SOLD TO MY ARCH ENEMY

CHAPTER TWO

It wasn’t only Joe who had turned cold. The weather, and the shadows that had enveloped my being were all matching cold. I sat staring into space when another man walked up to me. We had been at the station three times since Joe’s murder. One week later and I was getting restless and angrier.

“You said you saw this person?”

“Yes” I replied again for the 19th time. I started counting when it was becoming a little too much.

“And they seemed to have confirmed your brother Joe”

“Yes”

“And you saw this person’s face?”

“No, I’ve said so a couple of times” my voice shook in a raw mix of anger and frustration

I stared at this new investigator dead in the eye, he stared back hard, unflinching, his face hardened from all the years he had lived in distrust.

“Then how did you know they confirmed your brother if you didn’t see this person’s face?” He asked flatly,like he would ask a kid making up stories in class.

I turned to look at my mum who had her hands on my shoulder. She looked frail, tired. She was excited to see her baby, she had seen him quiet alright…only he was motionless and devoid of breath.

“He made a gesture” I replied, suddenly tired of the back and forth.

“Thank you that would be all”

he said and nodded curtly.

“Mum let’s leave here, they do not believe me” I was standing and facing my mum. She needed to rest, to grieve properly, not tossed back and forth with me in search of answers, a reason, any reason why my brother was snatched from us. Burying him wasn’t closure enough but we needed to let this station be.

“I do believe you my love, but yes let’s go home” her voice, a hoarseness as her face wrinkled into a wary smile. She suddenly looked her age. A 56 year old woman in mourning.

I see you’re leaving already, Officer Nagato said as he walked towards us. Extending a warm smile.

Thank you. You’ve been most helpful.

No, not at all. I’ll let you know if there’s anything. I can even drop by the house if that would be fine.

That’s so thoughtful of you I replied genuinely. As he was the only officer who had treated us with kindness and respect for the dead.

The ride back home was just like all the others. Mum was quiet, she has been quiet since that day and dad never comes out of his study.

"I really hope officer Nagato finds something" I said light heartedly as I turned towards her.

"Uhm, yeah" her voice a tiny whisper yet her fists wrung around the steering till her knuckles were as pale as a white board.

She sighed and looked at me, her glassy eyes betraying all the grief she was shoving deep down. I fiddled with my seat belt, trying to ignore the tightness in my chest.

Someone needs to pay for this, for turning on a switch I never knew my mum had. For breaking my dad. And this lump in my chest that wouldn't go away. This lump that I share with my dad, my mum. My family would never be the same. And then like an announcer of bad news the shrill ominous sound that was my phone's ringtone pierced the air.

"I should change my ring tone" I said to myself but like a terrible tattoo it had stuck. A constant reminder of the day it all fell apart. It was officer Nagato.

"Hello Jen"

"Hello Officer"

"Call me Nagato" his voice dropped a notch.

"Was...he shy? I thought to myself.

"Something just turned up", his voice clearer and more professional

I sat up straight and looked at my mum who was already paying attention,

"We could turn back to the station." I spoke into the phone

"No... no, no need, I'll wrap up from here and come straight to the house".

The ride went on quietly, both of us hoping that this time hope was something that stays.

Uncle Stan was just driving in when we got home, he was here more often than not.

"How'd it go, Munchs" he asked as soon as l stepped out. He looked crisp as usual, an expensive suit, a briefcase he's never without and a set of brown eyes that saw everything and door to all the things uncle stan never says. My dad's lawyer and right-hand man. Like a brother to Dad, he became uncle Stan to l and Joe.

"A pretty useless trip but Nagato called on our way here" I said, but both mum and uncle stan had both given me a sharp look.

"What" I asked pretending I didn't just call the hot officer his name like he was a boy down the street.

We all got in the house one after the other, mum goes up into her room, while uncle stan goes up into dad's study. I sat down on the sofa thinking about what officer Nagato would say and what I would do if my brother's killer was found.

I turned on the TV and wasn't prepared for what I saw. Someone else had been killed. Shot unexpectedly at a gas station. And officer Nagato was behind the news anchor with a pad and biro in hand asking an elderly man who looked like the manager of the gas store questions.

And suddenly I was in a tiny leather bubble and something was sucking the air out of it while I spinned round and round and round.

Jen, Jen, just breathe okay, it's fine. You're fine. It was the same scene, eerily identical except this time I was reliving a painful experience.