RoseBlood

Lovesick

"This all started on Friday, didn't it?"

Emerson starts asking questions almost as soon as I sit down, and Elias gets out an iPad and opens Notes. I can't help looking at him and then the surroundings incredulously; here we are in a beautiful, old-fashioned library, and now the guy's gotten out a tablet instead of a notebook.

"No, it didn't," I respond slowly, "it started on Wednesday evening."

"Wednesday evening," Emerson repeats, "did that have anything to do with the murders, Holly?"

I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes, looking him straight in the eye. "Yes, Emerson, it did."

Elias glances up at us from the screen with a look of amusement.

"I can't really start from the beginning like this," I clarify, "I wrote everything down to keep it all in order. But that's at home. So I'll need to go home and get it if you want to know."

"That's not possible right now," Emerson says, "you've only just been removed from your house. It's not a good idea to go back there, or in that area, until the killer is identified and caught. You were nearly killed earlier."

"I'm aware of that," I acknowledge, starting to get annoyed already, "but if I don't have my casebook, I can't remember everything right from when it started. And there's a lot to remember, by the way. A lot has happened these past few days."

"She can go get the book, can't she?" Elias asks Emerson, putting down his iPad. "It's worth it if we'll be able to do this right, get a better understanding."

Emerson shakes his head, just as Edith reappears at the door, walking in with a glass of water and a pack of painkillers.

"It's too much of a risk to take."

"What is?" Edith asks, setting down the glass and paracetamol with a brief smile at me, before sitting with us.

"He's banning me from going back home," I state, brows raised slightly, and Emerson shakes his head again.

"That's not what I'm doing," he explains. "I understand your things are at home, but-"

"I'll get them for you," Edith volunteers, and Emerson gives her a pointed look, which she returns sarcastically. "Oh, come on, Emerson, Holly will need things if she's staying here for a little while. We left in a rush, remember? There's clothes, and whatever else she needs."

"My casebook, for example," I add, and Edith smiles.

"You've got a casebook? That's a really smart idea, actually. I prefer books to tech any day."

"Alright," Emerson starts, "Edith, you can go and bring those things from Holly's house later today."

I frown, uncertain. I've only just met these people, and even though Edith seems nice enough, I don't like the idea of a stranger snooping around my parents' home at all.

"Well... if that's okay with Holly," Edith says, and I smile slightly at her. "It's her home."

I dither, shrugging. "I mean... I don't know..."

"I can FaceTime you the whole time if you want," she suggests, "you can tell me what to pack and where stuff is. It'll make everything easier."

I nod at that. "That's fine, then."

I suddenly think of Lizzie, how worried she looked in the garden, and speak up again.

"I want to call Lizzie, too."

"Of course you can," Edith agrees instantly.

"Again, that's not a good idea," Emerson contradicts, and I look at him boredly.