by V S Vashist
Jake shook his head, "So, who are the other suspects?"
"On that day, I had met Dr. Kirk Chatfield while on my way to the Precinct," Uncle Phil said while looking around. To his relief Dr. Kirk was not there.
"What does he have against you?" Jake asked with surprise. It seemed everyone in the resort had something against him.
"He could not save one of the accident victims and blamed it on me in his report. According to him, if I had brought him to the hospital without any delay, the patient would have lived. A departmental enquiry was done and also he was brought to testify when the insurance company went against the claims filed by victim's wife. He gave the same statement there. I was removed from field work for six months. It was the same time my wife was diagnosed with cancer and in a moment of anger, I went to his house and had a major fight with him. His wife had to intervene. Maybe, it had to do with Barbara's illness, but I was not in a right frame of mind that time. On the day I was shot, I had met him outside the precinct. He was there to record a statement for another case. I asked him mockingly that which officer was going to be blamed this time. We were about to get into another fight when one of the juniors gave me a message that Andrew hadn't left any note and I could go alone for the patrol if I wanted to. I guess Dr. Kirk must have overheard that. Also, the next day, he came to meet me at the hospital and said that he did not have any anger left inside him any longer and since I was going through a tough time personally, he was going to forgive me."
"So, you think he shot you and that's why he had no anger left inside him?" Jake asked.
"Yes and also the fact that he didn't have an alibi for that day," Uncle Phil replied.
"You asked him?" Jake asked.
"No, I checked his roaster. He left the hospital the same time I left for my Patrol, but no one could confirm his whereabouts during that period. I couldn't ask him directly either."
"Did you notice anyone following you that day?" Jake asked.
"No, I didn't. Generally, I used to patrol the whole area first before coming to meet Roberto. So even if someone started an hour after me, he could have reached this place at the same time when I arrived."
Jake nodded and looked around. By now, everyone including Dr. Kirk was in the hall. The only people missing were Kiara's family and the bride's family. It was good for him and Uncle Phil in a way. They could discuss the case without any interference.
"Anyone else?" Jake asked.
"I don’t think so. No one else had any motive. Either it was Ryan Reed, who shot me instead of Roberto, but no shots were fired from his gun or it was Andrew who came there without telling me or Dr. Kirk who might have followed me that day."
Jake looked towards the entrance and saw Kiara, Marsha and Thomas walking towards them.
"Kiara is coming. Act natural," he said and started having breakfast.
"So, as the kid in red jacket opened the bag, he saw his mother's picture there instead of his sister's. Now, he had been told by the priest that he will find the picture of the person he loved the most. However, he didn't accept it and kept on insisting that it had to be his mother," Uncle Phil said loudly while making hand gestures.
Jake looked at him with exasperation, "Real subtle."
"You are late?" Jake asked while looking at his watch.
"Yeah," Kiara gave a terse reply.
"Is Samantha still upset?" Jake asked as Marsha and Thomas pulled the chairs.
Kiara nodded while taking a sip of coffee. "She is still in her room."
"What happened to her?" Uncle Phil asked.
"So, you were telling the story?" Jake said to avoid any further discussion. Kiara took the cue.
"You never told me the third story. I also want to hear," she said while leaning forward.
"This one is pretty interesting. It's about this kid who asks a priest how to know who he loves more - his sister or his mother. Priest tells him to look into his school bag the next morning. When he opens the bag he finds….," Jake said and paused for a moment. "I need to go."
"Go where?" Kiara asked with surprise as Jake got up. Marsha gave Thomas a look. He was equally dumbfounded.
"Uncle Phil…you may be a lousy storyteller but you have given me another case," Jake beamed and left at once.
"But, I didn’t..." Uncle Phil was equally surprised.
Kiara saw Jake looking for someone at the other end of the dining hall. He walked to Samantha's parents and told them something. Their expressions showed that even they didn't understand what he was saying. Janine pointed at her breakfast and towards the other people sitting on their table, but Jake was adamant. Kiara knew if they did not agree, he would drag them out. She thought of talking to him. Before she could have done anything, Samantha's parents got up and left with Jake.
Jake gave a smile to Kiara before disappearing in the hallway. Kiara shook her head. She feared Jake was going to create some ruckus.
"What was in your story that got him so excited?" Thomas asked Phil.
"I thought there were only two stories," Marsha added.
"Well," Uncle Phil said, "I had to tell some story, after all. I saw that kid on that table playing with his sister and that painting of the caretaker family on the wall. I just told him something that even I didn't understand. And, I never told him that the priest told the kid to look in his bag the other morning. I don't know what he heard and what he understood."
Marsha looked at Kiara.
"How would I know?" Kiara said and started eating. Thomas had already given up and was enjoying his toast.
Marsha gave a loud grunt and looked at Kiara again, "If he creates any disturbance in the marriage, I will blame you."
“Relax, Mom. I will speak to him," Kiara tried to re-assure Marsha, even though she herself was not sure what Jake was up to.
Chapter 6
Kiara took another twenty minutes to finish her breakfast but the whole time, she kept looking towards the dining hall entrance. As soon as she finished breakfast, she almost ran towards Samantha's room.
