Wolf in sheep's clothing || There was a girl, and there was a wolf ~

7. Tristan

I see blondie blush in embarrassment and I can't help but find this extremely entertaining.
Her cheeks reddened, she looks vulnerable and at a clear loss of words as the only thing she does is nod.
I guess she doesn't know what to say but I feel myself become proud of her. I am so, so proud of her.
"It's fine, the best girls are." I wait for her to look at me and as soon as she does, I wink.

"That's just favouritism, now" Gaia is sitting in her chair with the exact expression of an attention seeker.
I chuckle and shake my head, "if I favoured anyone, I wouldn't have brought a whole box of pastries to share."
"This box here?" She asks and I gesture for her to open it.
Her sparkling outfit reflects the lights in the room and as I look at her, I certainly find her attractive.
She's a stunning young woman with wavy, black hair and a body that would make any man chase after her but she's so full of herself that my brain simply repulses the idea of ever even considering to look at her in any different way, if not the most respectful one.

"You're officially my favourite," she adds and I see Sheila looking at the pastries like she's seen paradise.
"Take one, kid." I tell her gently, with the kindest smile and the sudden urge to caress her delicate face.
Her blue eyes set on mine, bring me back to last night on the balcony.
"Can you stop calling me 'kid', please?" Her voice sounds like a teenager's.
Even Gaia looks more like a twenty year old that Sheila does, but maybe she doesn't realise.
"Eat up, you haven't had breakfast."
I mean it, I went to buy these pastries as soon as we came back from the subway with the sole intention of not letting her starve herself.

She picks up a small lemon tart and bites down on it. I look away, realising I've been staring for a good minute and probably give off creepy vibes.
"Tristan, do you have a girlfriend?" The brown eyed girl flatters her lashes at me and I smirk.
"I don't, detectives don't have time for relationships."
"But you must feel the need of a companion in life sometimes, right?"
I glance at Gaia more seriously than I should, the question has awakened something in me that I cannot explain.
"Occasionally, yes." My answer is short and I feel myself wanting to run from the chance of expanding this discussion.

"Simone is married and has a little kid, you could get the time to start a family t-" she gets interrupted when Sheila nudges her lightly but visibly.
"Can't you see you're making him uncomfortable? Stop being nosy."
I smile at her remark, she's smart and a good observer.
"You could make a fine detective one day," I tell the girl with a hint on admiration and she frowns, "I don't want to be a detective."
"What do you want to be, then?" I don't even know why but my tone changes to a deeper one, that I usually only use in the rare and extreme cases of interest towards a woman.

I realise my own behaviour and suddenly become nervous, I'm confused.
"I'll try and become a criminologist" she says looking at me in the eyes and that one, only moment makes my head spin.
Am I going crazy?
"That's a very respectable role, I'm sure you'll succeed."
"Thanks." She's cold, detached.
I wonder why, and if there is a reason to this.
I wonder if she's in her own thoughts again like last night.

"Tristan! Come, I have the recording!" I see Simone waving at me and immediately get up.
Am I running away? What am I doing?
I shake those stupid thoughts away and walk in the meetings room where Simone has put the recordings from the subway on.
The big screen in the room shows the stairs that serve as exit and entrance to the subway from a good perspective.
"What do you have?" I ask my partner with anticipation.
"There's a total of three people that went in, and only one came out." She says and I take a seat at the big round table, inpatient to see the video.
"Show me."

She rewinds the video to the exact moment when the victim walks in the subway at 12.25 at night. From the forensics team, we have been told that Caitleen died at approximately 12.54 so seeing how the two suspects went right after her at the given times of 12.32 and 12.40, it has to be one of them.
"There's a couple going in after Caitleen at 12.32," I say as I rapidly take pen and paper from the table and scribble down notes.
"Yes, and then at 12.40 there's this man with the hat that goes in by himself..." adds Simone and I keep writing data.

"This could actually turn out to be pretty easy." I feel much more reassured now that we have something.
"There's still a lot to work on, you better not jinx it" she chuckles and I smile before concentrating back on the case.
"Which of the three suspects came back out after the deceasing time of the victim?"
"Only the man with the hat. I can get a hold of the cameras on that street out of the subway, and try to find out where he went." Simone is the best partner someone could ask for.
I nod, finishing up my messy notes and sighing.
"I'll talk to Mason and see if he recalls seeing any of the people in the recordings." I finalise before walking out of the room and seeing a boy engage in a pretty intense conversation with Sheila and Gaia.

Curiosity has the best of me and I approach nonetheless.
"You should really come with us, you'll love it. I promise!" Says the boy trying to convince Sheila, which seems to be thinking about it deeply.
"Come on, Sheila. Please!" Gaia adds to his end of speech and I raise a brow, trying to figure what they're talking about.
"I don't feel like it..." says blondie and I finally intervene, seeing how she's really reluctant to agree with them.
"What are you planning?"