The Truth Berries

LIII

       “When was the last time that the two of you had a conversation?”

       She was sitting still with her arms crossed in front of her while Miguel was circling around her. He was holding the papers which he collected from the floor and he looked to it from time to time whenever he had a question for her. After she realized that she was going to undergo an interrogation with him, Helen began showing him lesser intention of talking. And Miguel sensed that in her every reply.

       “You have the copies of our conversation, right? Why don’t you check yourself? But I’m sure you already did that. You might even know every word in it by memory as we speak.”, she answered indifferently.

       “Please, Helen. Just answer the question.”

       “I can’t remember, okay? What, you want me to open my email now? I could do that if you want!”

       “According to these exchanges between the two of you, she sent something to you for some kind of analysis. Is that true?”

       “If those papers say so.”

       “The thing that she sent you, was it the golden chest that I gave her?”

       “What do your papers say?”

        “It doesn’t matter what these damn papers say. I want to know what you say.”

       “Then I say it is what it is.”

       Miguel exhaled a ton of exasperation. He stopped walking around her and took the wooden stool in front of her. Then he looked at her hurt expression and saw that she was just barely coping with what he had put her into. He also noticed that she was trying very hard to prevent another round of swelling tears in her eyes from falling, though she was constantly sniffing in silence. Miguel took her right hand. She tried to shake his hand off her but he held it tight. Then, in a much lower and gentler voice, he talked to her.

       “Please, Helen. I need your cooperation on this one. I can’t do this on my own. I really need your help.”

       “It doesn’t look like you need my help, or anyone’s, at all. You can do all things just by yourself. Just a bunch of papers and you’re good to go, Sergeant.”

       Miguel nodded with gritted teeth. Then he took the thin pile of papers and without further explanations, he tore it into several small pieces.  When he was done, he crumpled them altogether to a big ball of useless garbage and threw it to a small thrash bin waiting beside his computer desk. Miguel stared at her big wondering eyes and took her hand once more.

      “What was that supposed to mean?” she asked.

       “I guess it’s about time that I give back what you have given to me.”

       Helen’s mind was still in tangles and she had some trouble figuring out what he was meaning for.

      “And what was that?”

       “Trust.” He said without blinking.

       “I don’t understand, Miguel.”

       He slowly let her hand go and then he stood up. She followed him with her teary eyes and waited for his answer.

       “I guess I can start trusting you a hundred percent. From now on, it will be you and me. Just the two of us working together. I won’t be needing those damn papers anymore. I have you and your words to believe in now. I just hope that you can forgive me and my stupidity. Can you?” he begged her.

       Helen felt the fire inside her got rekindled and her tears gushed down her face like a rush of waters freed from a hindering dam. She stood up and nodded at him and then she ran to give him a warm embrace. He did not know it but tears also fell from his eyes. Now, he just found a real partner in finding the truth about her death. When they both had settled down their emotions, they took their seats across each other once again.

       “Can we start this over again? In a more cooperative way?”, he asked.

       She nodded with swollen eyes.

       “What did she sent you?”

       “She sent me the golden chest that you received. She asked me if I can do some research about its nature and history. I did as she asked and I even asked some people about its true value. You know, just in case we’re getting any richer with it.” She giggled.

       “And what did you find out?”

        “More than I ever asked. It was some kind of an ancient artifact, Miguel. In fact, it was more than that. it was a thing from the gods. An Egyptian god, to be exact.”

        Miguel stared at her for a long time without saying a single word. Then he looked down on the ground and clasped his two hands as if in a prayer.

       “Are you sure about that?”

       Helen drew her head back.

       “What happened with that ‘trusting each other’ talk a while ago? Of course I am sure. I made an extensive research about that thing!”

       “Okay, okay.”, he said as he held up his two hands I front of her. “The chest had something in it, right? I remember opening it but I already forgot what was inside it.”

       “It contained a seed wrapped in ancient paper.”

       “Right. Did you researched about it as well? What kind of seed was that?”

       “I didn’t get a real confirmation about that. I mean, no one really knew what seed it is. But someone told me a legend about the god who wanted mankind to be like them. Because we were once immortals like them, he wanted us to return to our rightful place someday. Thus, the seed’s existence.”

    Miguel scoffed at her excited tale. She saw him do that and she gave him a look to kill. He immediately regretted that and kept a serious face again.

       “So the seed gives power to its wielder, is that it?”

        "No. Not like that. The seed grows into some kind of a fruit-bearing plant and it is the fruit that gives anyone who eats it limited access to endless knowledge. That was how the legend goes.”

       “This information that you have, where did you get it?”

       “From experts and professors in U.S. universities.”

        “And the legend?”

