Mystery Loves Company

Chapter 22 - File #4.2: The Desperate Harold

Rhett

My leg was a lot better now, thanks to Aunt Ella who had worked at Bridgewald Hospital as a nurse for quite a long time. I could've just gone to the campus clinic where the staffs there already got used to see me, but Chief Snell insisted on calling his wife instead.

"It's not sprained, so you're fine," she diagnosed after looking carefully at it. She skillfully cleaned the dirt on my leg and applied some antibiotic cream on the cuts. "I remember when you were a kid, you used to hurt yourself a lot."

"Still do," I hissed because it stung.

She rolled down my jeans. "Your uncle Dave didn't give you a hard time, did he?"

If there could be a person whom the Chief was afraid of, it would be his wife. She wasn't scary or anything, but 'evil' was usually lost to 'good', right?

"Well..." It was my only chance to tell on him. "He's so mean! I was doing the right thing, but he kept yelling at me. He should've thanked me instead of ignoring my existence—me, Rhett Carver, the very person who helped him solving two cases at once!"

She laughed. Oh, no, did she finally start to act like her husband? "He didn't ignore you, Rhett," she uttered. "He's grateful for everything you've done, but you know him, he never expresses his feeling the proper way."

"It's not just this case. He didn't want to admit my skills, he never will. It's not that hard to say 'Rhett, you're doing a good job'. It would be really, really nice to have someone appreciates what I've done."

Aunt Ella smiled, and then patted my back. "Has it ever crossed your mind that maybe he acted particularly like that because you reminded him of his younger self?"

I raised my eyebrows. I didn't hear it wrong, did I? "Say that again?"

"He used to be like you, Rhett. Probably more rebellious," she chuckled. "Your father was always the one who tried to get him out of trouble, but he was a stubborn young man. He never listened to anyone."

Really? I was smiling in disbelief. The Chief and my dad's friendship sounded much like me and Kyle's.

"His level of curiosity was limitless. It makes him what he is right now—working in a police department, where he can read and do anything to satisfy his curiosity," she continued. "So, let's think positive. He just doesn't want his best friend's son gets into a way worse trouble than he did back then... especially when you risked your life—and your friends'—like that."

I was really fascinated to hear the story. Even though he knew me from the day I was born, there was so much I didn't know about David Snell. Aunt Ella was right, sometimes when he banned me from doing something, it did feel like he was trying to protect me. But on the other side, he couldn't really get mad because he was like that once.

"Thank you for the pep talk, Aunt Ella. It kind of makes me see things from different perspective," I said. "But... Can you not tell my parents about this? I mean, you know my dad. Uncle Dave's yelling is nothing."

"You're ten minutes too late. I already called them," she grinned with a hint of regrets on her face.

"No. No, no, no. Nooo!" I stood up, but the pain on my leg struck and I had to sit back. "I'm dead!"

"Don't worry, I didn't tell them any of this, I won't. Well, unless your uncle thinks otherwise..." She trailed off, and then chuckled. "I called them to confirm if they really wanted to come here, so I could prepare everything."

"What? They're coming here?!" I was surprised—an unpleasant one. "What for? Why didn't I know about this?"

"Your birthday!" She replied excitedly. "You didn't forget about your own birthday, did you?"