I Can Hear Your Heart (A Heartstopper FanFic -- BOOK 1)

9. Quiet

Knock knock knock.

Nick, Sarah and Nellie all looked up from their breakfasts in sleepy surprise.

"Honestly, who's knocking on the door at this time of the morning?"

Sarah sighed, discarded the remains of her toast and went out into the hall to answer the door. Nick went back to his cereal.

His subconsciousness had not allowed him more than one night of respite. Yet another beautiful dream had been ripped away from him and corrupted into his worst fear. He would have thought by now his subconscious would have learnt not to be lulled into the false sense of security whenever the dreams started out good.

At least Char-- the Boy-Under-the-Bed -- for that was what Nick had started to call him now (by refusing to name him, it made him seem less connected to the real thing) -- had stayed under the cabin bed last night, stayed out from under Nick's own bed.

"Good morning, Nick."

Nick was snapped out of his reverie by the appearance of a woman at the kitchen door.

"I'm sorry to bother you this morning," said Officer Helen Torrance as Sarah showed her into a chair. "But I'm afraid I have a rather urgent matter I need to discuss with you, and I'm afraid it cannot wait."

"Would you like a cup of tea, Helen?" Sarah asked, still polite through her worry and annoyance.

"No thank you, Sarah, I'd like to make this as quick as possible."

Sarah sat back down by her toast but did not pick it up again.

Nick gulped down a mouthful of Shreddies, heart hammering in his chest.

"My colleague, Detective Inspector Michaels, witnessed some very suspicious behaviour while he was out on his morning jog yesterday in Lakewood Park."

Fuck fuck fuck.

"His report has alerted me to clear evidence that suggests you were responsible for the disposal of the weapon used in the triple homicide that happened at your family's cabin on 2nd June. Evidence suggests that you threw the gun into the river on said afternoon and, yesterday morning, you found it had not been washed away as you had hoped. And so, you called the help of a loyal friend to help push the gun back into the weeds to disguise it. Does any of this sound familiar to you, Nick?"

"I -- I already told you I wasn't at the cabin that day, detective," said Nick carefully. He hoped she couldn't hear his heart beating as loudly as he could. "I don't know anything about it, other than what you've told me."

"You did go to the park early yesterday morning, though, didn't you, Nicky? To walk Nellie?"

Officer Torrance glanced at Sarah then gave Nick a pointed look which was hard to read.

"I was there yesterday morning with Nellie," said Nick. "And I did meet Charlie there, who is my boyfriend, by the way, not just my friend. We planned to meet by that willow tree beside the river and I did text him while I waited there. We stayed by the tree to talk for a bit and then we used the park toilets and then we went for a walk. We went just as far as the hilltop and then we came back again. That's all that happened. I don't know anything about any gun in any river, I promise. Why would I?"

Nick looked up to find the detective had been taking notes the whole time he had been talking.

This was not good. This was getting dangerous.

But he was finding it surprisingly easy to lie...

"Did you see anyone acting suspiciously?" Sarah asked, very worried now. "It might not have been Nick, detective, maybe your colleague was mistaken. How would he even know what my son looks like?"