Quartz Wind(can you keep a secret?)

Chapter 2: Dealer

Throughout the night, Joseph went to the bathroom 10 times, and I know it because I could hear him from aliyah's room. I couldn't sleep because of how worried I was and how worried I got about any bank trouble. I stayed the whole day at the bank and then I went home. The week passed by really fast. I go to the nearest cafe to read and drink my favorite latte. I am just reading this book I got from the library, then I see a note inside of it. "Call 879-1234 if you need any help" I read the note confused.
Curious, I went to the last page and read what person had this book before I got it from the library. "Kathy Lynn" Such a coincidence! Kathy was reading a school-required book to read. That's not a healthy thing to do. I leave the note next to the book I was reading. Then I continue reading, 20 minutes after I get a call from Joseph. I picked up the phone "Hey jp, how are you?" I chimed smiling. "Joana, this is serious." he sounds worried. "What's going on?" I responded even more worried. "Looks like Kathy had a fling, he was a drug dealer." he sounds anxious. "Okay? What does that have to do with the investigation?" Since that day that I slept at the bank's house they've been investigating with a private detective.
Joseph has been trying to help ever since. He is always serious about something that he cares about. "Come to our spot" he sounded rushed, and did I say worried? "Kk, will be there in 10" I hang up, get my things and the note, walk to the door, and throw away my things with the note. I look at it again take it from the trash and walk out. Yes, I'll walk there, do you think this is New York? Everything is like 10 minutes away from every place in this town.

When I get to the "our spot" that we have had since we were kids, it's a little abandoned kids' playground that still has the swings working and the slide still sitting there. I love this place and I always come here with Joseph when we need a quiet place to think just me and him. "Hey, I'm here what's going on" I hug Joseph and pull away looking worried about him. "Looks like Joshua and Kathy were having arguments before they both disappeared, and it looks like it was about some guy Kathy was screwing." Kathy's a cheater?!?! Oh my god. I feel so sorry for Joshua. He talks about her like she is the only one in this town who likes him, and I think it's adorable how there are a million girls around him who want him, including me, and he still is loyal to Kathy. "But that means Kathy and Joshua can't just run away together if they were mad at each other," I said that because everyone is assuming they ran away since there were rumors Kathy was pregnant.
Too wild for something that Joshua would do, I never agreed on that. Joseph nods, "as it looks like in the messages it was a drug dealer." he says while staring at the trees next to the abandoned playground. "Wait where were the messages?" I look at him and he looks at me after a moment of zoning out. "In his Macbook he has no passcode." I nod. "I found this note. I don't know what it means but, it was in the book I was reading that coincidently Kathy had before me "I handed the note to Joseph.
Joseph takes out his phone and calls the number "God Joseph, what are you doing?!" someone with a weird voice picks up "Who's this." that dude sounds like he hasn't drunk water in a week, "Hello I found this in Kathy's stuff would you mind saying who you are?" joseph says respectfully, matter of fact too calm. Oh god, Joseph is so odd. "Yeah bud, I do mind who THIS?" he said in a sassy tone, he also has a strong accent, that dude sounds like he came straight from the Bronx. I try to get Joseph's attention to put the call on speaker. He looks at me and clicks the button on his phone. "I'm Joshua's brother, I'm not a cop, I just want to know where my brother is," Joseph says while looking at me for validation. I nod not supporting what he's saying. Is he insane? Does he think he's in some kind of mysterious show? This is real life, a real town, where he thinks he's going to get with this stupid investigation. But he's my best friend and I know how it feels when someone you love just disappears.
"Hmm, smart one huh," the man's voice says with a mocky tone. Me and joseph both stare at each other while we hear the man on the line breathing loudly, "Come to Amethyst Apartments, apartment 2 building 5, and I'm gonna answer your questions" The man hangs up, joseph starts walking and I go after him "Joseph listen i love you and i think you have a great reason to go after your brother but you can't risk your life like this" i beg, "Joaninha, i have to do this." he gets in his car. I get in the car after him. "I'm driving you home I'm not taking you to this place" Is he joking with me? He's really funny to think I'm letting him go by himself. "Joseph, I'm going to help you. Are we in this together?" I stare at him, he looks at me and sighs "Ok, but you have to listen to me, I'm responsible for you when we're out" I laugh "Okay! Dad" he looks at me smirks, and starts to drive. When we got there we both went to the door and Joseph knocked, putting me behind him.
A tall but not taller than Joseph opened the door and looked at Joseph and then down at me, not trying to sound like those pick-me chicks, but I'm short. And I mean real... "Wassup, come on get in I don't bite" he smirks and opens the door for us, we get in but I hold the door open in case anything happens. This house smells like straight-up weed... And how do I know? Well, I have an amazing brother with an amazing "girlfriend" I despise the smell of weed.

