Eleven Graves

by Aman Gupta

  “You don’t have a picture with your parents, just your brother. You’re right about anger. I’m right about pain,” smiled Jay, as he turned around to leave.

  “Does it ever stop?” babbled Olivia.

  “Sorry, hasn’t been long enough,” said Jay.

  “6,” said Olivia as she smiled. Jay smiled too.

  ◆◆◆

  “What do you want to know about Anthony Arnold, Ms. Truman?” asked Eric.

  “Everything. Starting with if he was THE Anthony Arnold?” asked Natalie.

  “I thought you said you’re an investigative reporter,” said Eric.

  “And I think you are deflecting,” said Natalie.

  “Yes, he was THE Anthony Arnold,” said Eric.

  “Great. What was he doing here?” asked Natalie.

  “Early Retirement,” said Eric.

  “You got that right,” remarked Natalie.

  “What’s your interest in all this? He publically announced that he was stepping away after all that happened,” said Eric.

  “We say a lot of things. Doesn’t always mean that we take it to heart,” said Natalie.

  “I’m afraid, you’re starting to lose me,” said Eric.

  “What was his life like here? I mean what did he do here?” asked Natalie.

  “He lived a simple life. Spent his time doing stuff at Nucleus, while also assisting the police departments as a courtesy to Mayor Pete,” said Eric.

  “What’s Nucleus?” asked Natalie.

  “His lab,” answered Eric.

  “Where is it?” asked Natalie.

  “Ransacked by vandals. After his death,” said Eric.

  “Why?” asked Natalie.

  “That’s under investigation, and I’m not at liberty to say more about an active case,” said Eric.

  “Do you have any suspects?” asked Natalie.

  “One or two, yeah,” said Eric.

  “I would like to see them,” said Natalie.

  “Well, you’re out of luck. They have been transferred,” said Eric.

  “Where?” asked Natalie.

  “None of your business. Mayor’s orders. Ask him. He lives couple of towns over,” said Eric.

  “Maybe I will,” said Natalie. “In the meantime, I’ll be staying here. You know, making sure that your department is doing everything it can, to put the person who killed Public’s Friend No. 1, behind bars.”

  “If you say so. Hotel is a few blocks away. Hope those sandals are made for walking,” said Eric.

  Natalie smiled and left.

  Eric told Office Mortan to keep tabs on Natalie’s movements.

  Later, Emma and Joey returned after a long day.

  “Find him?” asked Eric.

  “Guy’s like a ghost. No one’s seen him,” said Joey.

  “It’s not making any sense for me,” remarked Emma.

  “What do you mean?” asked Eric.

  “Here’s what I think we know so far – Someone hired Jacob to deliver a package for Jenna. Only they changed their mind and maybe asked Jacob to give it to Vitaly. Then Jacob got the package back from Vitaly for some reason and somehow it ended up with Morgan, who was asked to give it to Kate. Then Kate, as Jenna, gave the package contents back to Morgan, who then delivered it to Anthony. A few minutes later, his apartment exploded and we found 2 bodies. Well, one body and the other shell of a man,” iterated Emma.

  “So?” asked Eric.

  “So, the person behind this must’ve known about Kate being Jenna,” said Emma.

  “She’s right,” said Eric. “Otherwise, there’s no way they would’ve known that Kate would’ve gone through with it.”

  “And why give the package to Kate when she’s just supposed to give it back?” asked Emma.

  “And where did the second body come from? Who planted it?” questioned Joey.

  “I think we are starting to ask the right questions, don’t you think?” said Emma.

  “There’s one other thing – why would someone ransack Nucleus within hours of Anthony’s death? Did they know about it?” said Eric.

  “There’s only one person who could tell us and he has that blood sucking lawyer with him,” said Joey.

  “Bruno Sera.”

  “Ok, we get Bruno Sera first thing tomorrow, meanwhile, let’s go inspect Nucleus one more time. I think we have missed something,” said Eric. “We need to get Vik out too. He’s taking too much heat in the prison.”

  Officer Adam walked in.

