The Mundial Murders

Chapter 8

      Ernest was appalled to hear these words come out of her brother's mouth. Did he really say that to her? That their parents, the ones who had raised and loved them for so many years, did not have a rotten bone inside them, had set fire to a house full of innocent children? She wanted to talk, say something, question it, but she could not form words. Stuttering, jaw dropped, Ernest could just stare at Quest with a blank expression. 

       He quietly spoke, "I know it sounds crazy, but I'm pretty sure they were the ones who did it." 

      Ernest shook her head; she was going to ask for proof, but their parents walked in the living room. Popcorn in hand, Colette spoke to them, "Want some popcorn for the movie? Freshly popped and seasoned with chocolate and caramel! Your favorite." She handed them the popcorn and looked at them. Ernest stared at her, eyes widened. Quest grabbed some popcorn and with a smile, thanked her. She nodded, not questioning her daughter's expression as she thought it was due to the movie. "Eat it all up!" She kissed both of their cheeks and with Frazier, walked into the dining room to continue chatting. 

      Quest popped a handful of popcorn in his hands and handed some to his sister, "Here! They're delicious!"

      She was able to move again, talk, think. She grabbed the popcorn and placed one in her mouth. Even though she wanted to know more about this accusation, she could not resist the popcorn. It was warm still, chocolate melting on her tongue and the salty caramel mixing with everything for a delicious combination. Resisting the urge to eat all of them, she began to question Quest. "Why... why would mom and dad do that? How do you know?!"

       Quest shrugged, "Just a hunch, I guess."

       Ernest felt her tense body relax and now she felt a little angry, "What?! You don't have proof and you're accusing mom and dad of a serious crime!"

         "Look, it sounds bad. But they invited me here a day after the fire and told me to get here as soon as possible. I had to fly out suddenly and when I arrived, they started talking about me buying their company. Said they could expand profits on both our sides while I owned both. Mom and dad never do that!"

       Ernest nodded, eyeing the dining room. She could not see them sitting at the table as the walls and stairs obscured her sight, and she could not hear them talking. They were also in the same boat; they could not see or hear their children. So, it was safe to whisper about this, "It's very out of character to want to be bought out..." Ernest placed her hand on her face to make sure she didn't cry or bring any unwanted attention. She couldn't believe that it was possible they set fire to the manor, "But, what does that have to do with the manor? They don't own it or anything. They own therapy clinics, hospitals, and health insurance." 

       Quest grabbed her hands, "Listen to what I'm going to say. They have been rich for almost their whole lives. Suddenly, they want me to buy their company which means it's not going well. They lost a lot of money in a short amount of time. How else would they have lost money if it weren't for owning that manor?"

       Ernest shook her head, what Quest was saying wasn't making any sense, "Sure it makes sense. But, if the fire was an accident, the insurance will give them back their money. They don't have to worry about anything." She bit her lip and thought about it, Quest was blaming them for a crime that had no logic to it. 

       Quest sighed in desperation, "I guess we'll have to find evidence if they did it or not." He stood up and grabbed his small backpack where he carried his wallet, credit cards, and a pack of gum. He looked at Ernest who was now just looking at him in disgust. "I know our parents better than you. They don't tell you shit about business because you're not in it. To become rich, you have to be corrupt..." He looked away, "I've done stuff I'm not proud of for monetary gain."