The Past Never Sleeps

The Letter for Caroline

"Come here and look at this" he guided her to the adjacent porch pillar, extremely carefully. He was careful to stand next to her, in case she had an asthma attack. 'ท่านอาร์เธอร์ แฟร์แฟกซ์ ดยุคแห่งเรเวนส์วูด และบารอนแห่งริดจ์เวย์ ค.ศ. 1877'... The only thing she could understand here was '1877'.

"What does this mean?" she asked, her voice was low and whispery. "I don't know" he took a pause in between to look at the girl next to him "All I know is that it's Thai". She took in a sharp breath. Her previously paralysed brain was now racing, as if in a marathon. If it was to compete with Usain Bolt, her brain would have probably won.

There were some moments of silence, before he spoke up again. "Can I take a picture?" he glanced up at her clueless face, probably because he just dropped a bombshell on her. "To take as evidence." he assured her. She nodded, hesitantly. He took a photo of it on his cellphone. She knew Alex could read and speak French, English, Russian and German. He always had a knack for learning new languages.

Placing his cellphone in the back pocket, he rubbed his eyes vigorously. "We should head inside," he glanced at his wrist watch and continued, "we have that dinner plan." Right, she almost forgot about it. "You will have to wait for some time." she stated. He glanced at her attire from head to toe and nodded.

She practically leapt to her bedroom and started rummaging through her closet. A pink jumper. That's a no. A sleek black mid-length dress with lace sleeves. Would look good, should she try it? She glanced at the watch in her bedroom. Already 9:00... She was never late. She took the black dress and got changed and decided to tidy up her room later.

She came outside to see outside of her house next to his car. "Hey" she quietly whispered, making her way to him. "Hey, ready to go?" he inquired, opening the passenger seat door for her. She got in the car and waited for him to get in the driver's seat.
"Thanks for this dinner tonight. I really don't deserve a second chance at your friendship." her voice was barely above a whisper. "What happened to the always confident Sarah Harper?" he joked, trying to lighten the mood.

She looked at Alex, he was focusing on the road. Or well, trying to. She still remembered he has insomnia. He always tried to work, in order to get rid of the constant lethargy. The drowsiness was clear in his eyes.

As they drove through the quiet streets, the tension between them began to ease, replaced by a comfortable silence. The town of Elderwood, with its quaint houses and tree-lined avenues, seemed almost surreal after the day's unsettling events.

"You know," Alex began, his voice breaking the silence, "I've been thinking about that inscription. It's odd, but it feels like a piece of a larger puzzle."

Sarah glanced at him, noticing the dark circles under his eyes. "You look exhausted, Alex. Have you been sleeping at all?"

He gave a small, tired smile. "Insomnia, remember? I try to keep busy to push through the lethargy."

She nodded, appreciating his honesty. "Well, I'm glad you're here. I don't think I could handle all this alone."

They arrived at the restaurant, its warm lights and inviting atmosphere a stark contrast to the chilling events of the day. As they were seated, Sarah felt a sense of normalcy returning, even if just for a moment. She could come here some time, 'The Rustic Fork'.

They took a table for two near the window. Sarah was glancing out while Alex ordered their food. After the waitress left, he turned to her, his expression serious. She could see it in his eyes. He was hesitant, because he knew this was way too overwhelming for her.

"I wanted to talk to you about the letter," he paused, waiting for her response. His voice was effortlessly charming. Sarah would have just nodded, but the word 'letter' caught her attention. She slowly turned her head towards the brunet boy. She moved her head in a way, which could barely be called a nod. Alex could see it in her eyes that she was afraid of what he was about to say. She hated the way he could read her mind with ease.

"I contacted the head of the department for the case of Ms. Debby. They found a letter similar to yours." he emphasised on the word 'yours'. "What did it —," she was cut off by the waitress who bought their food. Her eyes never left Alex, neither did his.

He thanked the waitress and after she left, he continued, "It's ominous. It goes something like this:" he paused to take his cellphone out. She followed his eyes as they were searching intently for something.

His gaze softened as they found what they were looking for. He turned and slid his cellphone towards her. She picked it up carefully and noticed the hand-written words.

Caroline,

You are in their blood-thirsty eyes. Move silently and stay in the shadows. Trust is now a luxury you can't bear to afford.

Arrive at the BLUE MOON BAR at 10:17pm on the 8th of the seventh. You have already been guided on what to do after that.

Sincerely, A.O

Sarah's breath was hitched in her throat. Noticing her shock, Alex gently placed his hand on hers. Hesitantly, he asked, "Are you okay? Sarah, what happened?"

Sarah's face lost all its blood, she was probably looking like a vampire. THAT night at the bar. She had wondered how in this world did she manage to come home in the drunken state? The memories of the 8th started flooding back.

That creepy smiling face. All the scotches she had drunk to forget about it. The uncanny similarity of the face. Were all these connected? Was she really this deeply involved with the murder? She looked up at Alex. His expression told her he knew something was up, and it was exceedingly insidious.

***********************************************************************************************Sorry for not posting for so long. I was enjoying Durga Puja with my family. If any one of you here celebrate this puja, please message me. I would love to know about your experience. 

Question: What is the pettiest thing you have ever done?