Chapter 2
Charles
The tension in the room grew heavier as Linda sat across from me, her eyes boring into mine. There was an unmistakable glint of hate in them, something she did nothing to conceal.
Her long brunette hair framed her face perfectly, the thick strands draping over her shoulders.
She was wearing a brown shirt that seemed to highlight her eyes, making them look like earth upturned.
Her rage added an extra flare to her appearance, causing her to appear almost ethereal.
She was angry, enraged even, rightly so. I couldn’t tell whether she meant any of the things she was saying or she was just upset. Regardless, it didn’t matter.
I said nothing to defend myself against her outrage, mostly because there was nothing to say. Aaron had given me specific instructions, and following them had resulted in my not being able to offer the help she had requested.
It hurt that I was unable to pay my last respects properly to my old friend. I had watched from a distance, shielded by trees as I watched the small gathering of people who had shown up for him.
Linda’s eulogy had been beautiful, and I could imagine Aaron smiling as he made jokes about how touching her words had been.
She had talked about him, not just as a father but as a close friend, highlighting fond memories of their escapades, with her friends holding her hand reassuringly at intervals.
I had sniffed occasionally to keep the tears from spilling down my face, and in those moments, I was grateful for the privacy I had.
Watching her grieve for him was difficult, but the worst part of it all was listening to the numerous messages she had left me, hearing the raw pain in her voice as I struggled to keep my promise to her father. She wanted to know the truth, begged for bits of it even.
But that was not a conversation I was at liberty to have with her. I couldn’t risk explaining anything to her as that would open a can of worms I’d rather had remained shut.
There were secrets I swore to take to my grave, secrets that involved Aaron. I couldn’t risk explaining anything, as that could distort the image of perfection she had of her father in any way, nor could I let her discover the secrets her father wanted me to bury.
Instead, I waited for her anger to break, knowing she would either push or storm out, but unexpectedly, she simply stared at me, as if trying to draw the answers she sought.
That would make sense, as she was a therapist. But the years have hardened my expression in a way that makes it impossible for my face to betray emotions.
I had-on Aaron’s command-meddled with the investigations, making sure the case remained unsolved as the authorities could not deliver the kind of retribution I sought. Aaron’s killers deserved the kind of punishment the law couldn’t give. Death or jail time just wouldn’t do .
Also, that was the only way to keep her safe as she had begun asking questions that would’ve ultimately led her down a rabbit hole.
Right now, my priorities were keeping her out of harm's way and making sure she didn’t draw any unnecessary attention to herself for the time being.
So far, apart from work and a few hangouts with friends, she has kept to herself, mostly.
“Why?” She asked simply, her voice invading my thoughts, laden with emotions so strong they made my heart ache with pain. She’s Aaron’s girl; it hurts me to see her like this.
“Why now?” She continued, “Why not then? Why didn’t you have the guts to say no to my face at least?”
Her gaze held mine, a silent plea in the depths of her hazel eyes. Her obsession with the truth was bordering on madness at this point, and I feared she’d become unpredictable.
She was right; the least I could’ve done was say something. But I couldn’t, and I could not let her understand the complexities that surrounded her father kidnapping and eventual death. I didn’t want to ruin the image she had of her father, especially not in Charlton’s presence.
I could live with her never forgiving me, as long as she was safe. I wouldn’t mind. I felt her gaze on me, waiting expectantly for a response. Instead, a heavy and uncomfortable silence settled between us, interrupted only by the faint hum of the air conditioner in a corner.
Slowly, I clenched my fists beneath the table; my words caught in my throat, my guilt gnawing at any answer I tried to cough out.
I had so much I wanted to say, but the words felt stuck in my throat.
Her face crumpled even further, and I braced myself for another backlash.
“I thought you cared..” her voice strained as she spoke, “my father considered you a friend and I thought I could too.”
I felt a tightness in my chest, a strong urge to tell her it was a lot more complicated than she could ever imagine. But I didn’t.
A low scoff came from her parted lips. “Did you do it for the money? Or because you thought his death or absence would help you secure his share of the business?”
