The burial happened shortly after, no words were given from Andrew, Clara tearing up as she was surrounded by close friends and neighbors. Connor watched from a distance, his face indiscernible as he had his focus on Andrew rather than Kevin. 'I'm so sorry Miss Clara, I shouldn't have involved your son in such matters.' His figure disappearing shortly after.
Days after this were silent or uneventful, Andrew would stay at home or if not meet up with Brittany and entertain her. Connor had taken a break from looking into Andrew as a whole, his time and focus spent on Claire who was still recuperating in the hospital.
"How about we go and visit her?" Brittany brought the idea and Andrew followed, their figures arriving at the hospital Claire was. Giving the excuse of being close friends of Claire, the two made their way to her room. The air sterile and the linoleum soundless as they made their way to her bed, "I still can't believe that Kevin's dead. He was a very….interesting piece to have. After all he was my info guy on you and now he's gone."
Brittany's words lacking any form of remorse or guilt, the focus of the two landing on Claire who was asleep. "Could you save her with your blood or how does it work? Would it make her crave for your blood as well or is there more to it?" Claire ever so subtly shifted, her movements catching the two. "She'll be fine without my blood." Brittany had her hands crossed, her small smile present/
"When Kevin died, what emotion did you have at the time? How did you manage to comfort Clara after the burial?" Brittany turned to face Andrew who still had his focus on Claire. "I never bothered in comforting Clara. As for my reaction, I'm sure you could guess what it was." Brittany playfully swing her body around, the hem of her dress swaying slightly.
"How did you not feel anything with Kevin's death? I mean he was after all your best friend and the one who you would open up to in the past. Or so I think." Silence was her response eliciting a helpless sigh out of her. This time she turned her body to face him and he did as well, now looking down on Brittany's figure, their eyes locking.
"Andrew, answer me this. What would it take for you to show a reaction? Something to make you hesitate when I told you to kill?" Her hands reaching for his face and cupping it. His cheeks now appeared puffed up, his neutral line for lips now artificially curved into a forced smile by Brittany. "Nothing. I merely drift in the moment as aforementioned. Thus don't bother expending your energy."
Brittany flashed her smile wider, more malicious as she tilted his head side to side as if examining an artifact that caught her eye. "Andrew, my sweet Andrew. When you tell me not to try, you do know what that means, right?" Claire let out a faint groan, shattering the moment and attracting the attention of the two. "Looks like she's waking up."
When Claire opened her eyes, the usual figure of her uncle with a look of concern and distraught was replaced with two figures she hadn't expected to see. "Well good morning Claire, I was wondering whether you would wake up or not." Brittany urged with her smile returning back to normal, her hands on Andrew's face dropping back into the pockets of her red trench coat..
Andrew next to Brittany now looked at Claire who had a look of pension on her face, unsure of what her guests had in mind for her. "We you working with Andrew?" Though her voice faint full of conviction, her brows furrowing. "Not quite, I wouldn't say that I am working with him but rather…dissecting with what goes through his mind."
Claire's suspicion didn't falter as she now curled into a ball, her hands clutching to the sheet that masked her figure. "We mean you no harm if that's what you are worrying about. If we were then you would be dead already. We just wanted to drop in and see if you were recovering or you would come to pass like Kevin."
Kevin's name rang a bell in Claire's head, Brittany's words intriguing her interest. "You killed him, didn't you?!" Claire spat, the two unphased with the bitterness in her tone. "He took his own life. Miss Clara was there and can attest to this. Kevin took his own life." Andrew finally chipped into the conversation. Clara's abdomen was wrapped up in bandages and equipment meant to monitor her vitals next to her.
Claire looked at the two, her heart racing. 'There;s no way that Kevin would take his own life like that. These two must have framed it like that somehow.' Her mind concluded as the door opened to reveal a familiar figure to Claire.
"Uncle Connor!" The addressed figure froze as he saw the two. "What do you want?!" His smile melting away and replaced with hatred. "Nothing, just here to see how Claire's doing is all. Though we do have to apologize for not coming with flowers like you." Brittany said as her eyes landed on the bouquet of flowers Connor had in hand.
Connor however had his gaze locked on what he deemed the most dangerous figure in the room. Andrew. 'He's still walking around like nothing ever happened! Even the death of Kevin didn't faze him at the slightest.' Andrew and Connor locked eyes, the detective feeling nothing from Andrew which unnerved him. There was no hatred given he had tried to kill Andrew, no lingering bitterness similar to what Connor had. Just the usual indifference Connor was used to.
