I See You

Chapter Seven

"Cody?"

He turned at the sound of Emma calling to him from the hallway. Slowly he made his way back toward the door, pausing when he noticed her looking down at the new hall runner. "Yeah?"

"I know I said I'd wait downstairs but," she shrugged and wrapped her arms around her waist still looking at the carpet covered floor. "I just couldn't."

"I understand." He watched her closely before stepping toward her. "Em? Can I ask you something?"

She nodded as she pushed a curl behind her ear and forced herself to focus on him. "Sure."

"This room," he gestured to the room he'd just left. "Was it always a storage room?"

Em nodded. "Yeah, Grammy always used it for storage. She said that I wasn't supposed to play in there, that's why it had that latch," she said pointing to the simple twist latch high on the door. "They always kept it locked, even after I grew up and could reach it just fine." She smiled sadly, then frowned. "It's actually kinda weird that it's unlocked. It was always locked."

Cody nodded and lifted his phone and shined his light inside. "Was it always this disorganized?"

She stepped forward and looked around the darkened room. "No, Grammy was always very meticulous about keeping her house just so." Em smiled fondly. "She was kinda OCD like that. A place for everything and everything in its place. If something was moved, she noticed, and usually put it back or made you put it back where she had it."

"So the room looking like it's been ransacked is unusual?"

"Definitely," she agreed with a frown. "Unless Gramps was looking for something in there, I don't see it being messed up like that but even that wouldn't be right because Gramps didn't go digging. He'd just ask me where something was. He didn't like to mess with Grammy's old things. It always bothered him." She reached for the switch and flicked it a couple of times. "That's weird too."

"What?"

"The light bulb being out. Gramps never left one unchanged, like ever. It was one of his major pet peeves," the small fond smile made his heart clench. "He says–" her eyes slipped closed before she corrected herself. "He used to say what was the point of having electricity if you didn't keep it working where you needed it. If a light bulb went out then he changed it, even if it meant immediately going to the store and buying new bulbs."

Cody pulled out his notebook and made a note still kind of confused about what Ms Beth had told him. But first things first. He looked at Emma. "Uh, I owe you some answers Em, now's as good a time as any," he said, clearing his throat and putting his small leather book into his inner coat pocket. He gestured to the floor. "This is where he was found by the neighbor who was walking her dog. The front door was open."

Emma's feet moved back a couple of steps as if she'd just spotted a snake at her feet. She stared down at the new carpet runner. "That explains the difference," she murmured with a nod. "How? I know that your partner said he was shot, but that can't be it. It seems too...I don't know simple."

Cody took a deep breath before continuing. "Well, the autopsy is still being taken care of by the state, but what the preliminary findings say it looks like the gunshot wound to the chest is going to be the reason for his demise," he spat out the words as gently as possible while watching her. He wanted to find the person responsible for that look of lost confusion on her face and snap them in half. The urge only grew when she hugged herself tightly and fought back a soft sob. "But to know for certain we have to wait for the report to come back."