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A Mother’s Tale


~Chapter Six- Unsolved Issues

The pen rolls off his desk with a soft plop while his hands shuffle through articles and reports spread out on his oak desk. Frowning, he shakes his head unsure of what to think of the murdered man found recently. He needed more evidence to prove that the man was murdered and it was not a suicidal incident. Howie rereads a report given to him just a few hours ago about the severe fractures the victim got from the car crash. Blood tests were taken to insure that the man was indeed the person they believed he was. Yet something in the back of his mind keeps telling him that something was adding up. Call it doubts, but he could sense something more was occurring but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

As much as he tried to analyze the gruesome death of the young man found off the highway cliff, the more he was becoming weary of the results. He wasn’t allowed to go into the medical records to confirm if the man was really the man missing now.

“Nick…Nick.” He whispers out, looking through sheets of confined information describing the man’s basic weight, height and bone structure. He needed to ask a doctor or dentist or at least the mortician about the severities of the corpse but was denied access to it from Winterland. For as he heard from the older officer’s mouth: “It was already taken care of.”

Drumming his fingers on the desk, his eyes scroll over useless articles and fathom reports as he chooses to call them. He needed to speak to any witnesses that might have seen the incident but since it was a stormy night, there was no traffic and the roads here seem to run on and on in where one can find themselves driving alone with no other car in sight. Twirling a pen in his hand, he nibbles on the top of it, lost in his own personal thoughts. “I need a way to check out the body.” Snapping his fingers, he realized the simplest thing he could do at the moment. “I need a photo of the man.” Smiling, he was sure calling Mrs. Carter for a photo of her child should be easy.

Picking up the black cordless phone, he begins pacing his small cozy study room, which before it was converted was an extra bedroom. “Come on…come on. Pick up. Please Mrs. Carter.” He murmurs into the phone frowning slightly at the answering machine picking up.

“Hello you reached the Carter residence. Leave a name and message and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.” The husband’s voice blares out before the long erratic beeping sounded off.

Exhaling Howie shakes his free hand, shoving the phone close to his ear with the other: “Miss…Jasmine, hi its Howie calling to ask a question. Listen if you have an available photo of your son anywhere that you can show to either me or the precinct, it would be greatly appreciated ma’am. Please when you find the time, I need this as soon as possible to help out with the case. Thanks again.” Howie sighs, hanging up, quietly placing the phone back in the cradle. “Great…now I gotta wait. Fun times.” He murmurs, exiting the room to catch the news on the TV coming in.
~*~

She sat patiently waiting for her father to pick her up as she sits quietly at her small desk scribbling a drawing across a paper. The only child left in the classroom, she sits quietly concentrating on her drawing. The soft footsteps of her teacher echo in the classroom as she continues to vigorously scratch a drawing onto the white construction paper.

“Eliez, that looks like a nice picture, what is it? Her teacher looks down, gazing at her warmly.

Eliez looks up at the woman’s soft flush tan cheeks and tussled dark hair framing the face. The teacher adjusts her glasses and smiles: “Well are you going to tell me?”

Eliez drops her red crayon looking over at the teacher: “It’s a surprise.”

The teacher smirks and shakes her head, “It looks like a little person you drew. Is it a boy?”

Eliez simply nods and smiles: “It’s a special person.”

The teacher frowns, nodding: “I see. It’s an important person right?”

“Yup. He’s hurt in this picture.”

Mrs. Anderson gazes at the stick figure of the boy, “How is he hurt?”

Eliez whispers out softly, barely audible for her to ear.

“Sweetie I didn’t hear you. Can you repeat that again?”

“He’s red cause he went bye bye.”

“Where did he go?” Mrs. Anderson watches the little girl lost in thought.

“He went far away. But he’s not sleeping. He’s hurt.”

“Oh ok well then.” Mrs. Anderson drops her eyes over to another little stick figure this one seemed more like a girl yet it was hard to tell with the child’s messy squiggles. “Is that you?”

Eliez smiles and points to the little girl stick figure nodding.

“She’s seems to be holding something. What is that little triangle in her hand?”

Eliez whispers out: “Its pointy. It hurts. That’s me holding pointy.”

Mrs. Anderson clears her throat recognizing that Eliez meant a knife: “Why are you holding that?”

“I hurt him.” Eliez grins as her father Roger steps into the classroom.

Mrs. Anderson watches the child in utter shock, nervously standing up eyeing the father: “She’s all ready to go home.”

Roger smiles, sticking out his hand to a smiling Eliez who runs over to him taking his hand and holding her drawing in the other hand.

“Bye, bye Miss A.” Eliez waves: exiting the classroom with her father.
~*~

She locks her office door, stepping out of her office as she checks her watch: “5:30. He should be outside by now.” Jasmine mutters, quickly passing down the hallway waving to Janelly.