"We'll be taking our leave." Brittany chimed in, noticing the intense gaze the two men shared. Their figures glared at before vanishing from the room. "Connor, I thought that those two would actually try something to me!" Claire said, tears already converging in her eyes. "Don't worry, I'm here now!" Connor urged as he rushed over to the bed and gave Claire a hug.
"They said that Kevin had taken his own life. Is this true?" Claire's response wasn't one she wanted. "As strange as it may sound, it's true that Kevin did commit suicide. There was a note next to him, his body found by both Andrew and Clara on a regular morning."
Claire looked at her own hands, now balled as she grit her teeth. "I can't believe it. There's no way that Kevin is actually dead! He was mad when confronting Andrew but what could have made him so far gone to the point of taking his own life?" Connor gave a helpless shrug, hugging Claire once more as the two broke into soft cries. "I don't know but I'll make sure that you are safe regardless of what happens."
Connor promised, his face heavy and haggard. "I brought you some flowers." Connor said as he gestured at the flowers near Claire's feet. A melancholic smile washed on Claire's face. "Thanks as always uncle." The air suddenly turned silent, the same silence that would fill a room when unpleasant news was about to be given and Claire could feel it.
"Your mother…." Connor started off, unsure of whether to continue. He stole a glance at Claire, his jaw tightening before continuing. "Your mother wants you to go back to Europe. She'll be here by next week to pick you up after your discharge." Claire wanted to protest however no words left her lips. She wanted to raise her argument of friends but it hit her. 'Pauline's dead and Eliot is missing!'
Short and heavy breathes left her lips, her knuckles whitening. "I'm so sorry that I couldn't save Pauline but I'll make sure that I find Eliot and bring him back to you." Claire could only smile as she tried to prevent herself from breaking into tears. "What about Andrew? What are you going to do about him?"
Connor paused, his eyes drifting across the room to the flowers in a vase he had brought to Claire a few days ago. "He won't get to walk free from this without facing any consequences. He tore a family apart and is indirectly responsible for the deaths of multiple Stillwater residents. However with no evidence to back these claims, I'll have to go a more realistic approach with this and have him brought in for illicit racing and drug possession in his car."
The latter offense something he could easily pin on Andrew to further increase his sentence when in a court. "What about Brittany? She'll be harder to get." Connor let out a frustrated groan, covering his face. "I still don't have anything concrete on her yet other than affiliations with these deaths but I'm sure Callahan won't let her daughter be dragged down with Andrew. They'll probably throw him under the bus to save her." His fists balled, jaw tightening that a monster like Brittany would get to walk from this with no consequences. "What about Miss Clara and her daughter? Has anything come up about them? If you do manage to arrest Andrew, won't Miss Clara be left alone in her house?"
Claire proposed eliciting another groan from Connor who broke free from Claire's hands and paced back and forth in the room. "Well as much as I wouldn't like to leave Clara alone in this mess as she has a higher chance of ending up like Kevin, I do have to take Andrew in. I could give her and Andrew a week before I detain them. As for Lara, no actual progress has been made with her case either."
The stream of bleak news to Claire making her sigh as well. "What a difficult situation to be in. So this is what you have to deal with, huh?" Connor stopped, locking eyes with Claire. "When you're suspect has a family and you have to break it up." She added painting a bitter smile on Connor's lips. "Well it's something close to that but with Andrew, I don't have any guilt."
Silence settled between the two before a nurse barged in. "Sir Connor, your time with the patient has ended. I would like to urge you to give the patient some time to rest." Connor gave a knowing smile before looking back at Claire. "Next time we're leaving together." Claire smiled back as Connor left the room, her eyes drifting to the flowers near her feet. Arching forward, she reached for them before taking a deep breathe of them.
. . .
"Claire Hale should be ready for discharge by the end of the week. Luckily the bullet didn't hit any of her vital organs or her spine." The nurse said as she marched down the hall with Connor. "That truly is a miracle." Connor let out a small laugh however the nurse didn't share the sentiment. "Next time when you do visit the patient, please refrain from drinking before coming here sir."
Connor took a small whiff of himself before the odor of liquor, though barely present still there. "Of course however I do have to add. Should any other people aside from me come to check up on Claire, could you tell them that Claire is in no position to be seeing any visitors?" After the nurse inquired why, Connor explained about the threat he suspected Claire was under.
"Of course, thank you sir. I'll be leaving now." Connor narrowed his gaze, his mind drifting back to Andrew. 'How the hell I'm I about to go about this? I don't want to hear that Clara has claimed her own life because Andrew's gone and the guilt of being a parent eats her alive.' His figure making his way to the parking lot, his gaze landing on his reflection. 'I have to find Lara but with nothing to this case to add, it pains me that I have to leave Clara alone.'
His car pulling out of the lot and slipping into the main road, heading back to the precinct.