  “Sir, the Mayor is here,” said Adam.

  “At this time?” muttered Joey.

  “I think he’s got a case for us,” said Adam.

  Eric asked the mayor to accompany him to his office.

  “How can I help you, Mayor Pete?” asked Eric.

  “Get rid of these two,” said Pete, pointing to Emma and Joey. “We need to talk alone.”

  “Sir, these are our finest detectives. Anything you have to say, you can say in front of them,” said Eric.

  “Fine. As you know, I am unanimously appointed by the people to be mayor of New Frontier County which comprises of 5 lovely towns – Morrow, Atlantis, Old River, New Bay and West Gate. Now, if anything goes wrong in any of the towns, it becomes my responsibility to address the concerns of the mob,” said Pete.

  “Yes, I understand,” said Eric.

  “I don’t think you do,” said Pete.

  “Sir, I can assure you that we are doing everything we can to solve Anthony Arnold’s murder,” said Eric.

  “I don’t care about Anthony Arnold,” said Pete.

  Eric looked surprised, so did Emma and Joey.

  “He was a 75 year old man, who died. People have moved on, as have I. We have a new case, or should I say an old case,” said Pete.

  “What case?” asked Emma.

  “Aren’t you the curious one? Perhaps you should represent your town in this case,” said Pete.

  “Sir, what are you talking about?” asked Eric.

  “A girl went missing in New Bay. I want you to find her,” said Pete.

  “That’s 100 miles north of here. How are we supposed to do that?” asked Joey.

  “Well, if you need motivation, consider this as motivation – As of this very moment, this police department is now officially the police department of the entire county which I represent.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Eric.

  “We have lost 23 cops to this mess. Ran Away. Missing. Dead. No one knows. That’s the entire force of the entire 4 habitable towns. People have started to take matter in their own hands. If I don’t get that girl, it will be the final nail in my coffin.”

  “Why this girl?” Eric asked.

  “And people say to me, why not this girl!” said Pete.

  “You’re asking us to search for a girl that could be anywhere within a 100 mile radius of New Bay and Morrow,” said Eric.

  “Yes, and you’ll need more hands. So I have taken the liberty to bring Detective Kate here. She’ll be the point of contact between me and you,” said Pete, as Kate entered the room.

  “I would get started if I were you,” said Pete. “All case files and information have been dropped off in your main hall. Ciao.”

  Pete departed towards West Gate, where the Mayor’s Palace was located.

  “I can’t believe this. I mean, what are we supposed to do?” asked Joey.

  “I think the mayor made it absolutely clear. We have to search 30,000 square miles for a girl, and the only manpower we have is 7 of Morrow’s Finest,” said Eric. “The other 3 uniforms need to stay here.”

  “Out of which, 20,000 miles is practically forest, which means she could be anywhere,” said Joey.

  “We better get started,” said Kate, as they all made eye contact.

  The next day, Emma went to Stanton Road to pay Vik a visit.

  “Two visits in two days. What, the Morrow PD is missing me or something?” joked Vik.

  “How are you?” asked Emma, as she grabbed
Vik’s right hand.

  “Can’t say I haven’t seen worse days,” said Vik.

  “We miss you. I miss you,” said Emma.

  “Well, you know where to find me,” said Vik.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help,” said Emma.

  “You got hold of my research, you have already done enough,” said Vik.

  “I worry about you,” said Emma

  “Don’t. I may not deserve it,” said Vik.

  “That’s not your decision to make,” said Emma.

  “But I’m making it all the same,” said Vik.

  “I’ll not rest till I get you out,” said Emma.

  “That’s what she said,” joked Vik. Emma laughed out loud. Vik smiled back.

  “Why didn’t you tell anyone about where you were at the time of Anthony’s murder?” asked Emma.

  “There was nothing to say,” said Vik.

  “Well, there’s no better alibi than being with a cop,” said Emma.

  “You’re more to me than an alibi,” said Vik.

  “And yet I feel whenever I get close to you, you push me away,” said Emma.

  “It doesn’t end well for people who get close to me,” said Vik.