The man notices we're not coming in, so he sits down at a green fuzzy armchair. Looking at us, Joseph looks at him and shrugs quickly. "Oh yeah ur brother," says the tattooed man. "Look man, I'm not in here for any trouble or to turn you in if you are involved in the case, I just wanna know where he is" Joseph stays while he nervously plays with his hands. The man stares at us stands up and sighs "I fucked Kathy twice during their fights, but she told me they broke up" he gets a cup of whiskey and drinks it, how does this man have money to buy Macallan whiskey? My stepdad has a collection of alcoholic shit, that's how I know how expensive that whiskey is. "That's all you have to tell us?" Joseph questions the man while looking at him like he is hungry for more details, or even to know where that is led to.
"Well, no. I have some more to say, but I don't know if I should say" he looks at us, I know that bitch wants money. I pull out of my leather black jacket 20 bucks and throw it at him, not to be rude, being rude. The man smirks and coughs "I read on Kathy's phone that she had a surprise for him, I have no idea what she meant, but that's what I read" he says. "Thanks, that's all we needed," I say to the man, take Joseph's hand, and walk out of that crusty house. Joseph just follows me gets his phone out of his jacket and texts his dad the information he heard from that man.
"Enough with the detective shit Joseph, you could've gotten yourself in some real trouble, that man was not just a slacker in high school that was suspended," I tell him in a protective tone. "I know, I'm trying to help my parents" he whimpers and gets in the car, I get in the car right after him and he drives us home.
Later that night, he drove me home and I got ready for bed around 11 pm. Before going to bed I saw Joseph through my window. Then I realized he got into his brother's room because the light from the window was turned on. Is Joseph in his brother's room 3 weeks after what happened? He did not go into the room after the incident. Shit I gotta text him, I open my phone and text, Joseph

Joana: Joseph? What's going on?
Read
After Joseph left me on the scene for 10 minutes, I turned off my phone and went to sleep. After he left me on seen for 14 hours, I did not go after him because I had to help my older brother write an essay in English, and even though we've been here for years, Bernardo still needs help to sound "fancy". Joseph texted me back.

Joseph: joaninha, I'm sorry for not answering your text. I had to think for a little bit. Talk to you soon.

Joana: It's ok Joseph, just don't do that again. I was worried bye-bye

After a week or two, nothing new with the case. Only the drug dealer that we found. Rachel, Joseph's mom. Decided to involve the police, because whatever her son was doing she knew it wasn't anything that could put their family or himself in trouble. I kinda agree with her, Joshua is not the type of person that would do anything to harm anybody.

Joseph came over to my house and we started playing some games on my Xbox. Yes, I am an Xbox girlie. After some funny non-serious talks, I decided to catch up with how he's feeling with the whole Joshua situation. "How are you feeling about this whole Joshua case?" I pause the game and look at him while putting both of our controllers away. "I'm getting better, supposedly the police found a text in WhatsApp between him and Kathy about them two going to Hawaii, I think that was her "surprise"." he says, "that makes sense, Joseph I don't wanna be rude but I think he ran away with Kathy." Joseph nods agreeing with what I said and lays in my bed.
I don't think I agree with what I said. Joshua is the type of person who always cares about his family's feelings, everything he does he always thinks of his family. Plus, that man is always on social media. There's no way in this world that he would see everyone posting, worrying, going after him non-stop, and not saying anything like "Quartz Wind, I'm okay where I am" I mean he's the mayor's favorite, older kid. He was everywhere at school, he was like a celebrity.
"I don't know what happened to my brother, Joana," he says while looking at the ceiling. Then I look at him, "But I feel that he is ok" he says, I sigh and lay right next to him. He changed his mind. What happened for him to think that way? I can't ask him, it's probably some banks thing. I hug Joseph.