Dance of Danger and Desire

CHAPTER 9

Martin’s is located at the side of a sea. Its background scenery expands all the way to bright blue waves of the ocean. The cold breeze and the smell of the sea will make you want to live there. It’s the other side of the city that seems to be so different and relaxful than the crazy shits of traffic and tall and high buildings in the heart of the city itself. Sea birds flock around the place. Boats and yachts park on the side of the bridge. I take a turn and pull the door handle. The chimney makes a rhythmic sound as I get in. People's murmurs and loud laughs make the place as busy and happy as always. Most of the time, family and friends gather here to celebrate good things and good happenings in life like birthdays, anniversaries, monthsaries. It's not really new for me to be in such a crowded and noisy place but a peaceful and quiet environment suits me the best. 

I saw Sam's brother sitting outside the restaurant where a big old arch is placed. It was covered in ivy and some sort of flowers I'm not familiar with. I can see the horizon behind the blue sea. He's sitting comfortably in his chair, scrolling through his phone, smiling and laughing like an in love man. His legs are crossed under the table. He looked really neat with his white shirt and pants. His shoes are shiny clean which is really weird for a guy who doesn't have any time to clean and shine his shoes. I walked toward him, excusing my way until I got to the table. I sit across from him. He looked really shocked by my appearance. His face doesn't look like he's in grief, instead he looks more natural and calm. He's surprised, but why? 

"I'm sorry I was late," I apologized.

He sits straight, "no, it's fine. Actually I got here minutes earlier. I should be the one to apologize for bothering you to come all the way here." He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, "I just want to ask about my sister's case. I only got the chance today to ask for an update. Ms. Crofts, is everything going well with my Sam's case?"

I hate to think about it but it's off to say he doesn't have time to ask for an update but he got the time to shine his shoes. "We have our leads but we still can't get to the conclusion. We are suspecting it's because of drugs." I leaned over the table, "do you, by chance, know that Sam was doing drugs?"

He took aback, "no. I wasn't told by someone close to her. In fact, she never told me anything since she left the house. We rarely talk and spend some time because mom is sick and I need to take care of her while she's at school. Things suddenly took a turn when she left the house to pursue college."

I nod in agreement. I have a feeling something's wrong here. He seems weird and really fascinating, it's like he's hiding something. But I ride along. "I didn't believe it at first but it came out true. Aren't you two close to each other? I mean she may say or bring up someone during a conversation that sounds really dangerous to you," I asked as I leaned closer to him. 

At this point, he'll think it's just a simple question that a concerned friend or relative could ask if someone is in danger or someone died, but he will never know I'm secretly interrogating him. 

He looked at the table, clearly thinking for an answer. He looked at me as he smirked but for once, he never looked directly in my eyes. "No- yes- I mean probably. We don't hang out or spend some time with each other before, but we do talk- not always though. She never told me anything about drugs and stuff," he said. 

I leaned back, comfortably sitting in the chair. It's a strategy. I need to keep him focused and at the same time distracted so that he can't sense  what I'm trying to do. "How's your mom? The last time I saw her she was so sick."

His expression relaxed. “She’s doing well now. Resting and recovering but something happened. She can’t remember everything that happened to Sam. She still thinks Sam is still alive,” his tone suddenly changed. It sounds more concerning now.