Summoner: The Book of Dimension

91 The Truth About Josh’s Death And Emma

The Silver Eagle Law Firm Agency was located in downtown a city next to the city where Peter lived. She had been living near him and he didn’t even know.

He couldn’t even blame himself. He didn’t have any way that could help him find her. Peter shrugged his regrets and closed and locked his car.

The law firm didn’t look that special compared to the other agencies beside it. Beside the law firm was a driving school agency and on the other side of the law firm was an employment agency. He didn’t know employment agencies still existed or maybe they existed but Peter wasn’t that aware of it.

Without wasting his time, he entered the agency and he was welcomed by people in line for their appointments. They didn’t even know that the lawyer on that agency had done something bad.

“Hi, sir, welcome,” a lady around his age welcomed him with a smile. “Please come in and have a seat,” she said.

Peter looked around. “Is Emma Bently here?” he asked the confused woman. “Is she here?” he added.

The woman looked at him calmly. “Do you personally know Miss Emma?” she asked him.

Peter didn’t know what to answer, but he nodded. “Yeah. I’m here to talk some matters with her,” he said and the woman just looked at him. “You can ask her. She knows me,” he said. He probably looked like a madman there, as people were starting to look at him.

A man walked to the woman who was wearing the same pattern of suit. Peter thought it was perhaps their uniform. “He’s a famous writer. He probably really know Miss Emma,” he murmured but Peter heard it all.

The woman looked shocked and asked Peter, “Sir, may I know your name?”

“It’s Peter. Peter Cohen,” he simply said.

The woman nodded. “I’ll ask Miss Bently if she had an appointment with you. If you may wait for a moment,” she said and gestured Peter for a seat before she left.

The man walked with the woman and they went upstairs.

Peter patiently waited there, in a chair he tried to comfortably sit on. But as seconds passed, he became more impatient. He stood up and walked to the stairs, making sure no agents saw him.

He saw the two agents who attended him earlier and he ran to them.

“Sir, you shouldn’t be here!” the man said and held his arm. Peter brushed it off and walked past them. “Sir!” they ran to him but he was already in front of the room where Emma’s name was.

The man entered with Peter, leaving the woman outside. The man held his arm to stop Peter but Peter already had plans in mind. He had to innovate now that someone was interrupting his plan.

He remembered the training he did using shadow magic. With his mind, he called a friendly shadow creature and let it possess the man. The man’s body shook for a second or two.

Before the swivel chair could even turn around, Peter ordered the shadow inside the man’s body to bind her in her chair. Emma was surprised but she couldn’t even scream. The man was holding his mouth. Peter called another shadow creature and ordered it to mimic her voice.

Peter could only ask friendly shadow creatures to do things for him. He couldn’t even call that many shadow creatures since there were just a few who were friendly and stable. There were a lot of unstable and dangerous shadow creatures that he was careful not to call. 

He picked up the telephone that was connected to the agents on the first floor and let the shadow creature speak. “I have an important appointment, please tell the customers to return tomorrow. And everyone could leave early today. James will stay here with me, so there’s nothing much to worry about,” the spirit said.

“Okay, Miss Emma,” the agent on the other line answered.

Peter didn’t want to be that cruel, but it was the only way for him to know the truth. Peter let the shadow creature who mimicked Emma’s voice disappear and sat on the table, facing bound Emma in her chair. He sighed and ordered the shadow inside James’s body to stay on a side and wait for his orders.

“How dare you,” Emma said when her mouth was now uncovered. Peter scoffed in disbelief to hear that.

“How ironic, Emma,” Peter started. “A year ago, you called every one of us to attend Josh’s death and then suddenly disappeared before shadow monsters attacked us and nearly killed us. And you’re telling me how dare I?”

Emma was silent and looked away. “I don’t know what you’re saying,” she denied.

Peter stood up and nodded. “I understand. But you know, you can tell me everything. The truth, you can tell me before I figure it out myself. Because if it’s the latter, you would wish that you should’ve told me everything. You know what I mean, right?”

Emma didn’t speak. “What is it that you need to know?” she asked nervously.

“Who are you, really? What is your identity?” he asked her but she didn’t speak. He smiled. “I knew you wouldn’t tell me,” he shrugged. “That’s why I have my ways to know it. But my apologies, this will hurt,” he said.

She closed her eyes and that was the cue for Peter to do his mind trick.

He had never tried it and he didn’t know its side-effect on him, but he would still try. It was a mind-reading trick but it’s hard for Peter since he would use more spiritual power to rummage through her memories. He hoped it would work with one try, or else he would need to try again.

Emma’s eyes widened and he gasped. Peter slowly smiled a little, getting through her memories. She couldn’t scream, as Peter was slightly in control.

“How does that feel?” Peter asked softly. “You could’ve told me,” he said but Emma didn’t respond.

A memory flashed before his eyes. The Dark Abyss Regiment. She was with them.

“Is this too little?” Emma asked Victor and Victor quickly tossed another envelope of money on the table. “Thanks a lot,” she said.

“Why made you think it is us you should contact?” Victor asked her.

She smiled. “Simple. Because I know you guys are looking for the book,” she said. “If you don’t find it on him, you can kill him. I’ll set up his wake and make his friends come. It should be on one of his close relatives and friends,” she said.

Victor grinned and offered a handshake. “We’re pleased to be in business with you.”

The memory ended and it left peter speechless. “Tell me, why did you do that?” he asked and slightly choked her as he demanded an answer.

She grinned. “I’m a book collector. My part is being the collector, is to keep summoners from summoning. I have to find ways to keep you guys summoning. The Dark Abyss Regiment is looking for the book and they have control over all of the shadow monsters. With the circumstance you just faced, you were forced to use the book,” she answered truthfully.

Peter punched the table. “You let my friend be killed because of that? What do you gain from it?” he angrily asked but she didn’t answer. He continued reading her memory. She gasped once again, as his memory-reading hurts.

“The kid doesn’t have it,” Victor told Emma. “I’m going to kill him,” he said and Emma just nodded.

He ordered a shadow monster to drive a truck that no one owned. That was when Josh died.

Another memory flashed. It was during the time Peter was in Josh’s wake.

Emma was on a call with Victor. “Violet has conversations with Josh. Josh told her about me being suspicious. If I’m pointed to this case, I’ll drag you with me,” she warned.

“Relax,” Victor said on the other line with a chuckle. “You should leave that place soon, my creatures will come by sunset,” he said.

Another memory flashed after that. Peter was shocked by everything. He knew that Emma didn’t call Josh’s parents since they would act easily about it. She lied about contacting them like she was supposed to.

She also altered the will Josh left. The strange request was Emma’s idea and she planned that so everyone would stay there until the shadow monsters would come.

The last memory he knew surprised him the most.

She came to the villa before he and his friends found the book. After cleaning the traces of Edgar Lee’s death, she left the book so it could be used by whoever would find it, which was Peter and his friends.

He looked at James. “You’re one of them,” he said. James didn’t react since he was possessed by the creature, but he already had something for him. He turned back to Emma.

“You, you’re the one behind all this; why we suffered all those; and why Josh died. You’re the one behind all of this,” Peter said with spite. “You killed Josh. You’re the one who got him killed.”

“You don’t understand. I just did it because of my role as the book collector,” Emma.

Peter lifted his hand to stop her. “No, save it. It doesn’t matter. I know the truth now,” he said. “You must face the consequence of your actions.”