[The Wattys 2021 Shortlisted Finalist]
One case, two detectives, three friends, and a thousand emotions.
Sometimes nothing is a coincidence, but then again, everything is.
After the mysterious deaths of Amyra Valdez's eldest Uncle followed by her...
It took two band-aids to cover the bruise on my forehead. Kelvin had finally gone for a visit to the hospital after my incessant persistence. He was really stubborn.
I lay in my bed almost the entire day, pondering over the questions that swirled in my head like a powerful whirlpool. It was a near-death experience yesterday; yet, I still couldn't get hold of a single piece of evidence. Well, at least I was confirmed that Uncle Nick had some contribution to the case. I would have concluded him to be the sole mastermind behind all the deaths and attacks, but the person in the hoodie added a whole new perspective to the case, in a sense directing that there was more than one person involved. On top of that, the gunshots added another completely new course to my supposed theories, making things even more complicated. I still didn't know who had fired the guns. Might be a hired hitman as well, I couldn't be sure.
Neither Uncle Nick nor the hooded man was there by the time I looked up for them. Either of them could have planned a secret attack on the other- that was one possible explanation. Then again, I couldn't ignore the chance of a third person behind the attack. Did Kelvin know the answers to my questions? Well, I was yet to find out why he was in the forest in the first place.
I wonder how many more known people were there last night.
I didn't realize when I fell asleep while analyzing all these in my head, but I woke up to a knock on the door. It was already past dusk. I unlocked the door to find Jonas standing with an apprehensive look. His eyes were on the band-aid on my forehead.
"Amy, what happened yesterday-?" he inquired anxiously, although I supposed he already knew a synopsis of the incident.
"Even Xav Bro has got himself injured, that too by a bullet!"
"Come in, I got lots to tell you," I replied.
I confided the whole story, from alpha to omega, in him. I was careful not to miss out on even the smallest of details.
"Holy shit! So much had to happen on the day I wasn't here..." he reacted finally after taking in the shockwave.
"Thank god at least Xav Bro was there on time."
I nodded. I couldn't imagine what would have happened if he wasn't there...
"Did you guys get back here on Xav Bro's car? I saw some traces of blood on it while coming and that's when I was sure something must have happened."
"Maybe, I don't know actually."
Well, it made sense. I didn't expect Kelvin to walk for forty miles with me on his shoulders anyway, that too with one wounded arm.
"How come none of you even called me..." Jonas murmured.
I had indeed completely forgotten about informing him.
"Did you meet Kelvin?" I asked, diverting the issue.
"Yea, he's reading a mystery novel or something. Even bullets can't force him to take rest," he chuckled.
"This man, I must say-"
"Oh wait," he interrupted. "Since when do you call him Kelvin?"
"Today morning, I guess."
"And he lets you?"
I nodded.
"Damn, interesting," he remarked with a kind of spark in his eyes.
What was going on in his mind this time?
"That means I can finally expect you two to not fight anymore," he giggled.
"That's never happening, you know," I chuckled.
"Disappointed but not surprised," he sighed.
"How's your mom, by the way?" I asked after a moment.
"Well, she's better now. Back at home. She fell sick all too suddenly, it seemed more of mental suffering than physical though," he responded in an uneasy tone.
He cared for his stepmom so much.
"I don't understand what's bothering her. She's acting weird," he continued, "calling out Amy's name all the time even though Amy is perfectly alright and right in front of her."
For a moment, I thought he was talking about me until I realized that his little sister's name was Amy too.
"Well, mothers naturally tend to be overly concerned about their kids, even when they are in front of their eyes," I assured him.
Perhaps my mom would be the only exception. Did she even remember that she has a daughter?
Jonas left to have a check on Kelvin and returned an hour later with some painkillers. I really needed them. My head was still aching badly.
Kelvin also arrived a few minutes later to take his clothes.
"May, June, or whatever the silly names you both call each other, Mrs. Arabella has left dinner on the table, so have it while it's still warm."
"Wait, I'm not May. I'm Amy," I corrected.
"Oh yes, that."
"But thinking about it, May isn't bad either, right?" Jonas asked with his usual ebullience.
"I'm June, so you can be May. Matches more."
"Right! I never thought about that," I said with the same ardour.
"You can be July, you know," I proposed, turning towards Kelvin.
"Yessss! May, June, and July," Jonas squealed.
With an effed up look on his face, Kelvin muttered, "What the-"
"Stop right there," I cut in. "Don't utter the next word."
"You guys have no shame, uttering inappropriate words in front of a girl," I ranted in a funny tone, more with the intention of creating a chucklesome atmosphere than actual complaining.
Jonas and Kelvin stared at each other in bewilderment.
"WTF," Jonas uttered out of nowhere.
"June!" I exclaimed.
"I mean...Where's The Fish?" he explained. "Listen to the whole of it first..."
"Oh, that..." I mumbled. "It's on the table."
"Yes, thank you. I'm hungry," he grinned before leaving the room.
Was he actually hungry?
Well, at least Kelvin laughed because of that. For some reason, I wanted him to, even if it was just for that day. Maybe he was abandoning his angry mood after all.
I wonder if it was a coincidence that Mrs. Arabella had cooked Salmon fish for dinner that night though...
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