by Aman Gupta
“Why not? I can handle myself, and actually in case you don’t know, I am tremendously good when put on a spot, you know, like fix cars. My car broke down near Old River but I managed to get it going,” said Emma.
“Good to know, if I ever need a mechanic, I know who to call. Now, please stop looking at me every five seconds or you’ll need to use your skills again,” said Vik.
“The road’s dug up,” said Emma.
“You are missing 100% of the road, and hitting 100% of the potholes,” said Vik.
“Shut up!” said Emma, with wet eyes.
Vik noticed it and apologized.
“Please, I’m sorry, okay? But why are you crying?” asked Vik.
“I don’t like this,” said Emma.
“What don’t you like?” asked Vik.
“Us.. Lately, we keep fighting. I don’t want to fight you. I want to..” said Emma.
“Please don’t complete that sentence. Got a lot of other things on my mind right now,” said Vik.
Emma punched him on his left cheek with her right fist.
“Ow! What? Tell me I was wrong,” said Vik.
“You’re such an idiot. You should count your stars, you know. I bet you’ll never get another girl to like you,” said Emma.
Vik smiled.
“What?” asked Emma, smiling.
“You’re the 5th girl in 6 years who has said that to me,” recounted Vik.
“5? What, you dated one every year?” asked Emma.
“No, not like that,” said Vik.
“What were their names?” asked Emma.
Vik tilted his head, rested on the seat, towards her.
“What? I’m just asking. If you don’t want to tell, then don’t,” said Emma.
An awkward silence of ten seconds followed the conversation.
“Well, you already know your name, so that leaves four more. I think we have around 20 more minutes till we reach West Gate. I’ll tell you one every 5 minutes if you play nice,” said Vik.
“No deal. I don’t care,” said Emma.
A minute later, she said, “What do you mean, play nice? Who do I do?”
“Stopping looking at me like if someone hands you a gun, you’ll shoot me without a second thought.”
“I already have a gun with me. I’m a cop,” said Emma.
“Yeah, but it’s registered to your name. You use that, you’ll end up at Stanton Road, where a friend is waiting for you.”
“What friend?” asked Emma.
“I kind of sold a date with you to him for a favor,” said Vik.
“What!” shouted Emma. “That’s what you did in there? Sold dates with your hot girlfriend?”
Vik looked at her again.
“Fine. If not hot, then better than most,” said Emma, and looked away.
“You got it right till that part of the sentence,” said Vik.
Emma smiled as she looked at Vik while he looked away.
“Who’s he?” asked Emma.
“Olivia’s brother,” said Vik.
“Who’s Olivia?” asked Emma.
“Great, 1 minute is up, so let’s round it off to 5. The second girl’s name is Olivia,” said Vik.
“Were you close? You and Olivia?” asked Emma.
“Were,” said Vik.
“What happened?” asked Emma.
“Anthony Arnold happened,” said Vik.
“What do you mean?” asked Emma.
“No more questions, please. I don’t feel like talking anymore,” said Vik.
“Okay. You still owe me 3 more names in the next 15 minutes,” said Emma.
As they drove, Vik stared out of the window, as Emma began her descent down the mountain to reach West Gate. It was exceedingly dark, so Emma doubted he could see anything.
Maybe he needed a black canvas to paint his memories, she thought.
After every 5 minutes, Vik would speak a name, and not utter a word before or after till the next. Neither would Emma.
“Sarah.”
“Sam.”
“Hat..” said Vik, before he stopped and gazed at the beautiful lights that made the horseshoe entrance gate of the town.
“Beautiful, huh?” said Emma.
“Very,” said Vik.
They caught up with Eric and the team a mile into the town’s entrance.
“Hey,” said Eric to Vik.
“Hey,” said Vik.
“So?” said Eric.
“So what?” asked Vik.
Eric and Vik kept staring at each other while Kate, Emma and Joey stared at them.
“Fine. You’re too cheap for a hotel anyway,” said Vik. “Follow me.”
He got into the car as Emma got in with him. Eric and the rest followed him behind in theirs.
