Dickory

A Hollow Home

It was fucking weird being in the apartment without Aaron there. From the untouched state of the place, he was pretty sure Aaron had been taken from somewhere else. Everything was exactly as it had been that Friday night. Almost everything. Gavin noticed the bedsheets were still sitting damp in the washing machine. He hit the cycle to run again. They'd probably smell dank after being shut in there for a few weeks. The plate and glass from when Aaron had given him aftercare were clean and sitting on the drainer. Gavin put them away on autopilot. Aaron liked things to be tidy.

"Where would you like to start?" Nines asked as he hovered in the living room, trying not to feel intrusive. This was someone else's space. Their home. He'd never felt this way on a crime scene, but this wasn't a crime scene, and he'd known Mr Hughes...Sort of. He examined the tidy space, taking in the neatness. There were a few personal items, including some photos. His brow furrowed as he inspected them. One of them was of his office at work. It was a celebration of some kind with many staff members present. The other two were of Aaron and Gavin, likely images saved using his optical components. Both had involved mirrors. One had been taken in the bathroom and one in the bedroom. Gavin had likely been unaware of them being taken at the time, but they weren't hidden, so perhaps he'd noticed them afterwards. They both seemed content and at ease in the pictures.

A fine layer of dust had made an unwelcome home on the glass coffee table. With Aaron's immaculate nature, this was likely something he wouldn't have tolerated. Gavin seemed equally unsatisfied as he grabbed a cloth from beneath the sink and began wiping down the kitchen counters. Nines walked over quietly and stopped him. This wasn't what they had come for. He was sympathetic as he removed the cloth and put it aside before leading Gavin across to the large sofa. Gavin huffed a frustrated sigh and rubbed his face. It was wrong. It was all wrong! The apartment shouldn't be like this. It shouldn't be so empty. So quiet. So cold.

"Would you like to look through the computer first, or the drawers?" He gave Gavin simple choices rather than asking for complete thoughts. Gavin weighed the options. Aaron was an android, so he would have kept important things stored electronically where it was easily accessible, right? Then again, because he was an android and knew the risk of that, maybe he'd been more cautious and kept a hard copy of important documents tucked away out of sight. Which one do I feel like doing more? He sighed finally, not having the energy to move from his spot on the sofa.

"Laptop." He didn't know where Aaron kept it, but he knew he had one. He'd often had his laptop bag slung over his shoulder when he picked him up at the precinct. Nines nodded obediently and scanned the tidy room. It wasn't in the living room, so he went to scan the bedroom. He found it tucked away in its bag in a drawer beneath the bed and carried it through to the living room, where he pulled it out. It was password protected, but Nines was the most advanced android in existence. Hacking it was a simple matter. He rested one white hand on the surface as he set it on Gavin's lap. Gavin almost seemed sour as Nines hacked it. Of course he does not approve. Computers hold private information.

"You should check his emails first," Nines guided as he sat beside him and watched him open an internet tab. Aaron had his email stored as one of the main places he visited, and the password had been saved onto the browser. He'd clearly been confident that no one would get past his password. It had been encrypted to a high level, so that wasn't too cocky of him either. Gavin ran his eyes over the emails. There was a lot of back and forth to the publisher. He cursed under his breath as he opened the latest message. It was just a simple greeting, telling him how excited they were to let him know that the first copies of his book were in and had been posted to him.

"Did you see anything in the mail?" Nines got to his feet and hurried to the small pile of letters he'd picked up from the mailbox. There was a small delivery card. A parcel had been left with the neighbour next door. Nines stepped out and knocked, returning shortly with a moderately heavy box. Gavin waved for him to set it aside. He'd cross that bridge when he came to it. For now, he was supposed to be looking for official lawyer type emails. There were a few work ones, mostly questioning where he was. Gavin sighed as he replied to the most recent one from his boss, which was a simple dismissal for not turning up or calling in. Like fuck he was about to let Aaron's reputation go down the drain! He didn't give any details on the case, just that Aaron had been a victim in an ongoing investigation and that he could contact the DPD for further details.