Night Changes

15.

"Doesn't our apartment building have security tapes?" Liam asked me while Eleanor and I tried to hatch a plan to find Asher's mum.

"Liam you are a genius!" Eleanor complimented dropping her jaw in shock. We haven't even thought about the security cameras installed throughout the building! Whoever she was must have been caught on camera bringing Asher up to our apartment.

"She has to have been caught on camera! Between the lobby, the elevator, and the hallways camera there has to be a trace of her!" Eleanor said standing up from the kitchen bar stool.

"Well let's go than!" I urged standing up to see Liam had followed suit. "Actually could you stay with Asher? He's asleep in his swing..." I trailed looking over at the baby who was taking his afternoon nap in his swing sitting in the living room.

"Fine! Why do I get to miss out on all the cool detective work? I'm the one that came up with the idea in the first place!" Liam whined folding his arms as Len and I walked out the door.

"You are the best uncle in the entire world!" I complimented with a smile as I reached for the door knob to open up the front door.

"You better FaceTime me when you get down there! You know how much I love CSI!" Liam chimed once Eleanor shut the door behind her, following me to the elevator down to the lobby to talk to the front desk women who went by the name of Cheryl.

"Do you thin we are really going to see her on the tapes?" I asked Len as we rode down the elevator. I was pumped and scared all at the same time as adrenaline pumped into my veins, was the great mystery going to be solved? My hopes were high even though I told myself not to get too excited about this all.

"Yes! I mean if you think about it, there are a bunch of cameras that could have caught her. Theres really no possible way we don't find her on the tapes." Eleanor exclaimed flipping her chocolate brown wavy hair to the side.

Coming down to the lobby we were met with Cheryl who greeted us with a grumpy face and a sigh. I expected this from her, ever since the boys and I have moved into he building I had known her personality to be less than exciting. Always in a grumpy mood when asking for help, and always looking at you as if you are stupid for asking valid questions.

Giving the uniformed woman with frizzy brown hair a bright smile I leaned up against the counter, "Hey Cheryl!"

"What do you want?" Cheryl asked me breathing out a sign and rolling her eyes at the sight of me.

"How has your day been?" I wanted to try and warm her up, kiss her ass I guess you could say in short terms.

"Does it matter?" Cheryl responded going on to type something into the computer that sat in front of her.

"Look Cheryl, I need a little bit of a favor to ask of you..." I trailed giving the 30 plus year old a smile, flashing my teeth.

"What else is new?" Cheryl asked me not giving into me at all, I only hoped she would let me into the back room to check out these tapes.

"Is there any way possible I could check the security tapes?" I asked her hopefully, this would do my a huge favor on her part if she would only let me into the back room. I wasn't even bothering her since Len and I would be out of sight.

"No." She said flatly not even looking up at me from her computer screen.

"Please its very important... We are looking for someone who came in here a few weeks ago." Eleanor said sweetly giving it a shot to try and convince Cheryl the dream crusher.

"You know what else is important, my sanity and I'm losing it with you both here." Looking up at Eleanor and running a hand through her frizzy hair until her finger showed resistance.

"If you let us back there," I averted my eyes to the door behind her which I knew held security footage of the entire building. "I won't come down here and bother you again." I bribed even though I never talked to her that often anyway.

"You are full of empty promises Mr. Styles." She shook her head not taking my bribe like I thought she would. I was willing to do anything at this point, even blackmail. I didn't want to have to resort to this but if this is the game she wanted to play then this is how it would go down.

"Well than heres a promise that is anything but empty." I started in one more time loading my ammo for what I was about to put down. "I know you and Jeff the janitor every Tuesday night get it on in the supply close on the third floor." I started leaning sluggishly on the counter just as I caught her attention like a fish on a hook.

"Now I know your husband wouldn't be so forgiving with cheating... Now, if you let me back into the security room, I will erase the footage they have on you and Jeff and forget I ever even saw it."

