she said before turning her head back to get another file—
"Some things are getting strange."
"I know, right?" Leo said, reaching for another file.
"The Alderbury family is hiding something... they just don't want us to know it." Eleanor said while flipping through pages.
"There are secrets neither of us wants to know." Leo looks up at Eleanor.
"What are you trying to say?" Eleanor frowned.
Leo's eyes narrowed before getting his smirk back, "There are some questions you don't need an answer to."
"I won't push you if you don't wanna answer." Eleanor said while closing a file. After a long silence—
"Where were you the previous evening?" The warmth of the Spanish air seemed to die at the threshold. A sudden, biting chill crawled up Eleanor's spine, the kind that didn't come from an open window, but from the man sitting across from her.
"That place was definitely not heaven." Eleanor said while turning her head to Leo
Leo looks directly into Eleanor's eyes, "Some places are not safe for anyone. I don't like my partners in danger.
"Is that so? But it's my hobby."
"Then find a new hobby." Leo said while flipping through pages.
"You're too much for death."
Eleanor said nothing, she just reached for another file.
"Sebastian..."
Eleanor doesn't react but her inner thoughts are, 'Why is he suddenly talking about Sebastian?' But she asked sternly with a neutral expression, "What about him?"
The atmosphere changes back to normal Spanish warmth
Leo looks up from his files and said with a hint of cheekiness, "Oho! I don't like this cruel, emotionless voice of yours. It feels so dry as if it's a desert."
Eleanor's lips twitches for an inch, "Is that so?" And Leo nodded as he leaned forward to her seat, "Yes."
And Eleanor doesn't look up from the file and said, "Let's get back to the case. What about Sebastian?" And Leo said without moving from the position, "Nothing too important. I just suspect Sebastian."
"And why is that?" Eleanor looks into his eyes.
"Well—"
KNOCK KNOCK
Leo frowns before leaning back into his seat, "Come in." Leo ordered.
A junior Inspector came, and bows before saying, "Sir, the visible footage of that night when the intruder was entering Late Alderbury's bedroom."
Leo softly rubs his forehead with his fingers, "Yeah, I totally forgot about that. What about that?"
"It'll be ready by tomorrow..."
"Then inform me when it's ready." Leo's voice turned hard.
The junior Inspector felt uneasy so he bowed and left the room without a word.
Leo turns to Eleanor and said, "It's already 7 PM." And gave her a small smile, "Do you want me to drop you?"
Eleanor slowly gathers her things, "No thanks."
Leo watches Eleanor leave and the temperature drops itself. Leo stood up and touches the seat Eleanor was sitting and then Leo gagged and rushed into the washroom and threw up blood, he looks at his reflection on mirror, he wips the blood from his mouth with his knuckles and then he slowly took off his shirt, his muscular body was covered with many bruises, he slowly touched them and thinks, 'Why?' Before he turns on the tap and washed his hand before
SPLASH. He splashed the water onto his face and wiping his face with towel and mumbling with his deep low breathing, "I have to do something."