Hazel's POV
I didn't know what I was up against when I stepped out of the airport. I didn't know what I was looking for.
But I knew I needed to discover the truth.
I brought Sophia , Harley , and Celeste with me.
I know they'd never forgive me if I left them behind.
And besides, I needed Sophia with me since I couldn't remember the name of the club.
I had about 100,000 dollars with me in case I needed it for bribery or for a quick escape.
"So what do we do first?"
Celeste asked while shouldering her bag.
"First, we find a restaurant. We are not going all detective-ish with an empty stomach."
Harley stated blantly before putting on a baseball cap and walking ahead.
In all honesty I was grateful that the three of them came with me.
They were the greatest friends ever, dropping everything just to come with me to Paris.
But I guess that's what friends are for.
I planned to tell them about the Hong Kong trip later.
Maybe at the hotel or wherever we end up tonight.
I couldn't keep it from them any longer. I hated keep in them in the dark. It felt awful.
I forced a smile. "Harley's right. Besides I'm starving. Let's eat."
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As soon as we finished eating lunch the four of us hopped into a cab and started towards our destination.
Sophia spoke in French to the driver regarding our destination.
I was barely listening, I was too busy examining the surroundings, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.
What had the P.I. found out? Why did they kill him for it?
I may have just been putting my life in danger by coming to Paris but I needed to know.
I'd rather live till tomorrow and have everything figured out than live a hundred years clueless.
For me life was not measured by time. It was measured by how you spent time.
I liked my choices. So far.
The road was bumpy and tragically
thin. It was also incredibly old.
Maybe even older than the 60 year old cab driver.
When we arrived at our destination it wasn't at all what I was expecting.
I expected an old, abandoned shack of some sort with chipped paint and windows practically falling out.
But what I saw in front of me looked like it belonged in Las Vegas. It was beautiful. Five stories tall covered with white paint that didn't have a stroke out of place. I was a pretty awesome getaway.
It's surroundings however , troubled me.
Dark alleys covered with vandalism, spray paintings,and other very unpromising things.
"How are we going to get out of this place? There's not a car in sight?"
Celeste glanced around worriedly.
"I could get the cab driver to wait for us."
Sophia said before turning around.
I followed her example and gasped when I saw that all that was left of the cab was a dust trail that was fading out into the distance.
"Well so much for that idea. "
Harley grumbled.
I gulped nervously. I knew I was responsible for this mess.
"Well we might as well start looking around if we want to find answers"
I said nervously.
"I don't like this. I'm getting a bad feeling."
Celeste whimpered.
"Probably just the wind. C'mon. Let's go."
I opened the large doors and walked inside, my friends following close behind.
It looked like any other hotel and casino. There was a receptionist's desk, a grand staircase and a big 'ol crystal chandelier.
"I'm thinking this place has an underground basement. Y'know for parties and stuff."
Sophia stated.
I nodded in agreement and shivered. But I wasn't shivering from the cold. Something else was disturbing me. I felt as if we were being watched by cold eyes.
It was not a pleasant feeling.
Maybe we should've never come here.
"Okay. I'll bite. Where the hell are all the damn people!?"
Harley demanded.
I realized she was right. A club like this should've been packed. Even at this time of day.
It was unnerving.
"The lights are on. The electricity's working"
Sophia commented while opening a refrigerator by the front door.
Most likely a place to get refreshments.
"Do you guys smell that?"
Harley asked. Her eyes were sharp and focused as if even the slightest movement could change everything.
Actually now that she mentioned it, an unpleasant smell was tickling my nose.
"Yeah, what is that, is it iron?"
Harley frowned and gave me a 'seriously?' look.
I frowned in return.
"Well geez I dunno I don't spend my free time training my nose to get accustomed to different smells."
Harley almost cracked a smile. Almost.
I didn't really get why she was acting so serious.
All I could smell was some sort of metal.
"It's blood you idiot! Rust and salt."
Sophia shrieked and started looking around fearfully.
Blood....
Harley's eyes locked on something behind me and she immediately walked towards that direction.
Near the receptionist's desk.
"What are you-"
That question died in my throat as Harley gestured for us to come forward.
Her eyes were hard and cold.
Under the receptionist's desk there was a body.
A dead body.
With blood dripping from her head. Her hair was matted onto her head and blood was oozing from her scalp.
"Nobody touch anything."
Harley's voice was firm and authoritive.
"We don't want getting our fingerprints anywhere."
Celeste shoved her hands into her pockets.
"How do you know all this?"
I asked Harley out of pure curiosity.
"Darling I'm a lawyer. I don't spend all day at a courtroom yapping off the ears of the jury. I go to the frickin crime scene and I've seen things so disgusting it almost made me wanna turn into a vegetarian. Almost. "
She cracked a small smile. Then it vanished again.
"Hazel you better get what you're looking for then get the hell outta here. That blood is obviously fresh."
Celeste started trembling.
"Which means the killer is still around. Or in the vicinity at least."
I swallowed hard.
"Well then we've got a lot of snooping to do."
Author's note:
This chapter sent shivers down my spine as I wrote it! So who's the killer? Place your bets!
I'm thinking this story should reach like 40 or 45 chapters, what do you think ?
Comment, vote, share, and follow!
See y'all next chapter!
Xoxo,
Avery