"Son of a bitch..." Cheryl cursed as I laid out what I had on the table. Looking over at Eleanor who arched a brow and tried to pretend like she wasn't shocked about what I had just dropped on the woman running the front desk.

"Son of a b***h!" She stomped shaking her head and resisting for a few moments trying to collect herself. Waiting a few moments to move she finally looked up at me and and moved over to let Len and I into the front desk, opening up the back door before saying, "Not a word of this to Jeff or my husband."

"Who is Jeff?"

Shutting ourselves in Eleanor and I both found seats at the computer watching the current recordings until my phone began to ring, picking it out of my pocket I saw Liam trying to FaceTime me. Answering I watched my phone connect until I saw Liam's face light up.

"You made it in!" Liam spoke once he saw my face in the darker lit room.

"Yeah, here Len hold Liam." I handed my phone to Eleanor who said hello and turn the front facing camera to the back so he could see what we were seeing.

"Okay so what day are we looking for?" Eleanor asked me as I began to try and navigate the cameras.

"I don't know... I can't remember what day it was.." I pondered thinking real long and hard about the date Asher had come to me on my doorstep.

"It was the 15th of September I believe. I remember because I went to the bar with Louis that night after we found out I passed my biology exam." Liam piped in being more help than I thought.

Typing in the date I ran through the course of the day util we reached about 12 at night which was when I saw Ariel and I walk in through the lobby. She was draper over me and I was colored over with embarrassment watching it back with Eleanor beside me now.

"She ummm... That wasn't..." I stumbled over my words as we watched Ariel and I begin to makeup in the elevator getting highly uncomfortable I spoke out fast forwarding until Ariel and I disappeared into my apartment. "This isn't important... Theres nothing to watch here."

"I'm not judging you." Eleanor told me as Liam piped in on FaceTime.

"I am." he said causing Len to giggle gently trying to to laugh and make me feel even worse about all of this.

"Do I need to go back a little further to when you and Louis went up on the elevator naked?" I reminded Liam who immediately backed off.

"What the hell Liam?!" Eleanor asked laughing at him as she kept the camera focused on the screens that we were watching.

"It was a long night and I got a little drunk." Liam confessed before quickly changing topics, "Look right there!"

"What?" I asked turning my attention back to the screens.

"Rewind back twenty seconds." Liam instructed as I did Eleanor and I watched with intent paying attention to every detail.

"Look there! There she is!" Eleanor pointed to a girl walking into the lobby with a car seat in hand. Her hair long and blonde as she walked with black vans paired with skinny jeans and a black leather jacket over her plain white top.

We all watched in silence as the girl moved to the elevator not getting a good view of her face but only seeing the back of her golden blonde hair. She looked familiar somehow yet I don't know how since I could barely see her face.

"Turn around!" I rooted as I watched her girl holding the carrier sit and wait for the elevator to take her to her designated floor which was indeed mine. I spotted Asher in his car seat facing the camera as he yawned and rubbed his eyes. I can remember the moment I saw him, paralyzed by my own fear of someone so tiny and fragile.

Walking out of the elevator we watched her set the carrier on my door step and knocking loudly waiting for an answer. When she got nothing she knocked again more harshly, I remember this. Ariel had told me to ignore it but the knocking only go louder. Just in that moment she took a mad dash for the elevator, getting a good shot of her face I quickly paused to see the face of someone familiar.

"Is that?" Liam started but I finished him.

"Yes!" I finished looking at the girl with intense blue eyes, I couldn't believe that it was her. None of this made sense, none of it at all. "It can't be."

"Mate she's right there. We are looking at her right now. Who else could it be but her?" Liam asked as Len switched the camera to our faces.

"Well than, it looks like we are paying a visit to the sixth floor." I told them standing up with determination to get to the bottom this.

note// Cliff hanger!! I'm the worst I know XD what do you think is going to happen with this little situation? All I can say is, pop your popcorn because it's going to be a show!