“Where are we going?” asked Emma.
“I have a small house in West Gate,” said Vik.
“How?” asked Emma.
“Verati paid a decent wage. I invested,” said Vik.
“Where else do you have a home?” asked Emma.
“What are you, scared of a prenup?” asked Vik.
“What?” said Emma.
“Sorry, lot funnier in my head,” said Vik.
Couple of seconds later, Emma replied, “Yeah, that’s funny, because of the earlier girlfriend thing.”
“You elucidating it made it a lot humorous,” said Vik.
“Really?” asked Emma.
Vik turned his head to look at her for a second and looked straight ahead, almost in disappointment.
“You know what! I’m back to hating you,” said Emma, and crossed her arms.
“Cool. Feel free to sleep in the lawn,” said Vik. She smiled.
Vik parked the car in front of an old, abandoned house. One could tell that once upon a time, the color of the house was white. He asked everyone to open the Iron Gate at the entrance and wait on the porch, while he ran across the street to meet the neighbor.
Eric, Kate and Emma noticed Vik while Joey looked inside the house through the window.
An old lady came out of the house across the street, hugged Vik and returned a minute later to give him a bunch of keys. Emma asked Eric about how he knew that Vik owned a place. He told her that Vik told him about it one day while they were discussing places to go for a weekend, shortly after Vik moved to Morrow.
Vik returned, smiling, before he looked at everyone and his smile faltered.
“Lost your own set?” asked Eric.
“This is my set,” said Vik.
“Trusted lady?” asked Eric.
“Yeah, something like that,” said Vik.
Vik opened the creaky wooden door, and turned on the lights. From the inside, it looked like a huge luxurious cottage. The entire floor was filled with toys, clothes and small rugs. The sofa in front of the fireplace was covered with white sheet. The mantle was covered with photo frames and memorabilia. Joey took the circular stairs to the floor above, which had four bedrooms and a small library. Emma walked through the house towards the backyard which had three iron swings in the middle of dense green.
Kate went towards the kitchen and saw photographs pasted on the fridge. She realized what the house meant to Vik. It was Jay and Sarah’s getaway home. She touched the photo of Sarah, while Eric looked. Emma came inside and started looking around the mantle. She saw pictures of a woman and a small girl. She figured it was Sarah and her daughter.
Joey came down the stairs, and said, “This house is awesome. Look at the size of the bedrooms above!”
Vik kept looking around the house, soaking in the nostalgia and smiling occasionally. He started having flashbacks of the faded memories of that indelible night. This time, he was on the verge on unlocking a new memory but wasn’t close enough to do it. He went to the backyard to get some air till the moment passed and his head stopped spinning.
Few minutes later as everyone waited near the fireplace, he came and said, “Make yourselves at home. Get some rest. Leave the bedroom at the end.”
“Why?” asked Joey. “It’s the cleanest one. You can see the women’s touch, if you believe in that sort of a thing.”
Emma squinted her eyes at Joey, while Eric stared angrily at him.
“No, I mean. Your house, your rules,” said Joey.
Vik smiled a little, before going upstairs.
“Who’s the lady?” asked Joey, looking at the pictures.
“Sarah,” said Kate.
Joey wiped the dust off a photo frame to find a family photo of Jay, Sarah and Katie.
“Beautiful family. They look so happy,” said Joey.
“They loved each other even when things weren’t going well for them. I’ve known both Jay and Vik. Vik was born out of hate and revenge. Jay, that I knew, was all about love and empathy. Vik doesn’t hold a candle to Jay,” said Eric as he sat down on the couch.
“You’re saying like Jay is gone. But he’s right here,” said Emma.
“I think Jay Miller died when Sarah Daulton Miller and Katie Miller did. We’re looking at a shadow. But I hope I’m wrong,” said Eric.
“I never met Jay nor did he meet me. Sarah used to talk about him whenever I used to visit. I hadn’t seen her so happy,” said Kate.
“Then why did you murder her?” yelled Eric. Kate was shocked.