“Hey whoa slow your roll Jasmine.” Janelly calls out, catching up to her: “My you fast today. You heading out now?”

Jasmine nods, grabbing her handbag tightly in her hands, her eyes swollen from tears that seem to have no end for her.

“Ohh Jas.” Janelly frowns, gently placing a hand on her co-worker’s shoulder. “I…I call up for you to check out Dr. Richardson. You know just to see how he is. You don’t have to stay for further meetings if you don’t want to.”

“Thank you.” Jasmine whispers out, sniffing: “I’ll see how that goes.”

“So wait you’re going?”

“Just maybe I need to seek professional help with this. Its getting too difficult and…” She sniffs, holding back a sob from escaping her throat: “It just seems easier to be able to deal with the issue than holding it in.”

Janelly simply nods unsure what to say at the moment that wouldn’t upset the mother in any way. “Well I know you’ll like him. He’s a sweet man and not bad on the eyes at all. In fact if I wasn’t too shallow or feeling weird out about the age difference, I would make it my point to see him just to be around him.”

Jasmine manages to crack a smile at that as she reaches the elevator bank, pushing the down button on the wall: “Sounds like an interesting prognosis you made there.”

“Heh, yeah kinda.” Janelly brushes her hair over her shoulders as the elevator ‘bings’ to their floor, opening up. “There’s your ride and don’t you dare show up here tomorrow. You need to rest up and get some time off. Don’t worry about work. Whenever you’re ready to come back it’ll still be here.”

Throwing her arms around the young woman, Jasmine nods, batting away a tear that rose from her eye. She embraces her thanking her and steps into the elevator ready to take her home. Upon exiting the building of her job, she spots her husband’s silver Chrysler convertible waiting across the street for her. A smile crosses her face for one of the few times since the tragedy, quickly getting into the car to feel her husband’s arms around her.

“I was thinking about you today. Tomorrow no work, you hear me? You’re staying home and don’t you think about sending Eli to school either.” Roger states over the humming of the car’s soft engine.

Sniffing a little, she puts on a fake smile and sees her little daughter buckled up behind her smiling at her. “How was she today at school?”

“Good from what I got from the teacher. I was running late and she ended up being the last child picked up. I felt so bad there.”

“Awww.” She runs her hands through Eliez’s golden hair, eager to cuddle her to her side.

Eliez grins and shoves her little drawing in the back part of the car hiding it from her mother as she lets out a yawn.

“Honey we should stop by a place to eat. Eli is getting sleepy and I don’t want her to get rest before eating.”

Roger nods and drives down the road riding for a few moments in silence. Eliez raises her hands in the air and smiles enjoying the cool breeze on her. Jasmine leans back in passenger seat running her hands over the seatbelt.

“Mommy?”

“Yes sugar?” Jasmine turns to her smiling.

“I think miss A is scared.”

Jasmine shakes her head confused: “What do you mean?”

“Nothing…” She whispers out, feeling her father’s gaze through the car side window.

“Ooohh. Ok then.” Jasmine eyes her child before turning forward on the seat seeing the café a few blocks down.
~*~


He watches Brian ramble on and on about something great he saw in a movie the other time, his ears tuned out to the conversation as he scans the restaurant. Clearing his throat, he speaks over Brian: “We got company.”

Brian stops mid-sentence and looks over to where Damien was eyeing a couple with their child. “Ooohh what a small world this is. Heh, the Carters themselves.”

A.J. grins, turning around to spot the three people sitting in a booth at a corner. “Dude, you think that lady is gonna know what’s up?”

“She doesn’t have a clue. Looks like her hubby didn’t spill the beans.” Damien whispers out.

“You don’t know that.” Brian quips up.

‘Trust me, if she knew I would be in questioning right now cuffed.” Damien sits back, sipping his drink.

Brian snorts: “Its not your fault. You were just following orders.”

“I try to make happy and things always backfire on me. I wouldn’t be surprised if this all blows up back in my face.” Damien taps his fingers on the table.

“And if that doesn’t work out, I’m sure getting screwed up in the ass won’t be too bad.” A.J. smiles.

Damien smirks, shaking his head feeling the boring of Eliez’s eyes on him. “Shit. She sees us. I’m out.” He quickly exits the restaurant from the front leaning against the brick wall.

Brian raises his eyebrows and snorts: “I don’t know why Roger called him to pull it off. It would have been better if he had gotten someone else for the job.”

“Yeah I know. He actually feels bad now. But I’m like who cares, the broad was asking for it if you ask me and personally I think her husband’s idea was beautifully executed.” A.J. sits back in the booth eying the couple in the corner booth.

