NO BODY, NO CRIME

Chapter 11

"So, you think she did it?" Zayn whispered. 

"But I just can't prove it!" Louis slammed his head against his desk. 

"Lou," Zayn called, "pick your head up."

Louis slowly started looking up, he was clearly sleep-deprived as he hadn't slept for two nights and was definitely over-thinking and worked up. 

"I'm tired, Z," Louis looked almost desperate, "I just don't know if she actually is guilty."

"Well," Zayn pursed his lips, "nobody is guilty if there's no Liam. He could very likely be alive, bro."

"I know!" Louis' frustration was speaking for him. "Searched him in every possible place he could've run off to, any of the suspects could've hidden him, we even searched the places the non-suspects could've hid him or his body! And what do we have? Nothing!"

"This way, we have to shut this case by next month if we have zero leads," Zayn sighed. 

"No!" Louis was adamant. "I never let a case go! I've never declared a case cold!"

"Louis," Zayn remained calm, "this isn't about you."

"I know, it isn't," Louis seemed helpless, "I just wanted Gemma to get justice."

"Bro," Zayn slid his seat nearer to Louis, "I know how important any case is for you. I know this was very important. But, you just have to let this go."

"Even when I just know what happened?"

"Yes," Zayn was bitterly honest, as always, "because there's nothing you can prove."

Louis sighed. He knew he was working on a dead-end, he knew he had to let this go, he knew this will never have a proper closure. But he couldn't change it because he only thought Liam was dead, he only thought Eleanor killed him- he only thought that he was right. 

"And Lou," Zayn snapped his attention back to him.

"Huh?" Louis asked, still in his thought-train a little. 

"After half-finding out that Eleanor might've done something, does that change how you feel for her?" Zayn gulped after asking that question. He knew he stepped on the wrong spot. 

Louis, honestly, had no idea about that. He had nothing to prove her guilty, he didn't even know if there was a crime to blame her for. This did make Louis think that he doubted her for no reason, kind of. But it was true, he was too harsh on her, he doubted her enough to check her closet. He never meant to, but he thought having a little look wouldn't hurt. That was so unprofessional, but everything between him and Eleanor was. 

"Tommo?"

 Louis didn't respond. 

"Hey, Louis?!" 

Still no response. 

"Tomlinson?"

"Louis William Tomlinson, are you fucking listening?!"

"Geez, why are you shouting?" Louis asked, taken aback. 

"Because you weren't listening!" Zayn huffed. "Now, what were you thinking about?"

"I'm a suspecting dick, who has no idea how to deal with situations and is completely untrusting," Louis said in one breathe, leaving Zayn in a fit of confusion. 

"Okay..." Zayn found words to say. "You're not a dick, you're a great man. You might get flustered in how or whom to trust and you fuck up, but hey, that's cop nature. And it's true, you do suspect a lot. I remember how you literally interrogated Brianna when she said she lost the bottle when you knew she broke it." Zayn rolled his eyes.