"Doing cardio?" a voice came as Kiara ran the flight of stairs. It took a moment before Kiara realized she just ran past Jake, who was climbing down.
Kiara closed her eyes for a moment and turned around. "What did you do?"
"What do you mean?" Jake said with a smile knowing beforehand what Kiara meant.
Kiara made a fist and as she was about to punch Jake, he covered his face, "Wait…"
Kiara stopped midair. "Tell me everything."
"Okay," Jake said and took a step back, "I have a message for you."
"What message?"
"Samantha needs you. All girls are getting their make-up and hair done. It's already half past nine and the ceremony is at two. Wedding party and family photos will start at twelve. I am going to check on the vendors," Jake said and closed his eyes.
He got a punch on his shoulder. "Believe me. I have only made your work easier. Go get ready."
With that, Jake left. Kiara took a deep breath and hoped that he had not complicated things with Samantha. The best way to know was to ask Samantha directly than to waste time overthinking it.
Kiara tried but Samantha was really busy. She had lost a lot of time in sulking and now when she had realized that the ceremony time was not too far off, she was running around. Finally Kiara had to give up. Even she had to get ready.
All arrangements for the wedding were done as planned. By 11:45, everyone had gathered for the photo session. To Kiara's surprise, Jake was in high demand. He was almost present in all of the bride's family photographs. Kiara knew he had done something, but it was opposite to what she had thought. Even Casey hugged him twice. Since everything was going better than what she had expected, she thought of confronting Jake post the wedding.
Guests started to arrive at around 1:30 with pre-ceremony music playing in the background.
By 2 P.M. everyone was inside. To Kiara's surprise, Jake had been upgraded to the first row and the smile on his face greeting t
he guests showed as if a wedding was happening in his own family.
The ceremony started at 2:10 and by quarter to three, Samantha had become Mrs. Casey Slater. Janine was crying throughout the ceremony. Even Marsha's eyes had welled up. She looked at Kiara twice and the look said that she was picturing Kiara in place of Samantha. Suddenly Kiara remembered her deal with her parents. She had to think of some plan in next hour or so; otherwise, she was doomed.
***
The ceremony was followed by cocktail hour. Kiara had planned to get ahold of Jake but he kept eluding her. He made sure that he was surrounded by people, denying Kiara any chance to shout at him. Kiara tried for some more time but when it became clear that it was not going to help, she spoke directly with Samantha's parents and what she heard made her eyes moist. The anger towards Jake got replaced with admiration. She wanted to speak to him more than before.
As the cocktail hour came to an end and everyone started to walk towards the dining hall, she got ahold of Jake.
"I need to hurry. Can we talk about this later?" Jake said in a hurry. "I really mean it this time. I have to leave."
"I just wanted to thank you," Kiara said in a soft voice. Jake looked at her face. He knew she was genuinely thanking him.
"Who ratted me out?" he asked while avoiding eye contact.
"I spoke to Janine," Kiara smiled.
Jake knew there was no point in running away from Kiara.
He took a deep breath, "Well, I had doubt about the letter found in Samantha's mother's wedding gown from the time I heard about it. If it was there since that long why didn't the grandmother talk about it earlier and even the content indicated that it was telling Samantha to move on with her life and, in a way, accept Janine as her mother. Uncle Phil's story gave me an idea. What if it was put in the dress just to help Janine?"
"And, what made you think that Samantha's grandmother had written it?" Kiara asked.
"Janine is a nice lady. She would never do that. She wants Samantha's acceptance but only through love and not by any unscrupulous means. I initially thought that Kent might have done it. But, when he swore on Samantha, then I was sure that it had to be the granny. Though, the chances of me being wrong had also increased. When we spoke to Samantha's grandmother, she told the truth and concurred with my interpretation. She even spoke with Samantha in private and told her that her mother was not what she actually thought. She didn't even want a child in first place and when she came to know that she may die, she even cursed Samantha for that. Janine, on the other hand, had given everything to this relationship." With that, Jake paused and looked into Kiara's eyes, "Samantha now understands Janine's sacrifices. I guess she has found her mother in the real sense now."
Kiara didn't know what to say. She stood there looking at Jake.
"However, I shouldn't have done it. It has put me in a really awkward position and that's why I need to hurry," he said while looking towards the hallway.
"What? Kiara said.
"Can I go now?" he pleaded.
Kiara did not understand. She just nodded. Jake almost rushed to the dining hall.
Chapter 7
"Where is Jake?" Kiara asked Uncle Phil while finishing the dinner.
"He was in a hurry. He did not even eat properly. After a few bites, he rushed to the bathroom," Uncle Phil said while waving his hands, "He said about preparing for something. I don't know…. Look, there he comes."
Jake walked to the table and gulped a glass of water in one sip.
"What's happening?" Kiara asked.
"That's happening," Jake said and pointed towards Uncle Joseph, who was standing near the bride and groom. Kiara couldn't understand.
"And, now a toast by the best man," Uncle Joseph announced while screening through the room.
"That pervert," Kiara said while rolling her eyes.
