Mystery Loves Company

Chapter 42 - File #5.13: The Missing Founder

Avery

Honey, if you can, please go trick-or-treating with Alex. I'm still busy at work. I'll buy some dinner. See you at home xx

This was all started by that message. I had to watch over four kids to go to the houses for candies. The last time I did this kind of thing was when I was seven, and I didn't even shout "Trick or treat!" along with my friends. I just tagged along, got the candies, ate barely half of them, and threw them out the next day. I never really liked sweet things, so I didn't get the point of Halloween unless it was to waste some money on candies and costumes only to make yourself looked like a fool.

But that's what I missed from Havenbrook, a warm town that was slightly bigger than Bridgewald. It had been eight years since we left. After that incident, everything was not the same anymore even if we stayed.

Alex made a good use of the black suit he wore for the play and went as James Bond with a toy gun he borrowed from his friend. I told him to just go without the gun, because ever since I had that nightmare back, I couldn't even catch a glimpse of a gun. The other boys were dressed as Iron Man, Superman, and Batman—and for the first time ever, I wasn't quite happy that my brother was not up with all the superheroes things. At least superheroes don't use guns.

Another message that bothered me but necessary to keep me busy was from Danna. She kept nagging that Jake couldn't go on a date because his mother was sick, her father was out of town, and her mother was having an exclusive Halloween party which was only attended by her circle of friends. She was basically stuck at home on Saturday night, and asked me if she could go to my house because she had seen enough of women in their 40s dressing up as if they were still teenagers. I said that I was not home, which I assumed Danna had already foreseen the answer.

After circling around the neighborhood, we got back with a bucket of candies. Mom's car wasn't here yet. It was almost 8 that she was finally home with two boxes of pizza.

"You seem very busy," I said as I stared at the pizza. She could get other food but instead she bought pizza, for two days in a row.

"Please just eat. I'm exhausted," she sighed.

And the 'dinner' started in silence. Alex had eaten three slices and he was still going for the fourth. I already gave up on my second, not because I was full, but because I was curious of something else.

"Mom, do you know anything about Matthew Landon?" I tried to make a conversation, and I knew I started off with the wrong topic, but I just couldn't help it.

"Why are you always asking weird questions?" She asked back.

"What's weird about that? I went to his seminar yesterday."

"Then you must've known anything about him."

Well, yes and no. "I heard from Danna that you were in the meeting about Peter Jennings' campaign. And since he's funding the campaign... maybe you've ever met him in person?"

"Yes, I was informed about that yesterday, but he didn't show up. I haven't exactly met him though, but I know him. Everyone knows him. He owns one of the biggest construction companies in the country."

I was shaking a bit thinking that not only the members, but also the presumed leader of The Exclusives, were starting to re-enter my life.

"Didn't he share the ownership? With, you know, a person named Garner," I carefully asked. "And I heard he passed away, so Landon took over the company."

"You already know everything, why did you even ask?"

"I'm just making sure..." I paused. "Landon funding the campaign means he knows Michael Norris too, right?"