Northern Downpour

Part 3

Standing outside Lawrence's place, you couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. Whether it was the fact that neither of you liked each other or that you were about to tell him Faith was dead, you didn't know. Maybe it was a combination of the two.

"I don't wanna stay here any longer than we have to," Snow said. "So let's just pick an approach and stick to it. Just humor me."

"We're here to question Lawrence," Bigby replied. "Bump him up on the suspect list, or cross him off entirely."

Snow crossed her arms. "Okay."

"What?"

"I just don't think he did it."

They looked to you. You shook your head. "I think he's an asshole. But he loved Faith. He's not the killing type."

"In cases like these isn't it usually the husband?" Bigby asked.

"Yeah, for mundies," you replied. "This is different."

You went up to the door. It was cracked open. You knocked anyway, then pushed it open.

It was dark. The only light came from the TV. There was a certain smell to the place that made you scrunch your nose--some kind of mix of mold and dust and body odor. There was a body on the floor in between the TV and an armchair. The three of you rushed over, but Lawrence was already gone. You gingerly rolled him over, and jerked back.

He was alive.

There was a wound in his chest, still leaking blood, but he was alive. Snow knelt down and propped his head up on her lap.

Bigby turned to you. "Go get Doctor Swineheart."

You turned to leave.

"No," Lawrence groaned. "Let me go."

He kept talking, but you couldn't understand anything.

"What is it that you're telling us?" Snow asked.

"Water," he whispered slowly.

"Blue, water, kitchen."

You raced to the kitchen, going through all the cabinets before finally finding a glass. You filled it up with water and went back out, careful not to spill. Bigby took the glass from you and knelt, giving it to Lawrence.

"If you have something to ask him, you should do it now," Snow said softly.

"Who did this to you?" Bigby asked.

"Faith," Lawrence breathed. "Faith..."

His body went limp as the light went out of his eyes. You muttered a curse to yourself. Snow closed his eyes and gently set him off her lap, then stood.

She turned to you. "Do you still have that letter?"

You pulled the letter from your pocket and handed it to her. She placed it in Lawrence's hand. "It was only two words, but he died without seeing them."

You turned away and started walking around. You might not have liked the guy, but he didn't deserve to die like this. You found it hard to believe that Faith had killed him. It didn't make sense. You chewed on your nail as you looked at the pictures on the wall behind the armchair. There was one of Faith and Lawrence together. They looked happy.

"When do you think that was taken?" Snow asked.

"A while ago," you replied.

Bigby, standing next to you, pointed to another. You sighed through your nose. Of course your sister had chosen that one to hang on the wall. A small smile pulled at your lips. You were standing next to each other, smiling at the camera. Your hair was blue in this photo.