Chapter 26
IT HADN’T TAKEN LONG for Garrett to make his way over to Riley and Josh’s place.
The three of them sat on the couch, Josh plastered against Riley and Garrett on Riley’s other side.
On the table he placed a file labeled “confidential.”
Garrett leaned forward on the couch, his normally slicked back blond hair falling in pieces as if he’d been running his hands through it in frustration, and addressed Josh.
“I found some concerning information regarding the car accident that killed your parents twenty-five years ago.”
Josh trembled against Riley's side, and Riley slipped his arm around his shoulders, Riley’s free hand grabbing his and threading their fingers together.
“First, the police report of the accident was missing from our regular system, but Riley found it hidden in my captain’s database.
That was especially weird to me because my captain is…
” Garrett paused, taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it as if to steady himself.
He continued. “My boss is an idiot. He does the bare minimum as a captain to get by, but he messes up more often than he succeeds in anything. Everyone I work with is under the impression he’s only kept his job this whole time because of his family.
“So the fact that he had access to this document when it couldn’t be found anywhere else was a huge red flag to me.”
Garrett opened the file folder on the table and spread out documents that Riley recognized as the police report from Josh’s accident.
“According to this report, the airbags never deployed in your parents’ car, which is what led to their deaths since there wasn’t anything to protect them.
One of my colleagues found the insurance report from the incident.
It noted the airbags were sabotaged. It wasn’t a fluke that they didn’t deploy. Someone made sure they wouldn’t.”
“You’re saying someone messed with their car? Like, instead of cutting the brakes, they messed with the airbags?” Josh asked, his breathing escalating rapidly and his hold on Riley’s hand starting to ache as Josh gripped it like a vice. There was no way in hell Riley would let go.
“Exactly. Usually, the insurance report is connected to the police report as part of the investigation, but for some reason this one wasn’t. But it gets weirder.”
“Weirder how?” Riley asked nervously.
Garrett pointed to one of the papers across the table.
“There was an eyewitness account given to the first officer on the scene, an account that said a man was seen fleeing from the car that hit your parents head-on. She guessed it was a man based on the large build of the person, but they wore a motorcycle helmet so she couldn’t be sure.
You said that you saw the man run for help, but the eyewitness and the officer said he never returned and a search for him didn’t return any leads.
“The eyewitness was a woman, around seventy-five years old, who died the following week of a heart attack.”
“What’s that mean?” Josh asked, his voice matching the tremble in his body.
“Well, typically it would make it harder to convict the person held accountable, but the timing of her death is suspicious. What’s more suspicious is that the first officer on the scene was also killed a month later during a traffic stop.”
“What the fuck?” Riley spurted. “This is starting to sound like some kind of cover-up.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Josh said. “Are you saying… What are you saying?”
Garrett looked at Josh with sympathy and held his gaze as he said, “I’m saying, I think your parents were targeted and murdered, rather than being killed in a random car accident like you originally thought.”
“My parents… They were killed. They were killed?” Josh looked at Riley, and he could see the pain in his eyes. “So it’s not my fault they’re dead?”
“That’s what Garrett’s saying,” Riley said softly, holding Josh firmly at his side. “The accident wasn’t your fault.”
They could hear Garrett thumbing through the documents. “Uh, it says here you were five years old. Why did you think it was your fault?”
Josh’s eyes filled with tears, and he squeezed them tightly, forcing the stream down his cheeks.
“We would have been home already but I wanted ice cream so we drove in a different direction, and that’s why we were hit,” he said between deep breaths.
Riley began rubbing consoling circles on Josh’s back, trying to calm his breathing.
“Oh, Josh,” Garrett said, and he reached over to put a hand on his knee. “That still wouldn’t make it your fault. It was just a terrible accident, okay?”
Josh nodded through his tears.
“Are you okay for me to keep going?” Garrett asked. Riley had never heard him speak so… sympathetically. This must have been him in detective mode. Riley was thankful for it.
“There’s more?” Josh asked, drawing a nod from Garrett. “Yeah, tell me everything.”
“Okay, but this is where I need you guys to promise me that what I tell you doesn’t go beyond us three. I’m getting into some classified information.”
Riley turned to Josh and spoke slowly so Josh would understand the severity of the situation.
“You okay with that Josh? This info is only for us. We can’t tell anyone else about it. If you’re not comfortable hearing more, this is enough for you to know that it wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t your fault. That’s what matters most here.”
Josh blinked at him and nodded.
“I get it. I’d like to know a little bit more. I think I need to know why,” Josh responded, his voice cracking.
Riley nodded and turned to Garrett. “Tell us what you can.”
Garrett continued. “Well, the second officer on the scene’s name is redacted. It took some sleuthing and some help to find him. That officer is now a high-ranking official in the U.S. government. I’m sorry, but for your own safety, I’m not going to tell you who.”
“What the fuck?” Riley whispered.
“Josh, do you know what your parents did for work?” Garrett asked.