“Whatever. I think it’s the guilt. I would feel bad too if I was D plus he hasn’t gotten any good sleep since it happened. I get calls all hours in the night from him cause he’s getting paranoid the police are on him.” Brian whispers out, drumming his fingers on the table top.

“Heh…like I said, the job was too much for him.” A.J. shrugs, exiting the same way to track down his friend. Spotting Damien against the wall smoking, he smirks going over to him. “Dude you need to take a breather. Its not that serious.”

“Oh no…of course not. Cause your name isn’t the one involved. I’m taking the heat for all of ya.” Damien blows out smoke, dropping the cigarette on the ground, crunching it out to extinguish it.

A.J. rolls eyes: “Gimme one.”

Damien tosses the pack of Mulberry cigarettes to him and looks around wearily. “We’re in some serious crap. When the lady finds out though.” He smiles, “I’ll be at home celebrating.”

“Yeah I bet you will.” A.J. speaks, his lips pursed together to hold the unlit cigarette between his lips.

“I’m gonna head home. I had enough with the eating for today.”

A.J. smirks: “I won’t. When I get home I’ll invite my girl over and I can have some cherries.”

Damien smirks, “Nice one. Tell Brian I’m out.”

“Out of what?” Brian steps out of the restaurant hearing them.

“I meant heading home dick ward.” Damien smirks taking out his car keys.

“Yeah well at least I have one.” Brian beams innocently as A.J. snickers.

“Don’t be so sure about that. Using your finger for measurements doesn’t count.” Damien heads his car as A.J. chuckles.

“Low blow! Low blow!” Brian smirks.

“What? Yeah I get a blow job.” Damien teases, getting into his car as A.J. lit up his cigarette.

Brian shakes his head, patting A.J. on his shoulders, “I’ll talk to you later, I gotta pick some stuff up before wifey blows a fuse.”

“Man you’re so whipped.” A.J mutters, leaning against the brick wall, smoke escaping his mouth.

Brian “Better whipped than hiding out to get some.” He grins walking away as A.J. snorts not bothering with the man.

“Ass wipe.” He grumbles under his breath, heading down the block.
~*~

Jasmine pulls the blanket over Eliez, smiling as she lays delicate kisses on her little cheeks and hands. “Night smookie.”

“Night mommy.” Eliez smiles: cuddling into her pillow. Jasmine turns on the night light, quietly closing the door behind as she steps out of the room.

Sighing, she walks down the hallway, the wood panels shining dully in the silver cascading moon light. Walking into the master bedroom, she sees Roger looking through a large cardboard box.

“Honey what are you looking for?” Jasmine glances over to him.

Roger turns and kisses her: “Nothing sweetie. You go rest up, I’m gonna do some cleaning around.”

“Its too early to sleep. Its only ten.”

“You need the rest anyways. Don’t worry about it. I’ll join ya in a few.” He whispers, kissing her and going back to look through some boxes.

“Fine…” She sighs, settling down on the bed, pulling the bedcovers over her body entirely. “Night honey.” She can hear him say muffled as she smiles and tries to close her eyes for some form of sleep.
~*~

She pants heavily, struggling to reach the phone ringing loudly.

“No let it ring.” Damien pants as she pushes him off her.

Grabbing it from the night stand besides the bed, she smirks and whispers out of breath: “Hello?”

A.J. burst out laughing on the other line: “Well hey Ari sweetie, you sound a little winded there. Hope I didn’t intrude on anything.”

“Shut up.” She smirks, handing the phone to Damien besides her on the bed as she pulls the covers up around her.

“Oh you got to be kidding me?” Damien grumbles taking the phone: “What?!”

A.J.’s laughter got louder hearing his friend annoyed on the other line. “Man you guys are cranky.”

“Yeah well I was kinda in the middle of something. I’m disconnecting the phone next time cause you have bad timing on things.” Damien smirks, sitting up.

“Heh…actually I called cause I want you to check the news right now. They found something and I think you should see it.”

“What is it?” Damien frowns, wrapping a blanket around his waist.

“Just turn on the T.V. to the WX news. They’re doing a report on the incident and you might find something interesting coming from it.”

Narrowing his eyes, Damien quickly crawls to the end of his bed and turns on the T.V, the news popping up as a reporter stands before the road where the crash was.

Listening to the news for a few minutes, he drops the phone at the sound of his name mentioned from the reporter as ‘Being the last in contact with the missing man. Police are beginning to narrow their search to start questioning the man’s company beginning with his close friend.’

Arianna gulps and eyes him, crawling over to him to wrap her arms from behind him around his neck kissing his neck softly: “They’re lying. They don’t know what they’re talking about baby. Its just a conspiracy.”

Damien shrugs her off him and frowns, his eyes remaining fixated on the news before him.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**