"No, it's me," Jake said and got up. "I have been upgraded."
"What?" Kiara's eyes widened.
"Yeah, that's why I shouldn't have helped in reconciling the mother and daughter. I hate marriages," Jake said and walked towards the newlyweds table.
"That's why he was in a hurry," Kiara murmured as Jake took out paper napkins from his Jacket pocket.
Everyone in the hall kept looking at him. Even Uncle Joseph could not believe what he was seeing. Samantha, on the other hand, got up and greeted Jake with a warm smile. Uncle Joseph handed over the mic reluctantly to Jake.
Jake cleared his throat and looked at what he had scribbled. He put the napkins back in his pocket while shaking his head.
"Well, this is as much a surprise to me as it is to all of you. I have known the bride and groom for almost two days now. Now, in my line of profession, it's enough time to understand the other person, but I didn't use those skills here as I thought it was not needed. But, then…what I mean to say is that I don't have anything to say about the newlyweds because my relationship with them is just a little bit older than their own marriage. So, instead of talking about them, I will talk about what I am feeling right now."
Kiara gulped the whole glass of wine. "We may need more of these tonight."
"I am so going to blame you for this," Marsha said sternly.
"You should blame Samantha," Kiara said at once.
"Keep quiet, you two. Just hold your horses for five more minutes," Thomas said while Uncle Phil looked at them.
"So, let's start with what I feel about marriages. I feel they are stupid and unnecessary," Jake said and looked around. Everyone was looking at him with open mouths. No one could believe what they had just heard.
"I mean, who we are fooling? I saw people with bad marriages giving marital advice; someone who has been married thrice telling how the vows are meant to last a lifetime. It's such a sham. For you, it's party time and for them, it is the biggest mistake of their life."
Samantha looked at Jake with disbelief. Casey had already buried his face under his palms. Jake looked at her and then towards the audience.
There was a long silence. Everyone was getting uncomfortable, but Jake did not even blink. He stood there motionless. Suddenly his face turned red.
"But," he said loudly, bringing everyone back to his speech, "Who am I to judge them? I could never possibly feel the exhilaration this day has brought to them. Samantha here told me that she and Casey met at college-a college that was not of her choice. She always rued the fact that, had she scored five marks higher, she could have made it to the Ivy League. But, today I wonder that, had that happened, she could have never experienced the love for her that engulfs Casey's heart - such a pure love that made him feel the pain that she had been feeling for the last few days. Owing to my profession, I have this habit of reading people's expressions. On meeting Casey for the first time, I thought he was having a personal crisis. You can even check with Kiara. I did ask her what was wrong with Casey,"
Everyone turned towards Kiara who gave back a sheepish smile.
"What I mean to say is that they are meant to be together. They are so much in love that one's pain becomes the other's pain and one's happiness engulfs other's heart with equal joy. You can see it for yourself. Samantha is crying and I don’t think Casey is that far away. I just hope they are tears of joy."
Samantha started smiling while tears rolled down her eyes. Casey got up and hugged Jake, who stepped back slightly. There was a round of applause. Kiara looked around. Everyone was smiling but the biggest surprise was that even Marsha's eyes had welled up. Kiara hoped that Jake would stop now and not ruin it by saying something stupid.
"I was always against marriages, but now my belief has been shaken a little," Jake said with a smile, looking at Samantha and Casey, "I was not even planning to come here at first and for most of yesterday I was sulking over it, but then I got to know some wonderful people here whom I will always remember whenever I will think about this wedding. Of course, at the top of this list are the handsome groom and the beautiful bride."
Everyone in the hall smiled. Kiara was s
till thinking what Jake was up to. He had never been so appreciative of relationships. Or maybe she was the one being paranoid. She shrugged the thought off her mind for the time being.
Jake looked around the hall. "The lovely Janine and Kent."
Janine and Kent raised their glasses. Jake acknowledged back.
"Marsha who has taken a special liking of me and of course, Thomas," Jake said and turned towards them.
Marsha felt a streak of anger passing her whole body. She controlled it and smiled somehow. Jake kept looking in their direction.
"And, last but not the least; Uncle Phil. We did not start on the right note initially, but now I can say that I have made a friend for lifetime," he said softly, making Uncle Phil's face glisten with pride. However, before Uncle Phil could have enjoyed the moment, Jake turned around.
"In fact, this location holds a special place in his heart," Jake said and paused. He scanned the whole room. Uncle Phil's face had already turned pale. "He was given the additional charge of this area when he first joined the force. He has some fond memories of it. He even told me how this place had nothing earlier, not even a road and now….well, to be frank, it is still barren for most of the part and any development….." Jake noticed something and stopped midway. "Well, I have stretched it longer than I was permitted to. So, let's raise a toast and pray for a long and beautiful journey for the newlyweds."
Everyone raised their glasses. Jake took a sip and almost ran towards his table. Everyone was clapping as he settled down at his seat.
"You gave me a heart attack there. I thought you were going to tell everything," Uncle Phil said in a low voice.
"I need to look into something. Don't let anyone leave the resort before I come back," Jake said and got up.