Pharell's POV
I arrived in New York at 11:00 pm from Phoenix. The doctor had refused to arrange another meeting with my mother. I had a feeling even if I went there, she wouldn't tell me anything more. Over the flight home detective Brian had told me that he had seen it best not to return to the room so as to offer us privacy. He had then proceeded to interrogate me, I had answered each question truthfully. I trusted Brian, he had helped me save Samantha. On that day he had put his career on the line and trusted me. Trust was a two way street after all.
Although my mother didn't tell me the reason she was in the hospital, I could hear the guilt and blame laced in her voice when she gave me her history with my father. She probably blamed herself for not telling my father the truth surrounding their meeting. Even though my father would have immediately lost his trust and maybe his love for her, he would still be alive. Those demons had driven her to the asylum. The doctor had told me she had checked herself in three and a half years ago. My mother screams out the name of her late husband at night. Yes, she blamed herself for losing the love of her life. We both knew that he didn't die of natural cause but Richard got away with it anyway. Her vague statements filled my mind with questions. What did she mean by she took care of her own? If it was me then why had I gone to prison and tortured myself emotionally all these years?
Detective Brian asked where to drop me off. He had promised to see me the following day so that we could figure out if there was a hidden meaning in my mother's words. He would go to the station to brief Chief Barrister, his boss of their progress. I had asked him not to disclose much. I didn't want the FBI knowing what the key is. If they did, the moment it was found they would take it and I wouldn't have anything yo trade my son's life with. Brian had nodded in understanding and left me in front of my apartment building. I turned the door knob to come face to face with what was once a home to me and my crazy best friend Li. I hadn't cone around to cleaning it or boxing Li's belongings. I switched on the lights and immediately my eyes fell on a framed photo of Li. She was dressed in her favorite outfit, grey sweatpants with a matching sweatshirt with her dirty blonde hair in a high pony tail. I had forced her to go to a photo shoot with me so we could have photos of us separately around the apartment. She had rebelled so hard but given in at the end. As a result her face in the picture looked like she was experiencing constipation while in real sense she was trying to smile. I laughed for the first time in what felt like years in remembering that day. I missed Li so much. I briefly thought of Samantha, I missed her too and her snores. I walked to my room my mind again wandering to my mother's words. I knew she had a hidden message in her words. Some sort of clue. She said it was with me.
I removed my box which had a few things from my old life. I went through each item feeling stupid because they were a few and I had gone through them several times before. Nothing stood out. It was about two o'clock when I decided to get some rest. I knew it would be hard, my son didn't have long, he was probably suffering right now. The poison eating his bones away... I hadn't even met him and I was already failing him. Richard was an animal. His jealousy and hatred for my father had ruined my life. I suddenly felt the urge to sing. At the corner of my room was my guitar which hadn't been touched for almost a week. If it weren't for Li it wouldn't have ever been touched. I reached out to take it and sat cross legged on the floor.
When the days are cold and the cards are fold and the scenes we see are all made of gold...
I sang Li's favorite song by Imagine dragons.
When you feel my heat look into my eyes its where my demons hide its where my demons hide...
I felt tears trickle down my face. All the frustration I felt went into the song and then it dawned to me, my mother's words...
Music is the key to all happiness.
My mom said my father trusted us, my mother and I. So if he didn't leave it with her and left it with me without my knowledge... My father had only given me one gift in my life, no not a gun or a car but my guitar. Without wanting to think any further afraid it was too stupid to be true, I stood up with the guitar and smashed it on the marble floor. It instantly broke leaving pieces on the floor. My eyes searched frantically for anything that could remotely be a key. And then I saw it. It was a piece of paper with some sort of chemical equation. My mother's words rang in my ear. The key to a chemical weapon that could destroy the whole population. If Richard got his hands on this, many lives could be lost. But my son's life was at risk at this moment. A son I had never met and would love to meet. Confused at what to do with the very thing that could save my son's life, I called the only person I trusted.
"Hello Brian? I've found it, the key." I said breathlessly, my mind forming a picture of my son healthy in my arms.
I walked out of my room my heart hopeful. I would save my son. Brian could provide the security I needed to see through to the wager with Richard. My door barged open and I felt my body stiffen as FBI agents swarmed my apartment with guns pointing in my direction. Detective Brian followed them at tow with his own gun.
"Hand it over Pharell." Brian demanded now standing in front of my face with one of his palm open. He had promised that my son's life came first, I thought he understood but of course, the country came first. I should have known. I fisted the paper in my fist refusing to hand it over. It was the only bargain I had for my son. I elbowed the FBI agent beside me and punched Detecive Brian on the face. The rest of the agents closed in on me and man handled me into giving up the paper. After a long struggle, they succeeded. I resorted to looking at Brian with pleading eyes. "What if it was your son?" I asked hoping to touch him somewhere in his heart. He looked at me with a blank expression his eyes glinting with some kind of emotion, or maybe I had imagined it under my desparation. He turned on his heels and left, the agents behind him. I fell to the ground breaking into tears at the signing of the death sentence of my son.