“They were scientists. They were doing some kind of research. They didn’t talk about it much according to my mom and dad or Riley’s parents.”
Garrett nodded. “It’s true. Your parents emigrated to the United States to work on a new weight-loss drug.
America pulled in some Chinese scientists to help develop the drug, but your parents discovered some dangerous side effects and tried to put a halt on human testing.
Your Māmā submitted a complaint and the car accident happened days after she submitted it. ”
“You’re saying some pharmaceutical company killed them to hide the side effects?” Riley asked. Another thought made his stomach drop. “Is Josh in danger?”
“There’s no reason to think Josh is in danger.
It’s been twenty-five years so they likely assume you don’t know anything.
And remember, even after we talk, you still know nothing,” Garrett asserted, reminding them this conversation never happened.
“To answer your first question, not exactly. It turns out the side effects made the drug useless for the pharmaceutical company, but it caught the eye of the military, which put your parents in the crosshairs. This is apparently part of something much bigger, but your Māmā and Bàba did everything they could to save people. Your parents were heroes, but it cost them their lives. I’m so sorry, Josh. ”
Josh broke out in a choked sob and buried his head in the crook of Riley’s neck. All Riley could do was hold him, reassuring him that he was there for him, tears streaming down his own face. He turned to Garrett to see his eyes were glassy as well.
This couldn’t have been easy to break to Josh, to someone so sweet and kind.
Riley figured part of Josh was relieved that he wasn’t responsible for the death of his parents, that he was likely proud of them for standing up to corruption.
Despite that, he couldn’t imagine hearing this kind of information.
It wouldn’t be easy for anyone to learn someone they loved died from such a complex web of what sounded like government conspiracy.
“Thanks for looking into this for us,” Riley said to Garrett, still holding Josh tightly against him.
“Of course,” he said solemnly. “If I ever get to the bottom of it, I’ll fill you in, but that’s a big if,” he said, taking one more look at Josh before he collected the papers on the coffee table and shuffled them into the file folder.
“I’ll get out of your hair, but let me know if there’s anything else you need. ”
He stood to leave, and Josh pulled away from Riley, jumping off the couch and pulling Garrett into a hug.
“Thank you,” he rasped. “I don’t know how to repay you.”
Garrett smiled at Riley over Josh’s shoulder and returned the hug, patting Josh on the back. His voice trembled when he spoke.
“Keep being you, Josh. The world needs more people like you. And keep Riley close. A friendship like yours is worth everything. I’d hate for you to find out what it feels like to lose it.”
Riley narrowed his eyes in confusion at Garrett’s cryptic words and the pain in his eyes. Had he lost his best friend? His curiosity was piqued, but this wasn’t the time to ask, so he refocused on Josh.
After Josh let go, Riley hugged Garrett goodbye, and he left without another word.
When they were alone again, Riley stepped in front of Josh and reached for his hands, holding them carefully in his. They were a little cold and clammy, still trembling, as Josh stared at them.
“Tell me what you need, whatever you need right now and it’s yours. If you want alone time, I’ll give you some space. If you want to spend the rest of the night crying on the couch, I’ll cry with you. If you want to raid the fridge for snacks and get wasted while we watch trash TV, we’ll do it.”
Josh raised his head, his eyes vacant and unfocused.
“Need…” Josh trailed off, as if he was trying to remember the meaning of the word. “Take me to see them. Māmā and Bàba. I need to see them.”
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It didn’t take long to get Josh from their living room to his Māmā and Bàba’s graves, despite him moving like a zombie.
Riley had never seen Josh so… out of it. It was like he was in a trance as he walked to the marked burial plots.
Despite the cold, winter day, Josh dropped to the ground and laid on his back between the Wus’ graves. Riley stood and watched, letting Josh lead him, not wanting to interfere with however he processed this life-altering information.
Riley’s heart broke for him. For their whole lives, Josh had kept his guilt a secret, ashamed at being at fault for his parents’ deaths. Guilt like that could make a person bitter and closed off from the world, but somehow Josh used it to make the world a better place.
He really was the strongest person.
The anger that surged through Riley as he thought about the accident made him want to do something.
It sounded like Garrett was going to continue investigating what happened, and they were sworn to secrecy, but no one said anything about Riley doing his own investigation.
It would be his own little secret for now.
After a moment, Josh reached his arm out and made a grabby motion, so Riley stepped forward to take his hand. He wasn’t sure if he wanted Riley’s help getting up or not, so he simply stood at Josh’s feet, careful not to step on his parents’ graves, without further direction.
“Come here,” Josh finally whispered, and Riley joined him on the cold ground, lying next to him so they were shoulder to shoulder.
Thank goodness Riley had made them bundle up in warm outerwear before they left the house, but he could still feel the cold of the ground seeping into his skin. He looked at Josh to see his chest rising and falling steadily, his eyes closed, his face turned to the cloudy sky.
Whatever he needed, Riley would be there.