance work seemed in order. How was the killer able to keep tabs on Lydia?
"Sure, but I have to tell Lyd."
Jayden nodded and watched him go upstairs. He returned shortly after, Lydia following after him. She met his eye, and there was no denying the fear there. He smiled to reassure her. Nothing would happen to Konnor. She watched as they pulled on their winter gear.
Konnor retreived the leash and Chester jumped off the couch, realizing the boy's intentions. In his excitement, he beat Jayden's leg with his overly-happy tail. With the leash latched onto his collar, Chester practically jumped for joy. "Can you handle him?" Jayden asked.
"Lydia normally does," Konnor told him, sighing. "He's too powerful and gets distracted sometimes. He'll drag me."
Jayden held his hand out and Konnor placed the other end of the leash in it. "Be back in a minute," Jayden promised Lydia. She gave a slight nod and watched them leave.
They walked the side-walk, first up, and then down. Jayden's eyes scanned everything, searching for the killer's advantageous position. Where could he watch the house without being noticed?
Konnor coughed, distracting Jayden. He hadn't noticed before, but he'd slowed down to match the boy's shorter strides. Konnor's head was bowed, his eyes trained on his feet. "What's wrong, Konnor?"
He looked up, seemed surprised that Jayden would ask. He shook his head. "It's nothing."
"You're sure...?"
Konnor was silent for a long moment. They were already heading back for the house. They had to stop when Chester did. He sniffed a light-post before moving on. Konnor sighed, running a hand through his chocolate colored hair. He was stressed and confused. It was obvious.
"You can tell me anything you need to, Konnor. I'm here to help you."
"You keep saying that," he said, his gaze skittering away from him.
"Because it's true."
Chester stopped again, lifting his head and scenting the wind. He remained that way for a long moment before snorting and continuing his brisk walk, forcing Jayden to tug on the leash a couple of times to rein him in. All the while, Jayden's eyes moved. It was too dark to spot an enemy, especially if he had hidden himself away. He couldn't shake the feeling of being watched now, though. This guy definitely had a way of making people feel like prey.
But, Jayden thought, this wouldn't play out like he thought it would. The fox may be chasing the mice for now, frolicking and sure of himself, but the hound would catch up with him eventually. When that time came, justice would be dispensed.
"I'm not the one that needs protected," Konnor said suddenly. Jayden looked down at him, curious. "When you came, I thought that you would be taking care of us," he said, and he sounded so sad and so lost that Jayden felt his heart react. "Turns out," he started, letting his anger surface, "that she's taking care of you like she takes care of me."
Jayden could only stare at the boy. What was it? Did he feel threatened with someone else coming into his home? No... Jayden sensed that there was something else, buried deep. Something that Konnor didn't want to think about, something that plagued his nightmares.
"What is it, Konnor?" he questioned softly.
"She can't do it, Mr. Jayden. She can't!"
Chester barked, reacting to Konnor's in-suppressible emotions. He whined, going to his pack-mate. Konnor buried his fingers in the dog's golden fur, tears running unchecked down his face.
"I don't understand, Konnor." Jayden turned to face the boy fully.
"Lydia's hurt."
Jayden sat at the desk in the study. He dragged a hand down the length of his face. He kept replaying the night's events in his head. He couldn't get Konnor's little voice out of his mind. His chest had actually felt tight; he'd held his breath, dreading what the boy would tell him.
Konnor could not tell him what had happened; he only knew that he'd been in the hospital with his sister soon after their parents had died. He could still remember her face, contorted with anger, with pain. He could remember her waking up in the middle of the night, screaming. She still woke up sometimes, but she left the room to cry. He hated it. He knew something was wrong, that she was weak, but didn't know what he was supposed to do, how he was supposed to help.
He had to stop thinking about this, he thought. He had a job to do. The sooner he figured all of this out, the sooner Lydia could go on living without fear, without having to look over her shoulder.
A soft knock at the door had him sitting up straight. She cracked the door, "Mr. Jayden?"
"Yes?"
She opened the door, leaning in a little. "I'll make coffee. Are you planning on going to bed soon?" She offered him a small smile.
He shook his head. "Thanks." She nodded and went off to do as she'd said, closing the door behind her.
With a sigh, he looked over his notebook. As tired and as distracted as he was, his own writing looked like a bunch of illegible scribbles. He blinked a few times, trying to bring it all into focus. He'd probably read this over a hundred times, trying to find something that he had to be missing.
His gaze fell on the "infinity" card. Lydia had happily given it to him, saying that she'd die happy if she never saw it again. Silly thing to say, he thought absently. He wasn't going to let her die. The Aldaine siblings didn't seem to have much faith in him or the law itself.
Debbie Rose - Carnation. The carnation symbolizes such things as impulsiveness and joy.
Bernadette Daniels - Amaryllis. The amaryllis symbolizes such things as pride and beauty.
Obviously, the flowers held some meaning. The victims before these two recent ones had all had different flowers delivered to them, as well. They were the only difference concerning these crimes, really. What significance did they hold?
He looked up when the door was pushed open slowly. Her bottom entered the room first. She held two cups of coffee. "That was a pain," she murmured as she approached the desk.
"I would have opened the door if I'd known you were out there..." He was so out of it, he hadn't even heard the stairs creaking under her. Then again, she appeared very slight, even more so than when he'd first met her only a few days ago.
She only smiled and placed a cup before him. "I watched how you prepared your coffee," she told him, her smile widening.
"Thanks. I'm gonna need it."
"Right. Well, good night, Mr. Jayden." She turned away and started for the door.
"You can call me Jayden," he told her, causing her to look back at him. "Or just Norman," he said with a shrug.
She stared at him for a moment with those big eyes of hers. Her smile returned and she nodded. "Okay," she said. She glanced away, looked back at him, "Good night, then, Norman. Make sure you get some sleep, okay? It's not good to neglect your health." She was frowning now.
"Uh... Yeah. Good night, Lydia." He watched her go and then rested his chin in his palm. After a moment, he shook his head and lifted the cup of coffee to his lips. It burned his throat going down, but he thought nothing of it.
Alright, then... Back to trying to sort out this puzzle...
Chapter: complete! Working on the next chapter already! Thanks for reading!