Joey and Emma looked surprised, as Eric looked around and composed himself. He threw the pictures on the couch and went upstairs.
He walked towards the end of the hallway and saw Vik sitting on the side of the bed, stroking the bedsheet. He decided to leave him alone and entered a bedroom.
Kate went outside, Emma laid on the couch while Joey occupied the lounge chair on the porch, as he watched the sun rise out of the mountains far away.
Couple of hours later, Vik came down and saw Emma sleeping on the couch, while Joey had dozed off to sleep on the lounge chair.
Vik opened the garage and tried to turn on his car, but failed to do so. He decided to walk to the nearby grocery store to pick up some groceries. He knocked on the store’s door which was apparently closed with a huge closed sign hanging on it. The owner, rubbing his eyes, came to the door to send the customer away, but gazed with wide eyes when he saw Vik. He instantly unlocked the door from the inside.
“Hi, Rick,” said Vik.
“Jay, my boy!” said Rick.
“You look younger than last time, taller too,” said Vik.
“You know what they say about turning 75. It’s a rebirth,” said Rick.
“How’s everything?” asked Vik as he hugged Rick.
“Good, good, how come you look taller than usual?” said Rick.
“Nope, still an inch short of six feet,” smiled Vik.
“How’s Sarah? And Katie?” asked Rick.
Vik said, “They passed away in an accident few years ago.”
“Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear that,” apologized Rick.
“Come in. Let’s get you something to eat. I’ll make you your favorite sandwich,” said Rick.
“I’m in town helping my friends. Maybe I’ll take whatever you have. They must be hungry too,” said Vik.
“Sure, sure. And bring your friends by, at 12pm to the town hall. I’ll gather Marty, Binny and everyone else. Their boy, Jay, is back. They’ll be so happy.”
“Thank you, Rick. By the way, how’s the new mayor?” asked Vik.
“We don’t see much of him. But since things are going well, we don’t complain. Been here for couple of years, doing a fine job. Bit of a recluse though for the past few months,” said Rick. “Why do you ask?”
“Me and my friends will be visiting him today,” said Vik.
“Your friends want to meet the mayor? Why? What do they do, Jay?” asked Rick.
“They’re cops from Morrow,” said Vik.
“Cops? From Morrow?” asked Rick. “Why are they here? You know the rules of West Gate, Jay. No corrupt cops, no lying politicians, no brainwashing media, no greedy corporates. We’ve put that in place for a better part of the decade and never looked back.”
“I know people in this town don’t like cops. I don’t like cops either. But they aren’t here as cops. They are looking for some leads, which the mayor can provide,” said Vik.
“I don’t know, Jay. Maybe you shouldn’t have come here with them. We got a good thing going,” said Rick.
“They aren’t here to interfere. They’ll leave in a couple of days. The reason I’m telling you this is because everyone respects you. If you tell everyone that they’re good, they’ll accept it. You have to trust me, Rick. Do you trust me?” asked Vik.
“Of course, I do,” said Rick.
“I’ll see you at noon, then? Also can you send Oliver to check my car? It’s not working,” asked Vik, as he grabbed the groceries.
Rick smiled and Vik left.
He went back to his home, where Kate had returned after her early morning stroll. Joey, Emma and Eric were waiting on the couch.
“Where were you?” asked Emma.
“Getting groceries, and making sure you don’t get killed,” said Vik.
He explained, “People in this town don’t trust cops. I’m sure you know that. Well, the bitter truth is they hate you. So, as long as you’re here, you’re a tourist. Don’t flash your badge, don’t show your gun to anyone. That’ll get you killed or worse, permanently damaged. Now, I got us an introductory get-together at the town hall in a few hours. Make friends. No pressure, but you must make them trust you.”
“That’s just great. Anything else?” asked Eric, despondent.
“Yes,” said Vik.
“As long as I’m here, call me by my real name,” said Vik.
“What’s that?” asked Joey.
“Jay!” shouted Emma.
“I know that. I was just confirming if he knows that,” said Joey.
