I know you're alone

46

Harry was in school and I had Tuesday off. I cleaned a little during the morning, when it right as it was a knocked on the front door. I was surprised when I opened the door and saw two police officers there. It didn't belong to ordinariness that they was in this aria.

"Yes?" I became unsure. One of them smiled at me and he cleared his throat a little.

"Is Harry Horan Styles at home?"

I swallowed and I tried to think of a reason for this.

"No, he's in school?"

Directly he took out a photo of Ed and showed it to me.

"Do you know who this man is?"

Again, I hesitated.

"Yes, Ed? He and Harry go to school together?"

He nodded a little.

"When was the last time you saw Ed?"

I took a breath and I tried to think.

"I don't remember, a month ago?" I frowned. "Why do you come here and ask about Ed? Go to the school and talk to him."

The Policeman hesitated and frowned.

"May we come in and examine the house?"

No, I was annoyed over this, over that this happen this day. I shook my head.

"Not until you have paper that you can scan my house. Can you tell me now why you're here and ask about Ed? I'm no friend of his, and what I understand, Harry meets him often in school?"

I got no response from them. As soon as I closed the door and they had gone down the stairs, I called Harry. I got to his voice mail.

"Hello darling, it's me." I said quickly. "Uh, I just wanted to say that the police were here and asked questions about Ed. Is everything okay? I mean, he's in school, right? So why do they come all the way over here?"

I swallowed and I tried to think. Ed and Harry? They went to school and they would become teachers? I mean, what was wrong with that? Maybe Ed had done something illegal? Yes, it has to be like that? Ed was perhaps a criminal and the police did investigated a crime that he had done? Still, I became unsure. Why didn't they talk to Harry and instead came here? I looked around. There was nothing in the house that I didn't know about. No, it felt wrong to look here, right? I don't know what I was looking for, but I tried to look around everywhere and go through all the paper that Harry had amassed. Yes, it was a paper he had written in school, but none of it led to believe that Harry had done something wrong.

When the front door opened up, I flew out into the hall and I saw right away Harry's worried face.

"Where the police over here?" he asked dully. "I went home as soon as I heard what you said."

I nodded.

"Yes, they showed a photo of Ed and asked if I knew who he was."

Harry didn't seem worried. He walked up to me and caught up my face between his hands.

"Niall, it's okay. He didn't come to school today, he hasn't been there for a few days. Perhaps his parents're looking for him?"

I swallowed.

"Are you sure?" I asked quickly. "They wanted to check through the house, but I said that they will do so when they have a paper on that."

Harry responded.

"Look through the house?"

I nodded.

"Yes, they wanted to look for something. Do you know what that could be? I mean, Ed's been here. Do you think it's drugs?"

Harry hesitated.

"I don't know." but he sounded uncertain about it. "I don't think he did bring anything over here?"

I nodded, and I tried to think.

"But if he left a bag with white powder behind a shelf, then?"

Harry made a faint smile.

"Niall, if he had been doing drugs, I would know about it."

****

The following day the police came and took Harry to the police station, just to talk to him, they said. Still, I was scared. Yes, it felt unreal because I had never been in contact with the police in my life. I wasn't used to that and I had no idea what it was all about.

Harry came home in the evening and I saw at him that he was tired. I quickly pulled myself into his arms and we stood and hugged for a while. It was as if he needed me and I was there for him.

"What did they say?"

He sighed a little and kissed me on the cheek.

"Do you really want to know about everything?"

I nodded.

"Yes, I want to know Harry."

He sighed and released me. He took my hand and pulled me into the kitchen. We sat down and he didn't let go of my hand. He looked straight at me.

"Niall, Ed is dead." he whispered dully. "They found his body in the woods."

I swallowed and I didn't now what to say. Harry took a deep breath and he looked at me with love. Yes, it was as if Ed's death made him understand how short life really was.

"He has extorted lots of people and threatened them, so the police believe there's someone who gave back."

I was surprised.

"Do you mean Ed?" I asked quickly. "The red-haired wimp who almost didn't dared to look at me?"

Harry nodded.

"Yes, we're talking about the same Ed." he whispered dark. "They investigate what really happened, but I couldn't help them. I mean, I was at school with him, we read books together, but that was all."

I nodded, and I felt how he squeezed my hand. I saw at him that he was tired and maybe he didn't want to talk about it?

"When did he die?"

Harry shrugged.

"I don't know, I didn't ask."

I nodded. This was like something from a movie. I knew that neither Harry nor I could kill a person, but still, it felt scary that the police wanted to investigated us.

"So will they look through the house?"

Harry smiled.

"No, they found no evidence that I had helped him. They said only that they call me if they need to ask more questions."

I don't know what I felt. It was as if I was still sad about this. Ed was dead and he was no longer alive, but I wasn't sorry for that. I had no idea who Ed was, and the few times he had been in the house, he hadn't dared to meet my gaze.

"You need to sleep." I said and wanted to stand up, but Harry stopped me and he did so that I remained seated.

"Niall, I love you." he whispered dully. "You know I'd do anything in the world to protect you?"

I frowned and looked straight at him. Did he want to recognize something about the murder?

"Yes Harry?"

He swallowed.

"And if one person wants to hurt you, I will do everything that he can't do that to you."

I nodded and I noted that he didn't tell me the whole truth, but in a way, maybe he did?

"What really happened?"

Harry frowned and looked down at our hands.

"I don't know." and it sounded as he avoided an answer. "I just feel weak and it feels as if the world stopped for a moment."

I suspected that this would pass over.

"Are you hungry?"

He shook his head.

"I ate on the way home, a sandwich. I'm not hungry." He looked up at me again. "And maybe I need to sleep? But at the same time, I'm not tired."