Solve Me

(8), In Which New Friends Are Made

It had been three weeks since Tad had been locked in jail, and the creature was being smart. The longer the detective was locked up, the longer it had to roam free, which meant that it hadn't killed any more people. Lily was miserable. She had no idea what to do on her own. She had already nearly finished her picture of Tad. The only detail she hadn't finished was the shading around the face.

The fact that her employer was in prison wasn't what annoyed Lily the most. What annoyed her was the fact that she wasn't allowed to go see him. Visitors were supposed to be allowed, but her therapist and Harvey had teamed up to make sure there was always an excuse for her to not see him. She wondered if he was as frustrated as she was.

Today, Lily was sitting in Rosalina's café, sipping her tea as she finished up her drawing. As she was pondering what to label the piece, a girl sat at the table, across from her. Looking up in surprise, Lily saw a girl with long, silky red hair and freckles dotting her nose sitting before her. She had bright green eyes, and was dressed similarly to her, as well, in a shirt and pants. She stared at Lily for a few minutes, taking a sip of her drink every few seconds.

"Um.. Hi?" Lily finally gave up on ignoring her. She looked up at the girl, who was smiling pleasantly.

"Hi! I'm April." Lily raised an eyebrow.

"Hello there, April. I'm Lillian. You can call me Lily." April smiled, holding out a hand across the table. Lily eyed it for a moment, before taking it and shaking it once. She glanced back down at her paper, before in neat and loopy calligraphy writing the name Tad.

"Who's Tad? Is he your husband?" Lily's jaw dropped, and her face became an unimaginably deep shade of red as she buried her face in her hands, inwardly screaming with embarrassment.

"N-No, he is not, just a very good friend of mine. I met him about two weeks ago, when I first arrived here in America. He's good to me, a very good friend, but not my husband or romantic partner in any way." Lily traced a finger down the curves of her drawing, critiquing her work. She spotted a place where she would have to shade a bit darker, and another area where the darkness was a bit too sharp. Nevertheless, she signed her work in small calligraphic letters near the bottom corner.

She missed him, she knew, looking over his face with a slight sadness. April nodded, understanding flashing in her eyes.

"I see. I have a friend like him. Her name is Amy. We've been friends since we were kids." Lily could detect a very fain Scottish accent deep within the girl's voice. Perhaps she was from somewhere else, just like her. If so, she didn't show it. Maybe she wanted to get as far away from that place as possible. Lily pondered the thought, staring at the girl for a few minutes. The redhead didn't seem to mind, as she was examining Lily as well.

"Do you want to come back to mine and his place?" Lily asked, deciding that her employer wouldn't mind as long as it wasn't messy. April smiled, and nodded once. Lily paid for her tea and led April out the door and down the busy street. She had learned the local twisting and turning roads in the past weeks, and easily found her way to Tad's residence, pulling the key from around her neck. She unlocked the door and let April in before closing it behind her and putting the key back around her neck.

"You've got a very nice place," April commented. Lily smiled, silently agreeing with her. In the past weeks, Lily had discovered the library, and many other rooms such as a musical room complete with a grand piano. Lily knew her mother had taught her how to play, but she had never bothered to pay much attention. She now found herself wishing she had.

"He does have a nice place, doesn't he? My favorite part is the library.. Though the living room is also quite comfortable." She had moved her sleeping place from the couch to one of the barren guest bedrooms, as she was sure that's what Tad wanted her to do. She had unpacked all her clothes as well and made it a job for herself to go out and buy more later in the week.