CHAPTER 5: Everyone loves a good ol' tragedy
1684 Words
CHAPTER 5: Everyone loves a good ol' tragedy
The drive up to the house was longer than I expected. It was a winding stretch of bumpy road, flanked by whispering palms and salt-stained air, and it led straight to the estate Dax had been preparing for a week. From a distance, the building loomed, like something pulled out of an old painting. It was fairly grand, weathered, and painfully out of place in a small town like Alderbay.
When I finally parked at the gate, I couldn’t decide which irritated me more, the small town or the memory of that woman from the cafe. The encounter still lodged under my skin, like an irritating itch.
By the time I reached the door, Dax was already waiting there, sleeves rolled, grin too wide for the occasion, hair sprayed with dust. He looked ridiculous.
“About time,” he said. “Thought you’d changed your mind halfway.”
“Can't say I wasn’t tempted a couple of times,” I muttered, stepping past him into the hall. It was not completely ready. “Still got work to do, apparently.”
It was short notice informing Dax to prepare the place for me, so this was to be expected. The place was half-renovated, the furniture still covered in white sheets, tools scattered across the floor. But I didn't care.
He winced, and scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, about that… it’s not completely ready yet. The workers just retired for the day a few minutes ago.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “It's fine. It’s quiet. That’s enough.”
He trailed after me as I walked through the wide foyer.
“Still can’t believe you bought this place,” he mused, rubbing his neck. “You know I learnt it's the biggest structure in this town.”
“Who said anything about a purchase?”
Dax's footsteps halted. “What do you mean? You bought the place, right?”
“It's an ancestral property. It was built by my maternal great grandfather.”
My mother's grandfather was from Alderbay, and this is where my mother grew up. I never imagined that I'd someday seek solitude in the old edifice.
“You've got to be kidding me,” Dax exclaimed. “Now it all makes sense.”
I continued walking ahead without looking back. The floor complained as we walked.
“Those floorboards have to be fixed as soon as possible.”
“The carpenter should be here by the morning.” He paused, then continued. “This estate is practically a landmark. People are gonna talk. I know, because they did a lot when I arrived here for the renovations.”
I barely hummed. The town vigilante sure had a lot to say.
By now we had gotten to the top of the stairs. I braced my palms on the stone baluster.
Dax hesitated. “Are you sure about this?”
My grip tightened on the baluster. Finally the elephant in the room.
Dax exhaled heavily, rubbing the back of his neck. “You can’t kill a scandal like this by going under the radar, Bast. The media houses in the city are still having a field day.”
My jaw got tighter. I never cared what people said, but this time, I intended to chase the truth.
I scoffed. “You know what they say, Dax. Everyone loves a good ol’ tragedy.”
He sighed. “Tieran was a piece of s**t. Even in death he still manages to do you dirty.”
I looked at him. “I'm beginning to wish that I had really blown that jet to shit.”
Dax shot me a look. “Well, the world thinks you did.”
“I’ve never hated proving someone wrong so much before,” I murmured.
It was ironic really, everyone thought I was the evil pilot who blew up his stepbrother’s jet, killing him in the crash. And here I was wishing that I did. I hated Tieran. Not just because he and his mother ruined our family, but because he poisoned every part of my life he came across. Now, three weeks ago, he died suddenly in a fatal air crash and I was the prime suspect because of our very public feuds.
“So how do you plan to do that?”
“Do what?”
Dax rolled his eyes. “Clear your name, obviously.” He rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. “Although I have to say that after that incident at the restaurant last time, it's going to be difficult. People have already dug up the videos. It's making rounds again.”
Barely two months ago, I discovered huge discrepancies in the financial records of the family business that actually belonged to my late mother, which my father had handed over to Tieran before died. I had more interest in flying aircrafts than directing a company from behind a desk, so I didn't care. When I found Tieran and confronted him at a restaurant that night, he was smug and unremorseful about it. It turned ugly, and I threatened to make him pay.
“The media's a circus. They love to blow everything out of proportion.”
“I'd have agreed with you, but there's actually a clip of you promising to make him pay.”
“Well murder was not exactly what I had in mind,” I replied, flexing my fingers.
Dax looked at my hand. “Yes, breaking his face in served him well. It gave me pleasure to see your handprints on his face.
I couldn't help the throaty chuckle.
He sighed. “Is there really no way to revoke the FAA's suspension on your license?”
I looked at him. “I don't care about flying planes right now, Dax.”
The Federal Aviation Administration suspended my license pending their internal investigation on my involvement with the crash.
“Your entire life is practically caving in, all because of your shitty stepbrother's death. I don't understand how you can maintain the level of calmness, bro.”
I turned away from Dax, looking out the tall window toward the coast. It was peaceful. It was exactly what I needed. But the quietness of the small town was not all that had brought me there.
Dax watched me reflectively. “Do you really think this town is connected to what happened?” he asked finally.
I didn’t answer. The answers were something I didn't even have, but the anonymous letter I had gotten, pointed to evidence that could clear my name in this damn town.
We walked into the main hall, the largest room in the manor. I walked up to the stone fireplace and crouched, admiring the craftsmanship.
Behind me, I heard Dax throw a tarp off one of the couches and dropped into it with a groan.
“So,” he said. “What about Natalie?”
I set my jaw. “What about her?”
I straightened and turned to him, and pulled a handkerchief from my pocket to wipe my dusty fingers, a clear warning in my eyes.
He raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. I just figured—”
“Don’t,” I cut in. “It’s pointless.”
He was quiet for a while, then he asked quietly, “Is it really over?”
My silence was enough. He exhaled slowly, muttering something under his breath about relationships.
He changed the subject after a moment, though his tone turned lighter.
“At least the locals don’t seem to care who you are. I'm sure they probably just think you’re another city guy looking for quiet.”
My thoughts immediately went to the irritating lady at the café who had a lot to say. Dax couldn't be more wrong, and it brought a sardonic smile to my lips.
“Did I say something funny?” His eyes narrowed.
I shrugged. He regarded me for a second, and finally dropped the issue.
“Well, at least tonight’s the bonfire.”
I frowned. “The what?”
He grinned. “Annual Alderbay Bonfire. Big local thing according to the locals. Music, drinks, dancing. It promises to be fun.”
I stared at him. “That's supposed to be a selling point?”
His grin widened. “Come on, Bast. You could use the distraction. The booze, the company… local chicks?” He grinned sheepishly.
I gave him a look. “I have no interest in mingling.”
He leaned back, studying me, the kind of look only a friend who had seen you at your worst dares to give.
He sighed, finally letting it drop. “Fine. But you should still go tonight. You’ll suffocate in here alone.” He rose, brushing off his jeans. “If you change your mind, find me there at seven. Down by the beach.”
When he was gone, the house swallowed the sound of his footsteps.
For a moment, I stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by silence and dust and too many memories I didn’t want. I thought that coming here was going to answer most of my questions. But I was beginning to doubt myself. I wasn't even sure what I was searching for anymore.
The results of the preliminary investigation was that the family private jet that Tieran had boarded was rigged with explosives. I needed to find out who was behind it.
I pulled the unsigned letter I had received one week ago out of my pocket. I reread the single line that said: THE TRUTH YOU SEEK LIES IN ALDERBAY.
With the paper in my hand, I walked over to the window. The sun was slipping down, giving way to the warm glow of dusk, and the sound of a world that didn’t care about headlines or guilt.
I needed to find the one who sent me the letter. And I needed to find the real killer. Suddenly, I felt restless.
Maybe Dax was right. Maybe I needed the noise. The distraction.
Maybe.
- Writer
