The Swiss Murder | Completed

15. More Secrets

"I-I need to go..." Scarlett said weakly, after staring at Levi for a long time. Carter thinks I killed Eric... Five little words that played in her mind over and over again, enclosing her heart in a vice grip, making it harder for her to breathe. How could he? I need to find him...

"Excuse me," she said, pushing the cold pasta dish away from her, standing up and promptly leaving the dining room without looking back.

As if being locked up in this hotel wasn't enough to ruin her trip and now she was the prime suspect in the murder of one of her closest friends? Great, just freaking great!

Levi's eyes followed Scarlett as she scurried out of the hall, not looking back even once. She hadn't even made eye contact as she excused herself. And that behavior was very odd to Levi.

What an interesting specimen...

But then again, all the friends had something about them. They were all a mystery on their own, waiting to be solved. Good thing for Levi because solving mysteries was like a drug, a fix he needed from time to time. He couldn't wait to solve it, layer by layer, until he reached the surface. After all, his deductions could only get him so far...

***

Scarlett's steps were frantic as she hurried towards the stairs that lead to her room. She needed to be alone. The past few hours had been a whirlwind of emotions and she felt her headache grew with each throb of her brain.

As soon as she reached the stairs, Scarlett's peripheral vision caught movement in the common room. Mouth open and eyes wide, she saw Emma adjusting her blankets as she sank into the sofa and covered her face, blocking out everything.

What is she doing resting in the common room? She thought incredulously, her feet moving to her direction automatically.

"Emma..." said Scarlett as she shook her gently, "Em, what are you doing here? Is there something wrong with your room?" She asked, genuinely worried.

Emma pulled the blanket away from her face and sat up, blinking. Her appearance prompted Scarlett to inhale sharply as she took in her tear-streaked face, messy hair and dark circles. How long had she been crying for? Scarlett's eyebrows pulled together in a frown.

"My room? Oh, it's fine, it's just... I don't want to go up there," Emma said as she made room for Scarlett to sit next to her. Scarlett took her up on the silent offer.

"They took the body away Ems," she whispered gently, engulfing Emma in a side hug.

"I know" Emma released a shuddered breath, "Still, I don't have the strength to go back up there. Just thinking about it..." she couldn't finish the sentence, her words left hanging the air.

Scarlett tightened her hug when she felt her best friend start to shiver slightly. "It's okay... everything is going to be okay. I'm here," she said soothingly.

Emma leaned into Scarlett and rubbed her temple, "Every time I close my eyes I see Eric sprawled on the corridor floor, " Scarlett felt Emma's cold and clammy hands clutch her own tightly.

"His eyes were open you know. They were so lifeless, so cold, so... so dead. They were staring right at me," Emma's voice broke as did Scarlett's heart, "I couldn't look away Scarlett, I couldn't look away," She had started sobbing now, her words barely audible through her thick, tearful voice.

"It's ok, it's ok," Scarlett whispered the same thing over and over again. She was at a loss for words. What more could she say? What more could she do other than to hold her tightly? And she doubted Emma listened to her anyway, she was busy spiraling down into depression.