  “Like your wife and daughter? That wasn’t your fault. Jenna did that. Kate did that,” said Emma.

  “Not just them,” said Vik.

  “Who then? You can talk to me,” said Emma.

  Vik took a deep breath.

  “What?” asked Emma.

  “When I was in college before I met Sarah, I met this girl. She had the sweetest smile that could light up your world, you know. I, she and couple of others, we had this group. We would hang out and stuff. Our bond was stronger than a mountain. I felt like she trusted me more than her sister and mother. Her father wasn’t around for a long time. So here I was, an overprotective friend, questioning her life choices. We got in this fight, and she drove away with this guy. Next thing I know is she’s missing, the guy’s dead and the family is broken. She trusted me to look out for her and I failed. Her mom trusted me to look out for her and I failed. Later I learned that the guy only got close to her so that he could use her to get back at me,” lamented Vik.

  “Did they ever find her?” asked Emma.

  “They didn’t bother. The guy was more important,” said Vik.

  “What happened to her family?” asked Emma.

  “They struggled for a while. I watched over from afar, I wanted to make contact but couldn’t muster the courage,” said Vik.

  “I lost my sister, Harriet, too, so I know how hard it is to get over something like that,” said Emma. “But time helps, until it doesn’t.”

  “I don’t want anything to happen to you,” said Vik.

  “Nothing’s going to happen to me. I’ll make sure nothing happens to you,” said Emma.

  “If something does happen, don’t spend your time gazing at all my stuff in the lab’s closet,” said Vik.

  “I won’t,” smiled Emma.

  Vik wiped a tear in his eyes.

  “What’s new in Morrow?” asked Vik.

  “The Mayor showed up,” said Emma.

  “Oh yeah? What did he want?” asked Vik.

  “Said a girl has went missing. We need to look for her in the entire New Frontier County. Only us. There aren’t any cops left,” said Emma.

  “That’s strange. What are you going to do?” asked Vik.

  “Well, we have to start somewhere. Hopefully we can make a breakthrough,” said Emma.

  “I always think that origin is the best place to start,” said Vik.

  “You know, I think you’re right,” said Emma.

  “But maybe, you shouldn’t be alone in this,” said Vik.

  “Me too,” said Emma.

  “Maybe if you make no progress for a few days, the mayor might think about officially closing Anthony’s case and let me out,” said Vik.

  “Then I’ll make sure we make him do that,” said Emma as she smiled.

  Emma left after promising to visit soon.

  Vik walked over to the inmate, who was meeting the same visitor as yesterday.

  “Hi,” said the inmate.

  “Who are you?” asked the visitor.

  “A friend,” said the inmate.

  “Which friend, Brandon? You know you aren’t supposed to make new friends. Your sister is working hard to get you out. Please don’t screw this up,” said the visitor.

  “I don’t believe you,” said the inmate.

  “If only, the sister could come here and tell that to his face,” said Vik.

  “You know, that sounds like a perfect plan,” said the inmate.

  “I’ll pass the message,” said the angry visitor, as he got up and walked away.

  “Tell her that I need her to visit me tomorrow,” said the inmate.

  “Thank you,” said the inmate to Vik.

  “You’re welcome, Brandon. Just like I promised you yesterday. I help you, you help me,” said Vik.

  “Yeah,” said Brandon.

  “By the way, what’s your sister’s name?” asked Vik.

  “Olivia,” said Brandon.

  “Olivia. See that’s a beautiful name right there,” said Vik.

  “Tell you what. You introduce me to the redhead who just visited you, and I introduce you to Olivia,” said Brandon.

  “See, we are already helping each other,” smirked Vik. “I think me and Olivia are really going to hit it off.”

  Vik patted on Brandon’s shoulder and walked away.

  ◆◆◆

  Emma reported Vik’s idea of starting at the spot where the girl was last seen. Eric, Joey and Kate left for New Bay. Joey and Eric traveled together while Kate was asked to drive alone.

