A Danger That Lurks In The Darkness | A TPQ AU |

VIII | Two Heartbeats In Tandem

RUDY
Mini put the stack of love letters in a sealed, plastic Evidence bag, and said, "Let's look for other things around the apartment, then we can check them out in the precinct,"

He nodded, and the both of them set to work.

They sealed more letters, documents, bills, and everything they could find that would help them in their investigation, putting them in cardboard boxes.

An hour and a half later, they surveyed a rather emptier apartment than before, as Mini snatched the stack of letters from the table, and dropped them on the top of the last box, saying, "Can't forget that!"

Her voice was overly bright, like she was overcompensating for her mood during the day. His own mind deliberated on whether he should offer help to her, and the least he could do was carry the boxes, since she looked dead tired.

"I can carry all of the boxes," he said.

"There are five of them," she said, apprehensively.

He rolled up his sleeves, and flexed his bicep. "That's nothing,"

She crossed her arms, and said, tentatively, "...Alright, then,"

Carrying the five boxes was a struggle, and he nearly dropped one, which was when she took over, and carried two of the heaviest boxes.

"Sorry," he said, apologetically, on the elevator ride to the parking lot. "I'm kinda useless,"

She scowled, and said, "Don't call yourself that,"

She did, however, look slightly worried, and said, "Did you pull a muscle?"

"Can't pull what I don't have," he grumbled, under his breath, and hauled the other three boxes to Mini's car.

After loading the boxes, they entered the car, and with a groan, she set her head gently on the steering wheel, as Rudy put on his seatbelt.

"I'm so tired." she groaned, her hands thrown over the steering wheel, crossing each other. She was twirling a skull charm on her bracelet.

"Even after the coffee I lovingly delivered you?" he asked, teasingly. The words had left his mouth before he could consider what they were, and, to his horror, her cheeks were flushed.

"Er—" she said, sounding unsure about how to respond, as he hurriedly tried to smooth it over with: "Um— do you want me to drive?"

She looked up at him with tired eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah!" he said, grateful that the awkwardness of the moment had passed as quickly as it had come, and gave himself a mental slap for saying it.

Her hand shifted to the steering wheel, and she tightened her grip on it. "It's fine," she said, her grip on the steering wheel turning white-knuckled.

And, with a reassuring, tired glance at him, she started her car, the barest shadow flickering in her face as she said it.

Lie.

————

They spent half of an entire day combing through documents, which they had logged into the Evidence records.

Rudy leaned back in his seat, and asked, "Should we ask Mr. and Mrs. Lawtons if they knew that Lissa had a partner? If they didn't..."

"Then the only person who knew was Patricia," Mini said, slowly.

"But why was she trying to hide the fact that her sister was... y'know, in love?"

"Don't know," she trailed off, but frowned at the letter. "These are old. Don't know how old, but... look at the staining on them."