"Who the hell?" Kevin raised his head from his reclined position on the bed. It had been a long day of interviews, concerts and pandemonium, all he wanted to do was rest. Now some idiot was pounding down his door and all the doors on the floor by the sounds of it.

"Somebody! Help!"

Kevin pulled himself up and ran to the door. "Stop the yelling, you damn idiot! People are trying to sleep!" He opened the door and stopped in surprise. "Brent?"

"Kevin! Thank God! Nick's dead! Someone killed Nick!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kevin, Brian, AJ and Howie gathered with Brent in Brian's room. The police had sealed off Nicks room and were gathering evidence. No one was allowed to leave the hotel, and particularly, no one was allowed to leave the floor they were on.

"Why would someone want to kill Nick?" Brian asked, in a small voice. Tears streaked his face and his eyes were dull. "Why Nick? He never hurt anyone."

AJ put his arm around Brian for comfort and support. "They'll find the bastard, Bri. And if they don't I will. I'll kill him with my bare hands." he vowed.

Howie sat on the sofa, tears falling down his face. "Poor Nick." he whispered for the 100th time.

Brent sat huddled on the floor, knees pulled up to his chest. He hadn't uttered a sound since he hollered for help. Brent had been the one to find Nick.

Kevin rubbed his temple, knowing that the ache wouldn't go away, but hoping to ease the pain somewhat. Nick dead. It was so hard to comprehend. Brian's question echoed through his head. "Who would want Nick dead?" Everyone loved him, the fans, the mothers, the group working with them. He was everyone's sweetheart, able to charm the birds out of the trees and the fish out of the sea. Well, he used to be able to. Kevin swiped a hand over his misting eyes. It was just so hard to believe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Gentlemen?"

An older man in a rumpled suit entered the suite, several hours after Nicks body had been discovered.

"We need to talk."

"Is he really dead?" Brian asked, forlornly. "He's gonna be okay, right?"

The detective looked at him sadly. "They're removing the body now. He's dead son." Brian let out a wail of despair and threw his head down on his folded arms. Kevin glanced up just in time to see the stretcher being wheeled down the hallway. The items that had caused Nick's death were holding the sheets up at odd angles. One of the attendants stumbled and Nick's arm flopped off the edge of the stretcher. Kevin got a peek at the familiar armband tattoo before the arm was tucked back under the sheet. He took a deep breath and turned to face the others in the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So gentlemen." The detective continued. "Obviously there has been a terrible crime here. We need to talk to everyone in the hotel, on this floor especially and you four in particular."

"Us?" AJ wondered. "We would never hurt Nick!"

Kevin and Brian nodded agreement, while Howie remained still on the couch.

The detective murmured knowingly. "Of course sirs. But based on preliminary talks with the guards stationed on the floor and at Mr. Carter's door...each of you visited Mr. Carter tonight. And, aside from Brent, you were the only ones to enter Mr. Carter's room tonight. So that would lead me to believe that one of you in this room is..."

"Nick's killer." Kevin finished for him. "One of us killed Nick."