Tell me the truth
1266 Words
“Brady?” his eyes wandered around. He looked like he was trying to remember who Brady was.
“Are you his brother?”
“Friend would be appropriate.”
Then he gave me one last look, nodding his head.
“Stay here while I call him for you,” he said. “What name will I give him?”
I wanted to say Prince Anon but that might terrify him. “Anon,” I told him. “Tell him Anon is looking for him.”
He left while I stood there waiting. A few minutes later, Brady emerged from the lobby, alone. He was looking tattered and worn out. I guessed he must have been busy doing something. Brewing I guess.
“Your Highness!” he said and bowed. His voice was frail. His expression was rigid, not the flexible type of Brady I knew.
“Brad. Can we talk?” I asked him.
“Here?”
“No. Downstairs.”
“Okay.”
He followed me and we got down. We went to a far corner, closer to where the broken jars were kept if you looked downstairs. It would be more appropriate to talk here since there seemed to be nobody there watching us.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
“Yes sir! I’m okay.” He managed a smile.
“Who is that guy?”
He grinned. “A son to my boss.”
I nodded.
“Good,” I said, looking at him. Brady’s round cheeks used for smiling was not as flexible as it used to be. He looked like he was faking a smile as we traded glances. For a moment, I suddenly remembered what the Widow told me. That instant, Brady wasn’t among the list of people I could trust. Not my fault, there was a dead body somewhere of a young girl murdered in the palace. And her murder had everything to do with me, so if I say that everyone was a suspect, I wouldn’t be wrong.
I couldn’t utter any more words to him. I was just busy looking at him. As though I was writing a composition about him. Maybe I was quiet because I was trying to find a way to figure out if he was aware of what happened to Valerie.
How should I ask him the question?
“Sir,” he said, he tilted his head a little. “I thought you wanted us to talk?” He asked.
“Oh, yes!” I said shockingly. I shook my head. “She is dead, Brad,” I told him.
I studied him. I wanted to read his expression. Maybe it might reveal to me what I needed to know, I thought.
“I don’t get you. Who is dead?” he asked me?
“Valerie.”
There seemed to be a short silence from him. Maybe he was trying to figure out where he had heard the name from. “What?” he said shockingly. His voice was trailed with cracks. “Like dead—dead?” he asked.
I crossed my arms and hung them on my chest. “Yes. She’s dead Brad.”
He buried his face on his palms and kept it down. He then brushed his palm through his face, he then joined both hands in a clap. He looked at me, I could see his eyes wetter than they had been a few moments ago and his shoulders dropping. “Are you. . .sorry to ask sir but are you responsible for it?” he asked.
“What?” I asked, my voice high. “Responsible for her death?” I raised a brow.
He didn’t answer me immediately. He took in a deep breath as though he was mustering courage from the air. “Yes. Did you. . . I mean did you by chance kill her yourself?” he asked me. Brad looked at me with a sad expression. From the look of things, even if I had told him that I will kill Valerie, it does seem like I wouldn’t have gotten his support.
“No Brad. I didn’t kill her. She was seen hanging on a rope this morning. Might be suicide.”
“Suicide?” He raised his face.
“Yes.”
He arched his brows and frowned his face. He shook his head repeatedly sideways.
“Do you believe that sir?” he asked me.
For me, this was the question I was waiting for him to ask. I already have the conviction that I needed. Brad was oblivious of the situation. He had unknowingly convinced me that nothing to do with her death. But if he doesn’t know, then who knows?
“I don’t know what to believe Brad,” I said. “Did you by chance tell anyone about our plans?” I asked him.
His eyes fluttered around. “No. No. I didn’t tell anyone about this.”
“Are you sure? There has to be an explanation for this Brad. As you said, I don’t think that the girl is capable of killing herself and I believe that too. But the problem is this, why was she killed? Who killed her? Why had she died right after you have made some digging about who she is? Somewhere, somehow, the information might have been leaked or maybe you told someone about our plans or said something related to it to someone,” I said, my voice a little louder than usual. I didn’t want my anger to slip over me so I managed to control myself. “Think Brad. Think—”
He closed his eyes, shaking his head. “I told no one, Your Highness.”
“What about the person you hired?”
“What!” he mumbled. “What about him?” he asked.
“Are you sure he didn’t rat you out?” I asked him. I wrapped my hands with each other and placed them on my chest.
“No. He couldn’t have.” He threw his face away.
“How sure are you about this guy?” I asked him. “He could be anything. He could be working for someone who might have told Valerie what to do and from the way I see it, the person must be a very strong member of the royal family. Let’s weigh our options carefully.”
He shook his head like he didn’t believe it or maybe he found it hard to believe. What I failed to understand was why he was defending whoever it was that did the digging job.
“He wouldn’t do that, believe me, sir. He had been a good chap. It’s not his first time doing. . . I mean he is known to be an expert in this field.”
I could feel that Brady was hiding something. “It's not his first time doing what Brad?” I asked him. I wanted him to finish what he was saying.
“Nothing important sir. It’s not going to help us solve anything here.” Brady wasn’t still helping matters. In fact, he was making it a little more difficult for me. If he had been more open, maybe it could lead me to whoever killed her. This was not a matter I would leave in the hands of the investigative department of the royal guards because I knew that they would never be able to uncover the killer no matter what. Instead, their effort may be derailed or maybe evidence may be distorted, I thought.
- Writer
