Guarding Dior

Chapter 8

Noel pulled into the parking lot of a building that looked like a cluster of storage units but was actually small offices for rent. Police officers were already on the scene, surrounding the building and keeping watch. Noel turned to Dior.

"If I asked you to stay in the car, would you listen?" he asked.

"Probably not," she replied with a slight smile.

He nodded. "Good thing it's safer to have you near me."

They exited the car and walked through a hallway into a small, cluttered office. Papers, pictures, maps, and various other items were strewn about the floor.

"Don't touch anything unless you want forensics to blame us for extra prints," Noel warned. "I've made that mistake once or twice."

They split up, Noel heading towards the officers by the desk while Dior wandered deeper into the room. She was drawn to a wall covered with maps, one of which depicted the area where she had found Charles, with the date of the attack circled. Next to it was an article about a protest that had occurred on the same day.

On the floor, she noticed a ripped-up cookbook, muffin pans, and other baking supplies, along with a bent roll of wrapping paper. It seemed like someone had taken out their frustration on these items, possibly a gift gone wrong. Nearby, she saw some heavily used brake pads hidden under more maps.

After a thorough search, they returned to the station. Dior sat in an empty chair next to Noel's desk as he wheeled over a large board and started pinning up pictures of the office they had just seen. Other detectives, including Brandon and Sarah (who had introduced herself earlier in the break room), gathered around.

On the board, there were photos of a familiar bald man and a smiling woman. Above the picture of the gunman was the name "John Cross." Noel explained that it had been a planned attack. Nearly a year ago, Charles had stopped John for speeding. There was an unconscious woman in John's backseat, and despite his pleas that she was having a heart attack and he was rushing to the hospital, Charles had called for backup and an ambulance with suspicion of kidnapping. Sadly, the woman didn't make it. This incident had likely driven John to target Charles.

Dior felt a mix of heartbreak and terror at this revelation. Brandon mentioned they couldn't find an up-to-date vehicle or address registered under John or his wife's name. Dior remembered the brake pads she'd seen and spoke up.

"He might have bought new brake pads recently at a store near the office," she suggested.

Everyone turned to look at her. Sarah and another detective quickly agreed to investigate this lead and left to do so. Brandon, standing near Dior, complimented her observation.

"You've got a good eye," he said.

"Thanks," she replied, careful not to smile, sensing that Brandon could be trouble.

Noel approached, and Brandon returned to his desk without another word at the sound of his name, spoken in a tone that Dior found interesting.

Noel needed to go through all the papers found in the office, and Dior offered to help, but he politely declined. She retreated to the break room to avoid being in the way and continued her own work. Around 4 PM, Noel entered the break room, a soft smile on his face.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

Dior couldn't help but notice how good he looked when he smiled. As they walked out, Brandon made sure to say goodbye to her. She waved back without smiling, still unsure of his intentions. She felt Noel's eyes on her as they left the station.

Back at the apartment, Noel offered to make lasagna. "It's not homemade because I'm just not that talented," he joked.

Dior smiled. "I'd love some."

She sat at the kitchen island, watching him turn on the oven and take out a frozen lasagna from the freezer. Noel was wearing his usual long sleeve and jeans. Dior tried not to stare at his muscular arms as he handled the lasagna, feeling a flush of embarrassment.

"Hey, what's your deal with Brandon?" she asked, trying to distract herself.

Noel looked up immediately as he was opening the plastic wrapping. "What deal? There's no deal. Why?"

She shrugged. "I noticed you were a little cold towards him."

"What, are you worried about him now?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I just wanted to know if I should be worried about him. He seems a little weird."

Noel's expression darkened slightly. "He's not the best person around. You should avoid him if you can."

"Why?" she pressed as he placed the lasagna next to the oven, waiting for the preheat beep.

"I've seen him exhibit questionable behavior towards women. He's not always very respectful, and I don't like it, to be honest with you."

Dior appreciated his honesty. She stopped asking questions as Noel put the lasagna in the oven. He suggested they watch a movie, and she agreed.

They moved to the couch, trying to decide on a movie. Noel suggested an alien movie, which made Dior scrunch her face in distaste.

"Alien movies are all the same, aren't they?" she said.

"I never really thought about it," Noel replied.

"Well, I don't think I like them very much. Except Signs. I love that movie."

"I've never seen it," he admitted.

"We have to watch it then," she insisted, and he gave in.

They were almost an hour into the movie when the oven beeped, signaling that the lasagna was ready. They paused the movie, and Noel commented on how good it was for a film made in 2002.

"I actually love Joaquin Phoenix in it," he said. "There are some funny moments, but I'm a bit disappointed by the lack of aliens so far."

"The lack of aliens might be why I like it so much," Dior said, laughing. "It's more focused on the suspense rather than your beloved aliens."

They both laughed as they ate their dinner. Afterward, Noel finished the movie while Dior showered. When she went into the guest room, she found Buttons lying on her pajamas. She kissed the cat and took her toiletries into the bathroom to shower.

Coming out of the bathroom, Dior saw Noel engrossed in the movie's ending. He admitted that he really enjoyed the film and it might even be one of his favorite alien movies, which made Dior laugh.

They said goodnight and went to their separate rooms for the night. Dior couldn't stop thinking about how Noel has surprised her. He was so genuine and she seemed so comfortable with him. She felt as though they were old friends who hadn't seen each other in a while and were catching up. She actually liked that feeling.

---------------------------------------------------