  Emma stayed behind to go through the files. She wasn’t exactly hoping for a fast breakthrough as she hoped that they would be able to get Vik out if they didn’t make much progress. Eric and Joey conveyed the same thought while Kate was kept out of the loop.

  Eric also learnt that Bruno Sera had left town.

  The next day, Vik met with Brandon and asked him to get Olivia’s bodyguard to sign in to the visitor’s log against Vik’s name so that Vik could be in the room as well when Brandon meets with Olivia.

  “My friend can’t make it here today. So I could meet with Olivia today, and you could meet my friend next week,” said Vik.

  “Yeah, sure. No problem, buddy,” said Brandon.

  “But I have to warn you. Olivia is pretty cold when it comes to meeting new people. But no matter how today goes, you get me a meeting with that redhead. I love redheads man,” said Brandon.

  “I know you do. Don’t worry, we are friends now,” said Vik.

  “Yeah, you help me, I help you,” said Brandon.

  “See, that’s why I like smart people, like you,” said Vik.

  “Thanks, man. My family just couldn’t see it. And I have been rotting here for almost 6 years now,” said Brandon.

  “Hope your sister gets you out, then,” said Vik. “Fingers crossed.”

  “Hell yeah,” said Brandon as he crossed his fingers.

  “But if she doesn’t get her bodyguard?” asked Brandon.

  “I have a feeling that she might not have a choice,” said Vik.

  “Hope so,” said Brandon.

  Olivia showed up with her bodyguard.

  “Hi, Brandon,” said Olivia.

  “Hi, Olivia,” said Brandon.

  “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?” asked Olivia.

  “Yeah. You used to visit me all the time. Then you stopped,” said Brandon.

  “I know. I’m sorry,” said Olivia.

  “It’s alright. Listen, I want you to meet a friend of mine,” said Brandon.

  “What are you talking about? Who?” asked Olivia.

  “Well, get your bodyguard to sign in the name called Vik,” said Brandon.

  “I can’t do that, Brandon,” said Olivia.

  “You don’t understand.
See, I promised him. I don’t think I should be breaking promises I made to people in here, do you?” said Brandon.

  Olivia thought about it for a minute, and then walked towards the door to give a piece of pink tissue paper to a guard on which she had just written something.

  “Hi, could you please throw it out? I don’t know where else to put it,” said Olivia.

  The guard grabbed it by his fingers and threw it out.

  “What’s that about?” asked Brandon.

  “Relax. I just hope there’s someone named Vik on the inmate log,” said Olivia.

  “I don’t want your bodyguard to be here when you meet my friend,” said Brandon.

  “Relax, he won’t be here. He just needs to get the name to the Warden, who’s a friend,” said Olivia.

  “You always did like to work for powerful people,” said Brandon.

  Olivia looked at him while Brandon looked away.

  Few minutes later, the prison guard allowed Vik to enter the visitor room.

  “So where’s this friend of yours?” asked Olivia.

  “There he is,” said Brandon.

  “Where?” asked Olivia.

  “I’ll leave you two alone. Nice meeting you, Olivia,” said Brandon and got up, while Vik came from behind Olivia and sat on Brandon’s vacated chair.

  “Hi, Olivia,” said Vik.

  “Jay,” uttered Olivia.

  “I see you haven’t changed your perfume,” said Vik.

  “How are you here?” said Olivia.

  “I always wanted to meet Brandon. So I thought why not here,” said Vik.

  “I can’t believe you’re alive. I looked everywhere for you,” said Olivia.

  “You always were a bad liar,” said Vik. “It’s your eyes. They give away the truth.”

  “No, I’m not lying. I searched for you everywhere. But no one I knew saw you after..” said Olivia.

  “After what?” asked Vik.

  “After your wife and daughter died,” said Olivia.

  “Betrayed, you mean,” said Vik.

  “I didn’t betray them,” said Olivia.

  “Didn’t you?” said Vik.

  “No, I did the right thing,” said Olivia.

  “No, you didn’t. Tell me Olivia, were you always a bitch or just envious of Sarah?” asked Vik.

  “How could you say that? After everything we have gone through? Together!” said Olivia.