Is It Time Yet?

kapitel siebenzehn

Klavier turned the handle, pushed the door open, and flickered on the lights, which were rather dim. Once inside he started to wheeze. How dusty was this place?

Ema was looking around."Okay, let's split up. You probably know this place better than I do, so you look around for evidence while I dust for prints."

Splitting up didn't seem like the best idea, but there really was no use in arguing with the detective. He shrugged. "It's your call, Fraülein."

Klavier could hear Ema muttering something to herself as he started walking through the house, searching for anything that might help him track down Kristoph.

This place had always been a little too formal and old-fashioned for Klavier's tastes, and wandering through it now at night was like being in a scene from a horror movie. He wasn't proud of it, but he'd jumped more than a few times at nothing as he searched the place.

After twenty minutes, he'd been to nearly every room in the house but one. Kristoph's bedroom. That was the most obvious room to check, but Klavier had admittedly been wary of going inside. What if Kristoph was there, waiting to murder anyone who went inside?

He kept telling himself these fears were unfounded, as the police had already checked the entire house. They wouldn't have missed an entire person hiding in the bedroom. And besides, Fraülein Skye had a weapon. Kinda.

His heart was nearly beating out of his chest as he creaked open the door to the master bedroom.

His eyes adjusted to the lack of light. There was no one there, as far as he could see. The bed was neatly made, a few items like books and a landline were sitting neatly on a desk, and the curtains were drawn. The only things that really stood out were several bottles of nail polish on a shelf, but the detectives would have taken them away already if they'd had poison.

In other words, Klavier had searched the entire house, and nothing had come up. They were no closer to putting his brother back into prison then they had been before.

Hopefully this hadn't all been for naught. Klavier turned back towards the door. Maybe the Fraülien had found some suspicious fingerprints or bloodstains.

Ring ring

Was that a phone?

Klavier spun around and saw the old-fashioned landline on the desk was ringing. Who in the world could have been trying to call Kristoph's phone?

He reached for it and picked it up, slowly putting it up to his ear. He waited for whoever was on the other end to speak.

After a few seconds, a strange, unnatural voice could be heard. "I have the items you requested, Gavin. Meet me at People Park, next to the river, in two hours."

This was a call meant for Kristoph. It had to be.

Saying something would let the other person know who he was, so Klavier decided he'd best keep his mouth shut and listen.

Click.

But the phone disconnected.

This was just the kind of lead Klavier had been looking for. Now he had all the information he needed. It was clear someone was going to meet with Kristoph at the park in two hours. And since Kristoph didn't get the phone call, there was no chance that he himself knew where to go.

Meeting with this mystery person in the place of Kristoph might just give him the information he needed on his brother's location.

He looked around the bedroom and grabbed a duffle bag that was sitting in the corner of the room. He knew what he had to do.