Vik walked towards Kate, stopped and while looking at her, said, “Everyone, my name is Jay Miller. My wife Sarah and my daughter Katie weren’t murdered but died in a car accident. You all met me while I was, and have been ever since, staying in Morrow. You are here to talk to the mayor on some official business. You’re not interested in the people of this town. Got it?”
“Got it,” said everyone.
“Great. Now, you are free to eat,” said Vik. Vik went through the kitchen towards the backyard.
“Where are you going?” asked Eric.
“I got to trim down my lawn,” said Vik.
“I’ll save you a sandwich,” said Emma.
“I’m not hungry. You can have my share,” said Vik as he went to the tool shed in the backyard.
Vik worked on the lawn for the next three hours while the rest discussed strategy. Oliver dropped by to talk to Vik, and fixed his car. They had a pleasant conversation, as observed by the rest. Emma gave Vik an earful for not allowing her to use her mechanical prowess on Vik’s car. He wasn’t amused.
Vik got out from the shower and got dressed. As he got down the stairs, everyone was surprised. They hadn’t seen him in a T-shirt and jeans before. They had always seen him in suits, shirts, pants and lab coats the entire time.
“He’s back,” said Eric as he smiled. Vik smiled back.
“Did he just get hotter?” Joey teased Emma.
“Yes,” said Kate as she smiled, looking at Joey.
“Keep walking ladies,” said Joey.
They drove to the town hall and saw a huge crowd gathering, with hundreds of cars and trucks. Vik had driven to the venue alone as Eric, Joey, Kate and Emma drove together.
“Is he popular or something?” asked Joey.
“Apparently,” said Eric.
“Does that make things easier or harder?” asked Emma.
“Not sure. But definitely complicated. They’ll be watching us wherever we go,” said Kate.
“Do you think we should’ve told Vik..Jay.. about the plan?” asked Joey.
“I don’t want him to lie to these people. They care about him and he cares about them. Hopefully, he’ll never
have to find out,” said Eric.
“It’s not like we’re doing anything wrong. We just want to know the truth,” said Kate.
As they discussed in their car, they noticed that Vik had gotten out of his and started meeting people. Hugging some, shaking hands with others. He met kids while getting down on his knees. He would act surprised after seeing kids growing faster than he expected the last time he was there.
“Maybe when all of this is over, it would be good for him to settle down here,” said Emma.
“When all this is over, we’re going away,” said Kate.
“What do you mean?” asked Joey.
“He asked me not to tell you this. But maybe I won’t get a chance later. When the case is over, we are going to Atlantis for some unfinished business. I help him with that and we’re square,” said Kate. “The way he talked about it, I don’t think he’s planning to come back.”
“Why? What’s in Atlantis?” asked Eric.
“Answers,” said Kate.
Vik waved his hands and asked them to follow him to the hall. They all got out of the car and walked over to Vik.
“Don’t tell him I told you,” said Kate.
“We won’t,” said Eric.
Vik was standing over with an old couple.
As they reached, Vik started introducing them.
“This is Bob and Martha Ditmer. If you don’t get along with them, something’s wrong with you,” said Vik.
“Yeah, you are dead,” said Bob, in a threatening tone.
Few seconds later, they all burst laughing, while Eric, Emma, Joey and Kate looked freaked out.
“They’re the town’s most respected family, and perhaps the oldest. Been here for over 50 years if I recall,” said Vik.
“54 next month. I moved here with my wife Martha when we were just 21 and never left. Loved the peace that this town offered,” said Bob.
“And these are my friends. That’s Eric, we go way back. Used to work cases in DC before..um..you know. That’s Kate, she used to be friends with Sarah. That’s Joey, he thinks he’s dating Kate. And that’s Emma, the team mechanic. If your car has a problem, she’s there for you,” said Vik.
Eric and Kate shook hands with Bob and Martha, while Joey and Emma walked over behind Vik and kicked him.
“How did you run into Jay, afterwards?” asked Bob.
“We met when he came to Morrow Town,” said Eric.