RAIN

Chapter twenty six

He opened the car door and stepped out. The happy shouts and cries of children playing nearby drifted in the generous breeze that wafted across the small coastal city. A little boy was speeding by, only to stop to stare at him. Jet shrugged his eyebrows at him and he stepped back to observe Jet with curiosity. Having enough of the strange man, he took off to rejoin his friends in their happy game.  

Jet pushed his hands into the front pockets of his grey slacks and walked down the narrow concrete walkway that led to a quiet bungalow that sat in the shadows of the tall buildings that provided the backdrop for this neighborhood. Trinkets and charms hung from the low terracotta roof. In the front of the house, a concrete banister ran from end to end, preventing any wandering strangers from getting in.

He leaned his head under the roof, trying to see behind the sheer curtains that hung in the glass windows.

"Hello."

The front door slid open almost immediately and a small pudgy woman, dressed in a sharp pants suit stepped out. She grinned as she saw him and rushed out to hug him.

"Jet!"

"Hey, aunt Sophie."

She threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly. The pain reminded him that he was injured and he struggled to pry her off, trying not to scream. She pulled herself off, a concerned look on her face and a hand over her mouth.

"Oh, dear! I'm so sorry. I forgot that you're hurt. Are you okay? Come inside," she ushered him into the house.

He stepped into the living room. The tv was playing and a standing fan was circulating the cool air blasting from the air conditioning around the room.

"Sit," she invited him. He didn't feel any sense of danger so he sat. "I'll make some tea. How are you feeling?"

"A lot better."

"Are you taking your medicine?"

"Yep, it makes me drowsy so driving here was very risky."

"My apologies. I just couldn't come myself," she said from in the kitchen.

"Maggie said you had something to discuss with me. Is it about what we discussed before?"

"You're still interested in that?"

"No. I kinda changed my mind about it."

"Good, good. Cause I was bluffing." She came around the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room, wiping her hand on a towel. Jet rose to his feet to meet her. "See, I don't know any hitmen Jet. I was just trying to get you to come see me."

"See you about what?"

"There are some things that I wanted to discuss with you but I didn't know how. Fortunately, you've already found out about most of it. But I'm not sure that you've pieced it together yet."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know about my husband right?"

"I've heard about it. What are you getting at?"

"He once had a friend. They met while we were vacationing down at the beach. Very nice guy. Let me see if I remember his name...Jaran Suriya but they called him Sunny because he was just a ray of sunshine. I'm not sure what Sunny told my husband. Not sure what my husband figured out but two weeks after Sunny went missing while pulling in lobster traps, my husband was found floating in the swimming pool dead. I tried to get the police to investigate but no one did and I know he didn't fall and hit his head as they said."

"What did this guy say to him?"

"That my father was out there trying to buy up the property to build a town."