Ravaged // h.s. au

6.

Zayn

It was ugly.

Blood covered the walls, the windows, even splashing onto the ceiling.Her body was crashed over a glass table that used to sit in front of the TV.She had cuts scattered on her bare skin, with glass fragments protruding, along with several clear bruises along her wrists, an obvious sign of struggle, and finally, two gun holes; one in her chest, and the other in her skull.

There were no signs of breaking in, which meant that she had known her killer, or at least, she trusted him enough to let him in. Rodriguez was in custody, so it couldn't have been him. Joshua was the first suspect, surely, but then, Liam found a finger print on the layer of blood covering her chest. They bagged the body, and we collected samples from everything, before locking the apartment and surrounding it with yellow tape, to prevent anyone from coming in.

As soon as we were back at the station, I had called the lab and the morgue personally, to urge them to hurry with the results, while Louis and Niall stayed back to question the neighbors, and the officers that had reported the murder to me. Liam was seated with the kids and Cleo, calling social services and reporting their need for shelter.

Everything was so hectic, so out of control, and I hated it. I hated how I didn't know how to fix any of it. I hated how ambiguous it all continued to be. I felt unsafe, not for me, but for everyone around me. After all, we were all targets. My phone rang and it was the lab, so I called them all into my office. Niall and Louis had joined us, as soon as I put the call on speaker.

" Captain Malik." I announced.

" Captain, I got the results for the print on the victim's chest, but they- something must be wrong. I ran them time and time again, but the same result came up."

" What is it?"

" It's- it's Harry's. Harry Styles' print was on the victim's chest." I lifted my eyes, scanning through all the shocked faces ahead. No one could possibly react, while, I was required to. I cleared my throat, breathing in and out in an attempt to manner my erratic heartbeats. I had pictured a lot of things, awful things, but never this.

" Okay. I expect you to carry on with your analysis, and get back to me with full results. Thank you." I hung up, pushing the phone off the table, and falling back into my chair.

Harry was a murder suspect.

Our friend; Harry, could be responsible for killing an innocent woman.

This couldn't be it.

This couldn't be how his story ended.

" I'll bring him in." Louis whispered shakily, trying, and failing, to maintain his composure. His hand trembled as it fell onto the doorknob, and he couldn't muster enough strength to turn it.

" I've got it." Cleo said weakly, a sad look taking over her normally amused features.

" Fuck, Cleo, go with him please and-"

" Alright, got it." She nodded, following after him. He didn't fight against her as I had expected him to. And I realized, that he didn't have it in him.

" What did the neighbors say?" My eyes fell closed, as I asked the bewildered Niall.

" They heard screaming a few minutes before the gunshots sounded. They saw a man jump out the window, landing with a limp, and a second man ran down the stairs. They didn't see any features, but the screaming involved telling the police about something."

" Harry wouldn't be fighting with her about something involving coming to the police, that makes no sense." Liam interjected.

" Maybe he went to tell her to actually come to the police, and she refused, then, things just- got out of hand I guess."

" So what are you trying to say, Niall? You actually believe that Harry would do something like that?"

" Who knows what he's capable of. Maybe he was drunk. Maybe he was blinded by rage. Maybe he didn't do it, I don't know, Liam!"

" Enough!" I boomed, slamming my palms against the table.

" We don't know what Harry did or didn't do. For now, we have to deal with him like any other suspect, which means, I'll interrogate him, and I expect you to step this one out. No one tells Rodriguez anything yet. We have to be organized or this case will take us all with it. Am I making myself clear?" My eyes moved between them, as each delivered a hesitant nod.

" Alright, Liam, how did it go with social service?"

" They're explaining it to the kids now. They're supposed to take them to a shelter, until the father's destiny is determined." I nodded, releasing a tired sigh.

" I need to call Gypsy and tell her to come down. We might need her through the investigation." It was odd, how I spoke of Harry as if I didn't know him at all, although, every single organ in my body, ached at how low he had hit rock bottom. They silently left, allowing me the space I desperately needed, as I dialed Gypsy's number.

" Hello?"

" Hey, Zayn!"

" Hey, Hazel, how are you doing love?"

" I'm good, how about you?"

" Yeah, I'm alright. Is Gypsy around?"

" Yeah, she's burning something in the kitchen, hold on. Gypsy!" She called, just as I heard Gypsy's groan, before her voice replaced Hazel's.

" I told her so many times not to answer my phone, but you know how stubborn she can be. Anyway, hi Zayn, how are you?" The humor in her voice, the nonchalance, caused the words to form a lump in my throat, almost suffocating me to confessing.

" Zayn? Is everything okay?"

" It's... It's Harry."

" Oh God... do- don't tell me he-" Her voice trembled so fiercely, I almost couldn't recognize it at all.

" No, no, he's... look, we need you to come down here. We're bringing him in, and just- I really need you here, Gypsy."

" Bringing him in? What's going on, Zayn? What did he do?"

" Oh, Gypsy," I hadn't felt this vulnerable, since that day I had realized that we had lost Harry, forever. The cracking of her voice, almost reflected on me, but I willed myself to lock it all up, and act the way my job expected me to.

" I'll explain everything later, yeah? Be careful, please."

" Okay, Zayn, okay. I'll be there soon."

She could sense how close I was to losing it, and for that, I was grateful.

Through the curtains, I could see Louis walking into the station, his hands holding onto the cuffs that restrained Harry's, eyes forceful, as they dared any curious observant to challenge him.

Cleo walked behind them, shooing them away, ordering them to return to their previous job, and not witness Harry's public disgrace.

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A/N: not my best chapter but cliff hanger hi :-)

I'm sorry for the rubbish writing but I've had the worst writer's block for so long so I'm doing my best. Let me know what you think please.

ily x