Pov- Noah
It’s almost night when we reach the police station, the sky is purple pink with the moon fadingly visible. I check my phone to see I’ve received messages from coral. I already like her.. and I think she does too.
I slide my phone back in my pocket to avoid any distractions. I focus back on the situation, Jess is sitting on a bench beside me,listening to her dad talking to his friend who is a cop, he looks old with experience. A black man with an ancient face, understanding and open mided. We are sitting in his cabin, the walls are painted a dull cream colour but the desk looks new, a board infront of me shows old news, maybe its not changed since ages. I squinch my eyes to read what’s written- victims, pending cases- another newspaper shows a blunderous train accident-
“ had you told her? ”
Kobe’s voice shifts my attention back to the scene.
“ what are you talking about?” jess stands
By the wincing of kobe, I realise he regrets what he just said.
Mr. olive looks… nervous, in pity.jess notices that aswell, her voice shakes when she talks to her dad, “ what is it that I don’t know about, dad?”
Mr. olive doesn’t answer. His brown eyes shift to his friend’s, who in return says nothing but shrugs .
“ what’s going on?” jess speaks again.
Mr. kobe takes a deep breathe before saying, “ so you hadn’t told her “
What are they talking about?
Jessica’s eyes widen,her breathing become rapid, its her habit- when she’s scared. “ what are you hiding from me dad?”
Mr. olive looks over to kobe, “its nothing much”
Kobe closes his eyelids then looks at the shivering, confused jess. I stand and give her shoulder a hard squeeze.
“ we were talking about your mom- what happened to her body after the accident.”
We just listen in silence.
“ what is this about? ” her voice is shivering.
Her dad’s throat bobs as he looks away, “ its not that big of a deal but- “
“ its just a –little thing “ kobe repeats, correcting himself.
Jessica’s voice doesn’t sound like hers when she says again, looking into the deep brown eyes of her father… with betrayel, “ it doesn’t matter how small it was- you’re hiding something from me “ her hands shake when she speaks, I try to calm her but she pushes me aside.
When her father doesn’t answer, she takes a breathe, closes her eyes and speaks again with a strange calm , “ what is it,“
The sudden change of tone in her voice takes me aback..and when I look at her dad, he’s shattered, heartbroken. The wrinkles on his face are more visible now, the darkcircles shadow his bright face, he suddeny seems very thin and old.
“ jessi, dear- “ he speaks with consolation . “ I just hid- “
She moves to kobe before letting her dad finish, “ what happened to my mother after she died ?” she speaks again, with no emotion.
Kobe looks at mr.olive, at his broken face, asking for permission. He nods, slow at first, then looking at his friend..and then his daughter, he nods.
When kobe’s deep voice reveals what he has to say, we’re all taken aback, “it is true that miss amber died in a car but after the accident- the thing we never told you was that, the car had exploded”
“ exploded “ me and jess say at the same time, her voice louder than mine. Her throat bobs as she seems to gulp down her anxiety, “ you mean-“
“yes, her car skidded in the rain. But we never told you that amber’s body was never left-”
“her car was burned- and she met with the same fate “ he finishes.
Jessica keeps a hand to her mouth to keep herself from puking.
Nobody speaks, the words were too brutal to let anyone think.
Kobe keeps his warm hand over jess’s shoulder as he consoles her, “ I’m sorry dear “ he then looks over to her dad and walks away.
I just look to the ground, not knowing what to say- how can one console someone in this situation. Mr.olive looks at me, pleading to help him but I look away. Nothing can erase what’s actually happened.
“ I have a lot of questions “ jessica’s sudden voice shocks us, she takes her handkerchief to clean herself before looking at us, “ why didn’t I know about this? ”
He hesitates a little before speaking, “ it was, listen to me -”
“ so when I was at my mom’s funeral, it wasn’t her body in the case but rather her ashes. Am I right?’
He nods, slow.
“ why did you hid all that from me. why didn’t you think of telling your daughter this?”
He doesn’t answer but when Jessica repeats herself, louder this time, he says,” I didn’t want to, lets talk this at home,please “
I squeeze jessica’s hand but she doesn’t look neither replies. I leave the father and daughter alone.
YOU ARE READING
Tragedy of lies
Mystery / ThrillerJessica had been living normally until her friend, mia, commits suicide. Already overwhelmed by her past trauma, Jessica is disturbed. She doesn't accept it as to be a suicide and with her friend, noah, goes on a mission to find the murderer behind...
