A familiar voice calls out to me as I approach the swanky-looking restaurant, Brunch de Monde, that's hosting Sophia's post-funeral reception.
Exiting the nearby parking garage is Daisy; the blonde bounds toward me as Ciera follows behind at a normal pace. Not even a somber occasion and an all-black dress code can slow Daisy down, she's practically a force of nature.
"Hey Eden!! We didn't know you were coming to this, Ciera could've given you a ride too!"
"Aw, don't worry about it. I got here just fine, Daisy."
Ciera seems unperturbed that Daisy offered up her service as a driver without any consultation. In fact, she gives me a small nod affirming Daisy's words.
"Let me know if you need a ride home then, Eden. It's no trouble."
"Thanks. I've gotta say I'm surprised to see the two of you here as well, I didn't think you guys were fond of Sophia."
Ciera responds to me first, "I wouldn't say we were fond of her. But we did work together for quite some time."
Daisy gazes at the upscale dining location before us. "Sophia would tell me about this place all the time, her mom would take her here every weekend."
That's sweet.
"She'd talk about how amazing the food was, how they'd highlight and experiment with brunch foods from a bunch of different countries, all with a French twist...she'd tell me how lucky I was that she told me about the food since my mom could never afford to take me."
Oh. Maybe not so sweet after all. Considering it's Sophia we're talking about, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
Daisy is actually standing still for once; she continues to stare at the French restaurant with a melancholy look on her face.
Seeing my happy-go-lucky coworker look so down in the dumps makes me sad.
Both Jasper and Daisy's memories of Sophia are so depressing. It makes me wonder if and how Sophia could've been such a crappy person. Is everyone present today going to have such sad, painful memories?
"Was Sophia ever nice to you, Daisy? Or you, Ciera? Everything I know about her as well as everything I hear just seems awful."
"She was nice when she was interviewing for the job at the bakery," Ciera offers.
That's not exactly saying much.
"But if Sophia was so awful, why did you keep her around for so long? She worked for you for months right?"
"After she started, she didn't speak to me very often. I didn't think much of it. Then, as it turns out, she was bothering Daisy when I wasn't around to see. If I had been made aware of the situation sooner, I would've fired her long before she quit." Ciera gives Daisy a pointed look.
"Oh, please, even if I did tell you it wasn't like there was anything you could've done. It was her word against mine. I wasn't about to risk my job over that crap."
Ciera looks like she wants to protest Daisy's defense but manages to resist.
Daisy's attention returns back to the brunch eatery once more.
"I hate that Sophia died. She was a garbage human being, and now she'll always stay that way. No chance of redemption or growth or change once you're dead and buried." She lets out a sigh. "This blows."
Ciera puts a hand on Daisy's shoulder. "At least it's over now. She can never hurt you or Jasper or anyone else ever again."
The three of us stay silent for a while, steeped in our thoughts and memories of a person we'll never see again.
Maybe Ciera's right, maybe that's for the best. I never had a nice time being in Sophia's company, and I'm certainly not the only one.
But I can't help but feel a connection with Daisy's sentiment.
Sophia could've changed, she had her whole life ahead of her. Whether she was capable of healing the havoc and hurt she caused in other's lives will forever be unknown now.
She's gone.
Something catches my attention out of the corner of my eye. I focus my attention on the third story of the parking garage and for a split second I swear I see a flash of dark hair.
Is my imagination playing tricks on me? Why do I feel like we were being watched?
"Hey, Daisy, Ciera, you guys go on ahead. I need to, uh, make a quick phone call."
Daisy raises an eyebrow, pursing her pink lips. "What, now? Who on earth are you calling?"
"Uh...my mother?"
Somehow she buys it.
"Argh, again? Is she doing that thing where she wants you to call her as soon as you get to where you were going just so she knows you arrived safely?"
Ah, thank you Mom. Your overprotectiveness came in handy today.
"Yeah, that's right."
"Eden, you're twenty-three!! Tell your mom to stop treating you like a baby, you moved to the city alone to prove you're an independent adult, right?"
Ciera steps in. "Daisy, enough. Eden's relationship with her mother is none of our business. Let's head inside, okay?"
Daisy huffs, but obliges us by striding up to Brunch du Monde's doors and yanking them open for her and Ciera.
