Human vs. Phantom

Chapter- 8 Episode- 7

Chapter – 8

Episode – 7

“Why are you asking about that? That case was long closed.” The old man said as his wife came and sat beside him. The house was neat and bright. It smelled like medicine and flowers. Not even a slight peck of dirt can be spotted as far as the eyes will go.

“We are working on a case which is deemed to be similar to it and we found about you from the documents of the case. So, we came here to ask you a few questions about it.” Jim spoke calmly to the man in the wheelchair.

“It was just a road accident. What case can be related to it?” the man said.

“We are revisiting all the road accidents in the town for the past two decades to check the causes behind them all.” Reeve intervened before his brother could say anything.

“yes, we are. It will help us prevent those situations.” Jim said.

“well, there is not much to tell you about, it’s been years since that time and to be honest ever since I have been bounded in this damn chair, I lost track of time. Everything just seems so ancient, walking, going out, road trips with my wife. I don’t know when it’s day and night, I am inside most of the time. Ever since that accident I’ve lost everything in my life, the life I was living and the life I wanted.” he said looking at Teryl and holding her hands.

“can you tell us what you remembered about the day?” Jim said.

“if it can help you boys then I am all for it.” he said and again looked at his wife, then added, “I remember it was Friday that day and we have a meeting in Pipestone that weekend. Every employee from the headquarters and any other child company were going to be in that. That kind of event only happens once every year, it was grand. It was like a team meeting. You know like team-building strategies were told. And I must tell you it is not just some boring meeting; it is lots of fun. There was games and food drinks music everything. It was like a long picnic. Everyone in the office was excited. I packed my bag for three days for the stay at the hotel in Pipestone and so did my friend Freddie Waters. We were in the same car.” He spoke.

“he was with you in that accident, right?” Reeve asked.

“yes, that’s right” he answered.

“so, what happened then?” Reeve again asked.

“Freddie had a problem traveling on the bus, so we took the car. We were on the road an hour on the journey, driving through the beautiful forests jamming on the country. That’s when his phone rang. Lowerin’ the volume and answered the call, it was his wife’s. I don’t know what she said to him but his cheery smile vanished. He looked angry and upset as he threw his phone in the back seat. I asked him what’s wrong but he refused to share. However, I kept on insisting.” He told them.

“did he tell you?” Jim asked.

“he said his wife was going on a trip with her friends.” He said.

“and that upsets him?” Reeve asked.

“yeah,” he answered.

“that’s not that big of a deal though, is it?” Jim spoke.

“he doesn’t like her going out when he was not around.” The man replied.

“was he a possessive kind of person?” Jim asked.

“no, not at all, he was a very sweet guy, sweetest I have ever seen. And he surely loved his wife.” He answered.

“then what made him so upset?” Jim again asked curiously.

“he had told me before that he suspects that his wife was having an affair. I already knew about it. I told him to keep a close eye on her. I wanted him to confront her on his own. I did never wanna be a homewrecker. Teryl told me about Faith’s affair, her wife. Teryl and Faith were good friends. She warned her many times to either leave the man he was having the fling with or divorce Freddie if she doesn’t love him anymore. But she never pays any heed to her words. She didn’t change. But when Freddie told me that her wife was going on a trip, I knew where she was going. Freddie suspected from my expression that maybe I knew something. I kept my mouth shut to protect his marriage for a long time, I was trying to do so still. I keep my quiet but he kept on insisting. I still remember his voice when he was asking me to tell him the truth. It was filled with the pain of heartbreak. Somewhere in his heart, he knew about his wife’s infidelity. Although I did not want to, I told him the truth. After that the whole journey he was completely silent. He didn’t say a single word.” He spoke and rolled the wheels of his chair to a nearby drawer taking out an album from it he continued,

“even when we were in the meeting his mood was off. He stayed in the hotel room almost all the time no matter how much I told him to come out with the team. He didn’t talk to me that day. We were in the same room and I heard him talking to someone in the bathroom that night. I thought that maybe he was talking to his wife, the voice was loud. Maybe they are arguing, I thought. So, I didn’t pay much attention to it. later when he came out, he looked like a different person.” He said while he took a photo of a man from the album that he brought from that drawer and gave it to us.

“This is Freddie.” He told them.

“different as?” Jim as taking the picture and looking at the man in it. “he looks handsome and kind.” Jim said.

“he shaved his head differently. His eyes had a different gaze in them. it is hard to explain but I never get that feeling from him in my twenty years of friendship with him.” He spoke.

“I don’t know why or how but I said that he deserved to be left alone and that he is a loser.” That was weird both Jim and Reeve thought as they look at each other.

“I never meant to say that, hell I never think about that. I never thought of him as a bad man. It felt like my words got twisted in my tongue. I wanted to say that he deserved better. He got so angry at those words that he pushed against the wall and took his keys and ran out of the room. I don’t know how those words came out of my mouth but I know I said them. I ran out behind him to make sure he won’t do anything stupid; he was so depressed and angry, it scared me. I saw him getting in the car, so I got in it too. He looked enraged. I have never seemed him the way I saw him that day. He looked dangerous, it scared me to wits.

He was driving so fast and I was constantly telling him to calm down. Suddenly I don’t know what went off in him, but he accelerated and drove the car in an electric pole. I saw how the windshield shattered into small pieces and pricked through my skin, piercing the flesh on it, I can still feel the sharp pain from it.

The jolt was so hard that he broke his neck and died right there. I barely got out, the car exploded. I was lucky to still be alive, but he didn’t even get the chance to regret what he did. I got an injury in my spine. Docs told me that I couldn’t walk anymore.” He said his hands on his legs.

“We are so sorry for what had happened to you.” Jim sympathized.

“I made peace with it long ago. I am happy to at least be alive for Teryl and our kids. I am happy to at least see them growing up healthily. God saved me so I should be thankful to him. But can I ask you, gentlemen, something?”

“yeah sure, you did us a huge favor,” Jim said.

“How is this gonna help you boys in an investigation, knowing the whole story, I mean?” he asked them.

“we would love to share it with you but it’s is classified. And don’t worry you have done a good deed; it will help many people.” Reeve said.

“oh, it’s okay I understand.” The man said.

“thank you so much for your time Mr. Quintan. We will take a leave now.” Jim and Reeve stood up from their seats and shook hands with both of them.

“you sure you boys don’t want anything to drink? You drove a good drive.” He offered.

“Yeah, yeah we are fine. We are in a hurry but thanks for asking.” Jim said before Reeve get started to which he just pouted.

“you got it.” the man said and Jim and Reeve walked out of his home.