We Broke

t h i r t y - e i g h t

I know.

I should have called the police.  Or at least called someone.

But let me ask you this:  What would you do if your friend died, you find out your other friend killed her, and then you find out that she has this big packet full of secrecy.  

And not to mention that you find out that your parents were murdered.  

There's just one thing I really want to do right now:  Make snow angels in this huge pile of papers.  It's really nagging at me right now for some really strange reason.

I'm delirious.  All this stuff that has happened these few days, I guess it's really shaken me up.  Haven't really been taking care of myself.

I pull out my laptop, and start to type in the only name that's pounding over and over in my brain.

Liam Smith.

There's a bunch of different people named Liam Smith exactly, but there are a few recent articles about the one I'm looking for.

But one catches my eye.

LIAM SMITH, RELEASED FROM PRISON AFTER ONLY 2 YEARS OF IMPRISONMENT

That murderer was released?

No way.  He can't be.  He killed two people.  

I click on the website.  Big mistake.  

Liam Smith, 40, released from prison after convicted of man slaughter.  Smith asked for a retrial, pleading innocent after pleading guilty.

He was released after claiming that he was enforcing the right to self defense.

I slammed the laptop down.  No.  This guy does not have the right.  

The right to kill my parents?  

I raise a fist, pounding it onto the table, hitting it so hard my hand is pale at the bottom of my curled fist.  

I watch the blood rush back, seeing white-ish spots.  I close my eyes.  

I fall onto the ground, searching for anything.  Anything to distract me.  

I find a paper, with Liam Smith written on it.  It's with Char's writing too.  I flip it over frantically, and my eyes pop out of my skull.

It's the guy that gave this stupid packet to me in the first place.

The guy- The guy that was in the park.  

My hands shake with a fury I've never felt before.  

Charlotte knew him.  He knew that I was the son of the two people he killed.  Suddenly, every single paper feels dirty to me.  Knowing that he touched this, that he waited everyday to give this to me-

Unless...

Unless he gave this to me to prove that he didn't kill my parents.

At this point, my thoughts are scrambled like alphabet soup.  

I search on the floor, searching through thousands of loose leaf pages.  I toss some blank ones, forcing a small smirk when I see Charlotte's ineligible handwriting.

But then I see a handwriting that isn't Charlotte's at all.  It's a letter.  On the bottom, I spot a "Liam Smith."

Dear Peter Madden,

I'm sure you are angry at me, after realising that I've killed your parents.  

And I'm terribly sorry.  

I did indeed kill them, but it was truly out of self defense.  Please read on for further closure.

I was an arrogant man, full of stone cold feelings.  I focused on money and wealth, luxuries and riches.  

One day, there was a break in, two million dollars of diamonds stolen.  I was infuriated.  So angry that I ordered to kill whomever committed the very deed.  

Surveillance camera indicated that it was your own mother and father.  We saw their car depart from the driveway.  

At the moment, that was enough evidence for me.

  I'm sure they had some sort of financial problems, which might have caused the break in in the first place.

Now, my heart softened a little, when I saw that they had a child,  a son.  So I decided to simply take back what is mine.

I followed them into the city, and demanded the diamonds back.  They pulled a gun on me, and my guards took action.  

So I am sorry.  I am sorry I killed your parents.  But you must know it is not entirely my own fault.

After a year of imprisonment, I regained my senses.  I became the man I was before I had my riches to satisfy myself.  I became homeless, no man wanted to work for me, much less to hire me.

I was so guilty and I turned 180 degrees from my past self and became a better man.  I began to be thankful for the little things.  I was a changed man.  

Now Charlotte-

I'll tell you, we've only met a few times ever.  Maybe three times?

We found each other on the streets.  We slept in the same alleyway, snoring and we almost never acknowledged each other.  I asked her what she was even doing on the street.  She looked so lonely and cold.  So young.  

To be honest, I pitied her.  She looked dirty and even abandoned. 

Later on, I slipped her a note, telling her to call me, to tell me if there was anything she might need.  

When I found out she was indeed friends with you, I knew I must have the chance to explain my sorry self.  When I found out that she was compiling a pile of evidence after her death for you to find and look through, I couldn't help but include my letter.  When I found out that she knew that she was going to die, I knew then that this would be my responsibility.

I also want you to know that I made that newspaper.  That newspaper was entirely for my own selfish reasons.   

I know Charlotte found it.  I never told her.

I was such a psychopath that I wanted to make your parents resurrect from the dead.  The only comfort I could think of was pretending.  Pretending that they were alive.  Convincing myself that I did not kill them.

I know you will never forgive me.  I know it will take time.  I know I will perhaps never see you again.

I want you to know that I am terribly sorry.

-Liam Smith

So you're saying that my parents were thieves? 

No, I cannot believe you.  Never.  I will not.

AN:  Ha!  Recognize the man from chapter 2?