Once the two of them are inside, I turn my attention back to the parking garage.
...only to have my view blocked by Key's broad chest.
"Key?! What the hell, where did you come from??"
"Oh, I thought you saw me. I was in the parking garage."
Good to know I'm not seeing things. Bad to know Key is creeping on me once again.
"Are you following me again, Key?"
"Just here to find a cold-blooded killer. It's what Sophia's parents are paying me for, after all."
Guess I wasn't the only one who thought there was a chance the guilty party would make an appearance today.
"Oh? You think her murderer would be so bold as to attend her funeral?"
"There's a very good chance. The killer could be someone who was close enough to Sophia that not coming would actually arouse more suspicion. On the other hand, they could be here to gloat over their victory, so to speak. An event dedicated to their victim may be too thrilling to resist."
A sudden shudder runs its way down my spine.
There are some terrible people in this world. Time to find out if one of them is among the group of mourners gathered here today.
Key makes a beeline for the main entrance of the French eatery and pulls open the door.
I pause, anticipating him to hold the door open for me to pass through.
...only to have said door slam shut in my face.
A sad sigh escapes my lips. This man's moods are so unpredictable.
After opening the door for myself, the first thing I notice is dozens, if not hundreds, of black-clad humans scattered throughout the large, well-decorated restaurant.
Sparkling, ornate chandeliers are interspersed throughout the open expanse, white wainscoting cover the bottom quarter of the walls while cream wallpaper with an eggshell fleur de lis pattern adorn the rest.
The bright, light colors of the elegant ballroom-like restaurant only make it's multitude of dark-clothed patrons stand out all the more. Celebrity funerals certainly are capable of drawing quite the crowd.
"Seems like we've got our work cut out for us."
I look up Key's tall frame and raise an eyebrow. "We?"
"Something tells me the reason you're here today is less about wishing Sophia well in her next life and more about who almost let you take the fall for murder."
"Even if you're right about that, who says I want to work with you? I don't trust you, I hardly know you!"
"Seriously? I'm the reason the cops stopped breathing down your neck. If you think you'd be better off with an uncorroborated alibi, I can always tell the police I made a mistake."
What?? Is he threatening me right now?? Oh, hell no.
"Then you wouldn't have an alibi either!"
"I mean, seeing as you can't exactly vouch that I was staking out your place that night without your knowledge, I don't have much to lose in that department. Nice try."
I growl in frustration. It seems to only serve as amusement to my infuriating conversation partner.
"How do I even know you are who you say you are? Maybe YOU were the one who was stalking Sophia, you figured out I live alone while watching her, and now you're just saying you were watching me the night she died to disguise the fact that you're guilty!"
I swear Key looks impressed with my thought process, despite the whole accusing-him-of-murder part.
He slowly leans in close to me, a devilish look in his eyes and a smile to match. "Interesting theory. Too bad the only way you'll figure out if it holds any merit is to get much, much closer to me."
"Is that why you're attempting to threaten me right now? So that I'll hang out with you??"
Key pulls back, his fingers raking back his dark, messy hair as he lets out a long sigh. "No. I mean, it was. But this'll never work if I'm forcing you so...threat rescinded."
What...?
"Look Eden, if you change your mind and you want to talk about the case together or spend time with each other, you know where to find me."
Key rummages through his pocket for a moment.
"Here's another pen, in case you lost the first one."
"What, no chucking it at me this time?"
"Oh, I'd be happy to throw it if you'd like..."
I hastily grab the pen before Key sends it flying in my direction.
"I prefer it this way, Key. Thanks."
"Well, guess I'll head off and find Sophia's family. I'm betting there's a lot to learn from watching the guests who interact with them."
"That seems smart, I think you're probably right about that. Even so..."
As I gaze through the crowd of well-wishers I spot a face I never expected to see here today.
"...there's some people I want to talk to around here first."
Key shrugs before heading off.
"Suit yourself. See you around, Eden."
~~~
Author's Note:
Oo, a cliffhanger this time! I didn't intend to make this funeral scene into multiple parts, but it's starting to get pretty long and I was excited to share what I have thus far. ^.^
Let me know if there's a character you're hoping Eden spotted from across the room!
Hope you're enjoying the story! Day 7 will most likely be the final day I post publicly. Gotta save some material for the actual visual novel. :P