Mystery Loves Company

Chapter 40 - File #5.11: The Fourth Man

Avery

Rhett might be the only person who thinks that meeting criminals, chasing, and running away from them are some kind of achievement. His adrenaline soared even at the mention of them, eyes alight with excitement, putting the thought of being in danger aside. He didn't care about himself. He only cared about fulfilling his fascination towards the world of crime fiction.

That's why I concluded that he actually didn't know a thing about 'criminals'.

Before he lost his notebook, he was a complete nobody—an average student who accomplished nothing but a total contempt from his professor, a boy who had never dated for his entire life, a friend whom everyone stayed away from because of his bad luck, and a son who was always overlooked and had been living under the shadows of his much superior siblings. Since he practically had no friends to play with, he started to enjoy his childhood by painting with his mother's equipment and read his father's crime-mystery books. It was always these two things that kept himself occupied.

He poured his thoughts on the notebook about how he wished he was born as a different person—without the bad luck curse—so that he could live a different and, possibly, a more exciting live. I didn't realize how deep all his writings were until now.

I didn't want to call him desperate, but that's what he really was. The poop incident literally was the worst day of his life. Not only because it got him a horrible nickname, but also made people looked at him as if he was a joke. It was his childhood all over again. He couldn't let it beat him, so he started taking the stories from those books seriously. He observed every single thing around him. He would hype even a smallest thing, like the windows and the bathroom. His friends began to pay attention to him as he investigated those ridiculous cases. His reputation slowly restored, as well as his confidence that he called himself a 'detective'.

He only wanted to prove that he was worthy of everyone's attention, that he actually could live up to the self-proclaimed nickname he made for himself. But still, no matter how eager he was, he should've at least thought about the consequences he'd get if he acted carelessly.

That's what made me angry. He didn't know what it feels like experiencing a real case, with real criminals and a real dead body in front of him.

When I was sitting behind the table with Rhett, the past memories flashed before my eyes. Seven-years-old me was hiding in a small cabinet with the same position. The air was humid and I could barely breathe. Outside, the same people were gathering and talking. It was just a matter of time before a gun went off—but this present time, it was Rhett's ringing phone that shot through my heart. I was almost fainted that time, knowing I couldn't just get away like I did eight years ago... and I could end up like Noel's father.

Maybe I was wrong to be furious with Rhett when he had no clue about my past, but in my defense, I was mad because he only cared about how 'exciting' that thing was and got the nerve to drag people along.

I was startled when people around me cheered and clapped. I was already in Bensworth Hall for the seminar, and for a quite long time my mind wandered around. Sitting next to me was Kyle who looked excited for the next guest.

"You okay?" asked Kyle. "You didn't seem to pay attention. Is the seminar boring?"

"No, no... I, uh... I was thinking about a school assignment," I lied. It was actually that boring, but I didn't want to make Kyle feel bad for inviting me. It was basically just the guests telling their stories one by one, in which I've heard most of theirs. I pretty much knew all about Franco Lacroix, and the story how he was torn between writing and painting.

The second guest was a basketball player who was still a Bensworth student, namely Samuel Drake. He recently just got drafted to an NBA team, but decided to play in the team's D-League until he graduated. He was also a resident in Dorm A... and one of the guys who trashed the 2nd floor's bathroom. I knew him as soon as I heard his name—Rhett mentioned him a lot in his notebook. He was a problematic student, but the school kept pushing him to the spotlight because he got Bensworth a recognition in the world of college sports. That's why Rhett's complain about the bathroom incident was dismissed even though he had evidence.