KEYS

Chapter 17: The Truth

"Today may be a sad day for some of us, but we all know he is at a better place now." Said a blonde man wearing a black suit and standing in front of a large marble tombstone that read Here Lies Craig Sanders. Large groups of men and woman rose from the crowd of seated people all wearing black and went to stand next to the tombstone. Sobs were coming from the front and back of the crowd. Ross and Trevor who were also dressed in black suits and ties were sitting in the second row amongst the crowd of people quietly and looked at all the people who knew Mr Pibels.

"Craig Sanders, or as most of you known him, Mr Pibels, was a great man. He always made time to see his family and friends. He was a very generous man who only cared about the well-being of others."

"Oh please. Do you have a mint for that guy? I can smell all the shit he is blabbering from here where I am sitting like six rows away." Ross said to Trevor through the corner of his mouth.

"Would you all please rise and collect a rose from the table at front and throw it into the grave before we say our last goodbyes." The man said and pointed to a long table in front of the crowd.

Ross and Trevor got up along with the crowd and casually moved towards the table. Ross picked up a rose and headed towards the grave still staring at everyone around him. When he reached the grave and saw the coffin at the bottom he shook his head slowly.

"Do no worry, I will take good care of your studio. And thank you for the rest of my money ... Kid!" Ross whispered and walked back towards his seat.

After the ceremony a young looking woman approached Ross and Trevor as they headed towards the parking area. She was clearly in her late twenties and had quite a good looking figure. Ross also noticed that she was wearing quite expensive clothing and jewellery around her arms and neck. Ross stared at her for a few moments and thought to himself that this obviously used to be Mr Pibels' wife.

"Hallo there gentlemen. Thank you so much for coming to the funeral. I am Craig's wife Brook, or use to be his wife. I really appreciate it, and thank so much for calling the ambulance Mr Brown. Craig could not stop talking about how talented you are Mr Victor. He would have loved to be here to see you become even more successful in your career, but I am sure he already knew that you are one of the best." Brook said and grabbed on to Ross's hand.

"Thank you Mrs Sanders, I could not sleep at sleep at night if I did not pay my respects to such a wonderful man such as Craig. He will most definitely be missed by all of us at the studio." Ross lied and comforted Brook as she began to cry.

Ross and Trevor arrived at Debbie's apartment with empty cappuccino cups and some left over Chinese food. Ross threw his jacket over one of the dining room chairs and fell down on the couch. It has been a while since the last time he was able to take things easy for one afternoon. Trevor was busy explaining to Ross some techniques he learned over the years to leave no evidence of a crime when they heard the mail slot click. A purple letter with an owl symbol on the front appeared on the floor yet again.

"It is Madame Ulette!" Trevor said and rushed to the door. He opened the letter carefully and handed it over to Ross.

Dear Ross

I do hope that you are coping with your new prodigious celebrity life. Something tells me that you have been up to some mischief lately. Did you by any chance notice the woman wearing a purple blouse with a hat covering her face at the far back row at your manager's funeral today? I would just like to inform you that it was me. I had a hunch that something of this sort will happen again so I had to check up on you. I would like you to come and see me again if you do not mind. I had numerous visions which showed me that there is something more to the spirit that lives inside of you than you were told. Remember that if you decide to come and see me, do it at night time when no one is around. I hope to see you soon.