It Always Comes Back

The Incident

It was a chilly morning, and the rain had just stopped. On normal days, everyone would still be asleep at this hour, but today was far from normal. The loud screaming from Kate had jolted everyone awake, but nobody knew why.

When Bravin opened his door to see what was wrong, someone rushing to John’s house shoved him back. He almost fell but managed to steady himself by grabbing the door's lock. Regaining his balance, he joined the crowd heading to John's place. He ran as fast as he could, driven by the urgency to know what had happened to his friend John or his sister Kate.

As he neared John's house, Bravin came to a sudden halt. Blood was flowing from the entrance. He moved slowly to the door, squeezing through the crowd until he saw John’s lifeless body. He couldn’t believe his eyes and blinked several times, hoping it was a bad dream, but it wasn’t. The small house was in disarray. The table was overturned, a section of the glass window was broken, and the three-seater chair was on its side. John’s body lay near the door, face up, with blood flowing towards the exit. Bravin’s mind raced with questions, but there were no answers. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he staggered outside and sat down, numb to the murmuring crowd around him.

The sound of police sirens broke through the chatter. Officers arrived quickly and began to clear people from the scene, except for Kate. Bruce, a seasoned officer familiar with the townspeople, approached Kate and started asking her questions. Beatrice, a newer officer unfamiliar with the town, knelt by John’s body, taking notes.

"Hello, Kate? How are you holding up?" Bruce asked gently.

"I'm okay," Kate replied, though tears still rolled down her face. Bruce handed her his handkerchief, and she wiped her tears.

"Do you know what happened here?" he continued.

"No, I don’t," Kate responded.

"Can you tell me everything that happened when you got here?" Bruce asked.

"Every morning, I come here to take him to work by car. But when I came this morning, I found him like this. I don’t know how, when, or why," Kate explained.

Beatrice stood up and joined them. "Did you by chance see or hear anything unusual?" she asked.

"No, I didn’t," Kate replied.

"Okay, come with me," Bruce said, helping Kate to her feet. He led her outside to their car, where she sat down. Bruce returned to the house, where Beatrice was still examining the scene. The other officers had begun photographing and marking possible evidence.

"It seems the victim put up a real fight. He didn’t go down easily," Beatrice observed. "He was sleeping here," she pointed at the chair, "when the killer came in. I think John heard the door and woke up. The killer found him awake, and they fought."

"Or maybe both of them woke up and started fighting," Bruce added.

"The victim was thrown against this table," Beatrice continued, "which explains how it’s lying on its side. The killer then searched the house for something but didn’t find it."

"John," Bruce corrected. "The victim’s name was John."

"Right," Beatrice acknowledged, slightly embarrassed. "The killer couldn’t find what he was looking for, so he left."

After some time, the police took Kate and Bravin to the station for questioning.

"Why am I here? What did I do?" Bravin demanded as he sat opposite Bruce.

"Relax, you don’t need to worry. I just need to clarify some things, then you can go home," Bruce assured him.

"Okay, go on then. I want to get home as soon as possible," Bravin said.

"It seems like the killer and John knew each other. Did you notice anything unusual with John lately? Any people who seemed suspicious?" Bruce asked.

Bravin looked away. "I know nothing of that sort."

"Anything can help this case," Bruce encouraged.

"John did something a long time ago, but that was resolved. I don’t think it’s related," Bravin said.

"I know that, but is there anything recent?" Bruce pressed.

"No, we didn’t spend much time together lately. He was busy with work. He told me he and some colleagues were working on something important. He didn’t have time to hang out with us," Bravin explained.

Meanwhile, Beatrice was questioning Kate. She gave her some water, and Kate drank a quarter of the glass before pushing it back.

"I'm Beatrice," the officer introduced herself.

"And I'm Kate, John’s sister," Kate responded.

"Did you ever notice anything strange about your brother?" Beatrice asked. "Anything can help."

"No, he seemed normal when we met," Kate said.