My eyes shot up as I held her gaze, the weight of her accusation pressing against my silence. Did she think so lowly of me? Or was she blinded by rage? “You think I would waste so much energy on such tangible things?”
Of all the words she had thrown at me since I walked in here—a very understandable reaction in my opinion—this left the deepest cut.
I hated that she would harbor such low thoughts and wanted so badly to correct that notion, and it hurt so much to know that I couldn’t.
“Finally, a reaction!” She said almost triumphantly. Under different circumstances, I would’ve found her childish reaction funny.
I bit back my speech. I had promised Aaron, and that thrummed my need to defend my honor. It was a sacrifice I was willing to make.
I swallowed past the bile that had formed in my throat and with practiced ease, I forced myself to stay calm. All of this would be over soon, and we would get back to living our lives.
“We can’t keep the good lawyer waiting.”
My remark seemed to annoy her a lot more. It almost physically hurt to witness her pain from a closer distance. To see the way her lips trembled and the way she slowly crumbled beneath the weight of emotions into something that looked nothing like the strong-willed, bright-eyed girl I used to know.
A wave of guilt hit me, and I blinked it away just as quickly as it had surfaced. I could live with her hating me and thinking of me as a monster as long as it meant she was safe.
With the perpetrators still roaming free, I couldn’t risk saying anything that would push her any closer to the truth.
I could see the disappointment in her eyes as she looked at me, her shoulders sagging as she seemed to concede.
Her mask of indifference slowly slid over the raw emotions that bled from her. As if she had just realized I had nothing to say, no palpable explanation to give, she sighed, “Let’s just get this over with.”
Her voice trembled lightly as she spoke, betraying the quiet confidence she was desperately trying to maintain.
A wave of relief washed over me as the focus shifted from me. My guilt lingered, corroding my thoughts.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Mr Charlton smile, a wrinkly old smile that caused his eyes to crinkle at the corners. “Good,” he said, his voice a gravelly whisper. Let’s get this started right away.”
I studied Charlton, watching him shift somewhat uncomfortably under the scrutiny of my gaze. All of these small gestures were the explanation of why I was here today.
Being one of the few people who understood the circumstances that surrounded Aaron’s death, I caught the suspicion of Charlton’s insistence to meet with Linda. Granted, he still owed my late friend a couple of duties, but it was his methods I questioned.
I knew without a doubt that Aaron had placed majors for the smooth running of things in the event that anything happened to him and Linda needed some time to settle into her new reality.
He had always been like that. Ten steps ahead and making preparations for every possible outcome. I was one of his safety nets.
Promise you’ll stay away, Charles. One of us has to survive to watch over her. I can’t bear to see a world where she roams on her own.
His words might’ve been heavy, but the implications were heavier. I struggled to come to terms with them, even put forth a couple of arguments but his mind seemed to be made up.
I reluctantly accepted. Maybe I didn’t understand it, maybe I’d never understand it as I had no family or kids to put ahead of me but I do know without doubt that watching, relying on trained aides and not being able to physically intervene was one of the most difficult things I’d ever done.
And watching Linda fall apart was the single most undoing moment of my life. My fingers itched behind the steering wheel as I battled the urge to gather her into my arms when she sank to her knees in the graveyard after the crowd had dissipated.
There’s nothing I wanted more than to assure her safety, but I knew I would only endanger her. The threats lingered a little too close, and the stakes were higher, especially as I was yet to localize the source.
The past couple of weeks have, however, shed more light on my path, and I didn’t care how Aaron would feel about my quest. My promise was to stay away while the heat was high; there was nothing about what I would spend that time doing or how I would handle the smoke that settled after.
Linda’s pain was the trigger I needed to launch myself completely into his death without reservations.
Ordinarily, I’d wait till the dust had settled, then I’d hit the perpetrators like the strong arm of justice, but something told me this was merely just the beginning, and Charlton’s shifty gaze and discomfort only confirmed that suspicion.
He didn’t know I was going to be here. When the app I’d planted on Linda’s email alerted me of his message and the near forceful urgency behind the words, I knew I had to see the end of it.