       “He was a retired professor too, from where I was studying there. But I also remember him telling me that he was once a part of a team which was commissioned to find that treasure. He also warned me about talking to strangers about the chest and the seed.”

       “This man knew a lot about it than anyone of us. I think we should give him a call. You know, to try to clarify some things.”

       “I’m afraid he won’t talk to you or to anyone anymore.” She said sadly.

       “Why is that? Does he not trust you anymore?”

        “He never trusted anyone at all. But that’s not the reason of it.”

       “Then what?”

       “Because he’s dead now. He was found dead on his bed the day after we talked. Some newspaper said it was suicide, but one of my friends said it was more than that.”

       “How did he know that?”

       “Because right after I asked him to dig deeper about the chest, some men in sunglasses entered his home and turned it all over searching for my files that I gave him.”

       Miguel was silent for a while.

       “That sounded real suspicious to me.”

       “Before he died, that man who warned me about the chest also told me an interesting story.”

       He was intrigued and she could tell it by his looks.

       “He told me about a secret organization dating back to ancient times that will do anything to get their hands on that thing. He said that they have eyes and ears everywhere. I believe him on that.”

       They were engulfed in complete silence after that. Miguel put his two hands behind his head and leaned back on his chair. He was deeply thinking while staring at the wooden beams above them. She saw that he was worried about something in his mind so she thought that it was her time to comfort her. She reached for his knee and pressed him lightly.

       “Do you think her death had something to do with the chest and the seed?”, she asked.

       “I honestly don’t know. But I find no other reason than that. I have handled several criminals before and nothing ever happened to us. But when that thing came at my door . . . .”

       “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that one.”

       “It’s okay. You have helped me a lot already. Can you remember how many people knew about that chest when you were still abroad?”

       Helen tried to recall every one of them. It did not take her long for the list was short.

       “Just three people, including me.”

       “Can you really trust those other two? Have they not talked about it to anyone else?”

       She tried to consider his question. The last one was already dead and it was probably because of it too. But he tried to warn her about the dangers she would later face regarding it. So Dr. Curtis knew about the dangers too and she trusted him not to tell about that thing to anyone because she believed the dead man had a heart after all. The other man who knew helped her a lot in researches that they made. And Dr. Winson almost risked his life for it too. But the man seemed to be more than willing to help her. Of course, she knew he could be after a different prize for all of that. Helen decided that both men wouldn’t talk to anyone.

       “I don’t think it was them, Miguel. One got killed because of it and he was probably trying to protect me until he died. The other one also risked his own life just to try to help me too. I think they were reliable men, after all.”

      Miguel nodded absent-mindedly to all of it.

       “How about the two of you? Haven’t you talked to anyone about it? Did anybody else saw that thing in your hands?”

       He raised his head when he heard her question. He had never thought of it until now. He knew that Nadia only talked about it with him and Helen. But there was someone else. Maybe it was someone he knew, someone from his circle of friends. And it was easy to identify that man for there was only one person in his tight circle. It was only his former partner, Sergeant Alex Gonzalo. The man saw it with his very own eyes. Miguel looked at her and told her about it.

       “The policeman chasing after you right now?”

       “Yeah. He saw it firsthand. But I doubt it. He wouldn’t do such a thing to her.”

       “How could you be so sure?”

        “He was never like that, a man who would kill for some material thing. He has his own honor to protect.”

        “I’ve seen many men shed their skins when they saw gold shining before their eyes. And honor would surely become just a four-letter word after that.”

        He knew she was right. Money can surely create horns on angels’ heads. But as possible as what she wants to say, his stabbing experiments did not match Alex’s personality. The killer was a well-trained assassin and Alex was a very clumsy man. If left alone, Miguel knew he couldn’t accomplish something properly. Then it hit him. He seemed to be forgetting one crucial information after all those things. He looked at her one last time and asked her that question.

       “The chest, do you still have it with you?”

       She looked at him with narrowed eyes. Then she gazed passed him and saw that no one was listening from behind. So she propped her elbows forward and told him in a low voice.

        “I have hidden it in a private storage company back in my mother’s place. I did that to keep it safe until I found the right person who could deal with all of these mess. I think I just found him. Ta-da!”

       “You have the keys with you?”

       She was about to pull it out of her pocket when Miguel’s aunt came out of nowhere and knocked on the door. They both jumped to their feet at her sudden intrusion.

       “I’m sorry but lunch is ready now. The chicken won’t be good once it’s cold.”

       “We’ll follow, Tita. Thanks.” They both said.

       When she was gone, they held each other’s eyes. Miguel knew what she wanted to ask so he did not wait for it and he answered her right away.

        “Don’t worry. She’s just an old woman. And I trust her.”

       She did not speak a word to that.