Justice for Julia

1 ~ Out of place (Ben)

He didn't see any point in doing what he was doing right now, and yet he did it. No one could figure it out. To be honest, they didn't even have to persuade him, he just came without hesitation. Without asking any questions. He didn't need any answers, at least not the ones they would give him. He would find out everything else soon enough. Well, yes, or just find out for himself. That was his job, wasn't it? God knows why they had chosen him. Well, there were clearly some pros to the job:

He needed money.

He needed information.

He needed to do something before the ceiling fell on his head.

The job suited him because....

He knew his stuff.

He was always under surveillance, couldn't screw up.

Nothing could throw him off track so easily.

So, he had finally set out. Honestly, he didn't know what he was getting into. But he couldn't care less. Well, so far so good. That sounded very depressed. Was he depressed? No, why should he be? Okay, his bike had seen better days and, oddly enough, it had a flat tire. Girls weren't exactly lining up for him and when he did get one, it was the worst kind of bitch. He lived in the same house with his parents. His money wasn't even enough for a case of beer.

So, really, why should he be depressed? Optimistic, that's what he was!

Well, that was a lie. He booted through drizzle, trying to ignore the cold that penetrated his leather jacket. As said, his bike had a flat tyre, but the thing had only given up the ghost when he was already halfway there. This road, by the way, led to the private residence of a CID officer who had almost sent him to prison just six months ago. All because of this job. Only then did he realize that he had really hit bottom when he broke his oath because of a job. And he had taken an oath. At the time. He was only twenty and already depressed. That was not good. That was bad. That was depressing.

There he was, standing in front of his destination: a sunflower-yellow terraced house with a grey door and a glass roof. When he noticed the evenly smoking chimney, he laughed dryly. It couldn't have been more clichéd. Aversion, against this house, against this family, rose in him. But he suppressed it and took the two steps at once. Suddenly he became uncomfortably aware that his clothes were baggy and his hair looked gelatinous. Well, what the hell. Take a deep breath. Pretty quiet here. His finger approached the plain bell button, only to pause short of it.

He didn't want to chicken out, he wasn't that type. Although the thought did sound tempting. Just turn around, go down two steps and back home. It would be easy. Nothing would happen. He was replaceable he knew. But no. It didn't work like that. Loud voices, that had disturbed him. A discussion, an argument? As if automatically, he pricked up his ears.

"You can't do that!"

"Not in that tone, my lady. It's too dangerous, so you keep stay out of it. Understand?"

"How could I? She was my best friend!"

"You have no idea. I'll have you guarded if I must. You know I can."

He just managed to take a step back as the door was yanked open. For a few seconds they stood facing each other. She bit her lip but could not suppress the trembling. Anger and sadness showed on her face. So, he had been right, a fight. Great time for a visit, really. He heaved an annoyed sigh. The girl was about sixteen, he guessed. And she was trembling so much that he thought she would turn back on the spot. But instead, she ran down the steps into the rain with her arms folded in front of her chest. Well, she has some pride. At the bottom, she turned to him, sending an angry look upwards. But then the wind swept into her red curls, she tried to keep them out of her face and the look became more distracted. Time for 'n' exit, Ben. Briskly he crossed the hall and suddenly stood in the living room. In front of him, a man in his mid-forties with blond hair stared glumly out the back door. Like a douche, he now stood there in the living room of a policeman with family problems. Super. Excellent timing.

"Your timing really is excellent, Ben, I must say."

What could he say? He said nothing. Then Commissioner Zeis turned around.

"You came, so let's sit down."

"What do you want from me? Do you need a babysitter for your daughter? If so, I'll have to pass."

"Straight to the point, I like that and I hear you've met my niece too. I'm on a case that involves Leila personally and she'd like to get involved but I can't. That's where you come in."

"Go ahead, Mr. Zeis. You've got me curious."

"Mika, you can call me Mika. I don't need to explain to you that you young people account for a lot of crime among yourselves. We can't even get close to that. What do we get? To be honest, I'm not getting anywhere. Leila's best friend Julia Schmid was found dead a week ago. Nothing suspicious. Suicide, they say. But something is behind it."

"And I'm supposed to find that out. Right, I see. On one condition."

"Which is?"

"I'm going to need help, Leila's the one for that at least now, no one else knew Julia like she did."

"You don't know what we're talking about here. Murder, I'll be damned if I'm going to leave my niece out of this!"

"Oh, come on, she'll investigate either way. You know that better than I do. Let's face it, I'd do the same if I were her. That way we can work together. Don't we all want the same thing? Besides, you'll have both of us in your sights."

The inspector groaned, but after a moment he nodded. There was no need for anything more. Time to leave. All the way home he wondered if it was really such a good idea to bring the girl on board. What if she interfered with the investigation? Or got too emotional, that was all he needed. And yet he couldn't shake the thought that she could be very useful here. Especially for women's stuff, that is. That would fit. At least he hoped so.

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First book, first chapter - how excited! So far so good. What do you say?

Also I am no native in English so bare with me.