"Is there anything you can tell us that might help the case?" Beatrice pressed.

"No," Kate replied.

"Do you know anyone who could harm your brother?" Beatrice asked.

"No, he was good to everyone," Kate said.

"I don’t think anyone could harm him," Bravin added. "He was friendly to everyone."

"Okay, that’s all for now. If you find anything useful, inform us immediately," Bruce said, handing Bravin a card. "That’s my number. Call me."

"Okay, I will. Can I go now? I have work to do and I’m getting late," Bravin said.

"Yes, you can go. And please, don’t do anything stupid. I don’t want you ending up like your friend," Bruce cautioned.

Outside, Kate saw Bravin and called out to him. He waited for her, and they hugged.

"How are you holding up?" Bravin asked.

"I’m fine. What about you?" Kate replied.

"I’m fine," Bravin said, breaking the hug but still holding her by her side as they started walking home.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Kate asked.

"They took me for questioning," Bravin explained.

"They think the killer and your brother knew each other and something happened that made the killer target him," Bravin said.

"Why would they think that? My brother could never do anything wrong. He wouldn’t even harm a fly," Kate said furiously.

"I don’t know," Bravin admitted.

"What are we going to do about my brother’s death? We can’t just leave this to the police. They’re always lazy with this kind of thing," Kate said.

"Yeah, we’re going to find the person responsible and find out why they did it," Bravin agreed.

"And we’re going to kill them all," Kate vowed.

"Yeah, definitely," Bravin said, determined.

---

As they walked home, the weight of the day's events settled heavily on them. The pain of losing John, a beloved friend and brother, was immense. Kate and Bravin’s shared grief brought them closer together. Over the next few days, they found solace in each other’s company, their bond strengthening as they navigated the aftermath of the tragedy.

Despite his stubborn nature, Bravin’s determination to find John’s killer never wavered. Kate admired his resolve, though it sometimes led to heated arguments. One evening, as they sat in Bravin’s small living room, their frustration boiled over.

“We need to go through John’s things again,” Bravin insisted. “There might be something we missed.”

“We’ve looked everywhere, Bravin! There’s nothing left to find,” Kate replied, her voice tinged with exhaustion.

“You don’t understand! There has to be something!” Bravin shouted, standing up abruptly.

Kate stood up too, facing him. “And what if there isn’t? What if we’re just chasing shadows?”

“Then we keep looking until we find something,” Bravin said, his jaw set stubbornly.

Kate sighed, her anger giving way to weariness. She stepped closer to him, placing a hand on his arm. “Bravin, I want to find the killer as much as you do. But we can’t let this destroy us.”

Bravin’s eyes softened as he looked at her. “I’m sorry, Kate. I just... I can’t let this go.”

Kate nodded, understanding his pain. “I know. And I’m with you. We’ll find them together.”

Their shared determination forged a new understanding between them. They spent countless hours combing through John’s belongings, talking to his friends and colleagues, and piecing together the fragments of his life. Amidst the sorrow, they found moments of laughter and tenderness, their relationship deepening with each passing day.

One night, as they sat on the porch of Kate’s house, the stars shining brightly above, Bravin spoke softly. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Kate.”

Kate smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder. “You don’t have to find out. We’re in this together.”

Bravin wrapped his arm around her, holding her close. “I know. And I’m grateful for that.”

In the days that followed, their search for answers continued. They discovered that John had been working on a sensitive project at work, which had garnered the attention of some dangerous individuals. The more they uncovered, the more they realized the complexity of the situation.

Despite the danger, Bravin’s stubborn nature drove him forward. Kate often worried about his safety, but she admired his unwavering commitment. One evening, as they reviewed their findings Bravin made a startling connection

”look at this” pointing at the document, ”John mentioned meeting someone who seemed off. He didn't go into details but it is a lead.” Kate came closer and leaned in ” Do you think that this person could be involved?” she asked

”I don't know. But we need to find out.” Bravin said.