Con Artist Legacy

Chapter Three: The Investigative Duo

Chapter Three: The Investigative Duo

I felt horrible. My eyes were sore from crying and I was pretty sure I had bags down to my cheeks. I feared that I had pulled my hair so much during the night that I created a lion’s mane out of it. I wasn’t brave enough to look in a mirror though, so I would just have to assume that I also looked horrible. I had spent the majority of the night pacing around my room trying to make sense of life.

I wasn’t very successful.

I am not sure when I went asleep or how I ended up curled up in the secret room, but now I was awake and the “elephant in the room” was hard to ignore. I began stretching my body in all types of awkward positions, attempting to get the kinks out. Tip of the day? Don’t fall asleep in an uncomfortable chair. After all that moving around I somehow managed to end up in the same position and considered going back to sleep. 

I kept drifting in and out, but somewhere the old family clock started to chime. It was almost noon and I knew I would have to re-enter the real world soon.

Sigh.

I stood up, attempting to run my hands through my hair to tame the beast. Yesterday was crazy. In the aftermath of losing my grandfather, I now had to deal with two potential murderers, the idea that my father was more than a one night stand and that my best friend was a traitor.

Oh that Nate.

When we were kids we were inseparable. Our relationship had been so simple, I would make crazy suggestions that Nate would whole heartedly agree with. Nate lets go into this abandoned haunted house or Nate lets borrow this stranger’s car and go into the city. Why does growing up mess everything up?

I didn’t know what “proof” Nate thought he had but he grew up in this house too. He was an only child with a single working parent, which meant we had practically adopted him. I just couldn’t understand the doubt I had heard in his voice when he spoke with my Aunt or the look in his eyes when I confronted him shortly after….

I was sitting on the floor, my head hanging loosely back and my eyes staring into space. I was trying to let everything I had just heard seep into my brain slowly….maybe that way it wouldn’t explode. I felt like I had been sitting like that for hours but really it had been mere minutes. The sound of a motor snapped me back into reality.

I ran…almost flew. I had to speak with Nate. 

I burst through the doors in time to see Nate and Paul pulling out of the driveway. I ran after them, waving my hands over my head. They were still facing me but I wasn’t sure if they could see me. I felt like I was moving too fast, my heart beating too quickly.  I wasn’t in sync with my surroundings and I hadn’t been for a while. Time was a funny thing. It stood still during horrifying moments and moved too quickly when you needed to catch your breath.

It seemed like I had worried for nothing, the car stopped and Nate sauntered out of the driver’s seat. Did I mention how tired he looked? He seemed to have aged considerably after speaking with my Aunt. I suppose accusing people of murder did that to a man…especially people who put up with you for twenty odd years.

“Penny for your thoughts Miss Ollie,” Nate asked, a slow smile tugging at his lips.”Or is that big head of yours completely empty?” Oh the sass. Now that was the boy I grew up with…that was my Nate.

“I overheard.”

 I saw the smile leave his face, replaced with a blank expression that I couldn’t read.

“Man, Ollie I’m sorry. I was trying to keep it quiet as long as possible….you know after the funeral and stuff.” He didn’t even bother to ask how I heard. He knew me too well.