Let me announce that in this chapter there is much more Astraëlle, to make up for the previous chapter, if you were a little bit disappointed! Don't want to let readers down!
Astrid and Raphaëlle went together to the Service of Criminal Documentation. Astrid recalled an old crime when the receptionist told them about Pierre's mom, so she took Raphaëlle to the paper room. She wanted to show her partner the files of Pierre's mom case. Conveniently, it was a good opportunity to be alone with Raphaëlle, in her sacred room. She loved being alone with her on one hand… on the other hand it was kind of distressing. The feelings in her body, in that moment, were so mixed up: good yet mysterious and disconcerting. Entangled feelings, like… yes, a Burr puzzle. She had to untangle it in order to solve, however for this one she was completely bewildered.
-There. Madame Bourlain died over an alcohol intoxicated driver six months ago. The man got away from the crime scene, but the police managed to catch him. He was sentenced to pay an indemnization to Pierre Bourlain, the only relative still alive. -said Astrid, pointing to the investigation papers orderly spread on the floor.
The commander was carefully listening to Astrid. Just her voice made her shiver, actually. She had a keen mind. It made her even more special to Raph's eyes (and heart). How could her partner manage to be so attractive without making any effort? It was so natural… Her eyes were sparkling. Her heart was skipping a beat each time Astrid ran the files through her slender and meticulous fingers. At that moment, she just desired grabbing Astrid's hand and hugging her and saying she loved her and running away with her like a burglar after the theft. She could swear she was swooning right there. If the blonde was neurotypical, it would not be a problem. Probably she would already be dating her. Maybe they even would have already slept together. That couple things. After all, she was impulsive and reckless. With Astrid… she had to be extra careful, if she didn't want to spoil the beautiful and effective partnership they had built up until now. Walking on eggshells. She didn't want to scare her dearest friend away. She was so brave yet now she was so frightened. That was a tough situation after all. It was so painful. She was not delusional, after all she has known it since that Monday dinner. Why was she being so repetitive then? Why could she not just accept the truth? Her friend may not feel the same, it's not granted! It's silly to think otherwise. However, what Raph, usually so perceptive about other people's feelings -she described herself as a people person- didn't guess was the fact the documentalist was facing a similar situation.
Astrid was quivering within the Commander's presence. Her heart was racing a kilometer for a second, her breath was jerky. She already knew she didn't have that sensation for anyone - she had noticed that when she was wondering about it while working.
-So well… he received a great load of money to compensate for his mother's death. And now he has passed away too… we should check his bank extracts. Anaïs… my sixth sense is whispering she is involved in some way - deducted Raphaëlle.
-We do not have a sixth sense, Raphaëlle. Humans only have five: sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. That is not a logical statement, you can't predict the outcome based on a nonexistent sense. You can only conclude with proper evidence - warned Astrid back, her fingers wiggling.
-Astrid… how can I explain that to you? Some of us have an intuitive mind… presume something happened in a certain way… and we're right, afterwards. The sixth sense is a metaphor for being clairvoyant. I'm like that, you have already witnessed it.
-Ah… that is a figure of speech. In fact you had already guessed some facts, but I should advertise to you that we need to gather a consistent body of evidence before figuring out the solution.
-You are right, and that's the reason you're here. To help us work out the cases. And you are doing a flawless job. Brilliant one.
They stood up and left the room. It was a little bit late, so the brunette dropped her partner home, in an excruciating goodbye. They had so much to confess; instead they were completely silent, afraid of each other's reaction. They're misreading each other. Raph's developed sense was fleeing away from her fingers, and Astrid was not capable of piecing together evidence. If only reading minds was real…
Note: I must confess it's taking me more time to finish the crime part than I was originally planning, I digress a little. I just wanted a chapter, you'll get three! Don't worry, anyways, because I'm almost finishing! A few more words and you'll learn who murdered Pierre! (even if I know you're reading it for the Astraelle)