by Ammar Habib
“I’ll show you to your room, Ethan.”
Jonathan led Ethan up a flight of wooden stairs, leaving Cathy alone in the foyer. Going up the staircase, the floorboards gently creaked under Ethan’s every step. The top of the stairway led to a narrow corridor. As they walked by the first closed door, Jonathan spoke. “That’s Ben’s room. He’s sleeping now. Hopefully you’ll be able to see him tomorrow morning.”
Ethan barely acknowledged the comment.
They continued down the hallway. Stopping at the next door, Jonathan turned to face Ethan. “You can sleep here tonight. If you need anything, let us know.”
“Thanks.”
“Before I forget to tell you, your friend is in town.”
“Which friend?”
Jonathan snapped his fingers trying to remember the name. “The one who lives in Bafra. Her grandpa owns the software company.”
Knowing exactly who Jonathan meant, Ethan’s heart unexpectedly skipped a beat. “Katrina?”
“Yes! Katrina. I heard she was in the city attending some meetings for her grandpa. He’s been ill and the rumor is that she will take over the company. It was in the papers.”
As Ethan went into the room, Jonathan walked back down the hallway. Ethan almost closed the door behind him, but left it open a crack. He looked into the room that lay before him. In one corner was a small, bedside table. On the table’s surface there was a green and white colored lamp and a picture of Cathy holding Ben in her arms. Next to the table was a full-size bed with a green blanket and a solitary white pillow. A fan that was slowly circulating air through the room dangled from the ceiling. On the opposite side of the bed was a slightly open window that had a good view of the backyard. Positioned in another wall was an open doorway, which led to an undersized, empty closet.
Knowing that Jonathan was now downstairs, he laid his bag onto the top of the small bed. With a quick, fluid motion he unzipped the bag and threw a handful of dirty clothes onto the floor. He reached in and pulled out a long knife that was in a black leather sheath. He carelessly tossed it onto the bed before reaching in and pulling out another item.
It was a sleeveless pink dress that had once been worn by a twelve-year-old girl. But now, it was tattered and dirty. There were a few tiny holes and blood stains on it. He held it in his hands for several moments before he slowly set it down on the bed. There was a time when Ethan had only cared about the happiness of the girl that had worn this dress. When he had cared about nothing else aside from keeping her safe and giving her a life of prosperity.
But that time was long gone. It had been stolen from him.
Some voices from the backyard made their way through the window and into the room. Upon hearing them, Ethan quietly made his way to the window and looked down. Sitting down on a swinging chair in the patio, Jonathan and Cathy slowly rocked back and forth as they spoke with one another.
“Don’t you think your brother is acting strange? I mean, stranger than he used to act before he left?”
After a long moment, Jonathan slowly nodded.
“Well, what do you think it is?”
Jonathan paused for a moment. “…I don’t know.”
“There was something in his eyes, Jonathan. I don’t know what it was but I saw something in his eyes that hadn’t been there before.”
“He had a long journey back, sweetie. He’s probably just tired.”
Cathy let out a sigh. “You’re probably right.”
“But I think you should stay home with Ben tomorrow. Dad’s coming to the meeting and I don’t want you to be there if he creates a scene—”
Ethan turned away and noiselessly closed the window. He reached into the bag one more time and produced a small, burgundy pouch. Unzipping the pouch, he pulled out several home-made bracelets. Each one was made up of an assortment of beads in varying sizes and colors, making them all resemble mini rainbows. They were all attached by a thin string that could easily be broken. With a sigh, Ethan closed his eyes as he held the bracelets between his hands.
Soon it would be over. Soon he could be at peace. Soon the hurt would go away and he would butcher Anthony Griffin the same way Naira had been butchered.
It was only a matter of time.
Chapter 2
Ethan’s Light
A clean shaven Ethan reclined back in the leather seat as he sported a pair of designer jeans and a casual, pink collared shirt. Sitting across from him, on the other side of the desk was Charles, his late grandfather’s business partner and best friend.
It had been a busy morning full of shopping for clothes and getting a much needed haircut. Ethan was glad to learn that his sizeable bank account had remained untouched since he had been gone. He had half-expected it to be emptied out after his assumed death.
The office was just as he remembered it. A freshly polished, brown wooden floor covered the ground while beige walls enclosed the room. A large window provided a beautiful view of the downtown business district of Crown City. Right in front of the window was a wooden desk at which Charles sat while he looked over some documents. Opposite of the window rested a mammoth bookshelf that took up almost half of the wall. Countless books had been neatly organized and alphabetized throughout the numerous shelves. A few cabinet files rested against the walls as numerous awards and certificates were displayed on the wall. A large portrait of David and Charles, the two owners of the nation’s most successful law firm, also hung from the wall.
Jonathan leaned up against the wall next to the portrait and looked over at Ethan. As their gazes met one another, Jonathan slightly smiled and Ethan returned the gesture. A few feet away from Ethan, a middle-aged man sat on a wooden chair. He was leaning forward, with his chin resting in the palm of his right hand. His freshly cut grey hair was combed over while his facial hair had not been shaven for a couple of days now. On the bridge of his nose sat a pair of black-framed glasses. He hadn’t even looked Ethan’s way since he had entered the room and didn’t acknowledge his presence. As they all waited, his foot impatiently tapped against the floor.
Charles finally looked away from the papers and gently set his glasses onto the table’s surface. He looked over the three men sitting in his office before speaking. “Are you all ready to begin?”
There were no objections.
“David was very specific in his will as to where all of his assets are to be left, which shouldn’t really be very surprising to any of us. After all, he was always very meticulous about everything.” Charles let out a short chuckle. “The amount of all of David’s personal assets totaled a little more than 550 million dollars.”
Ethan raised his eyebrows after hearing the number. He had known that the amount would be in the hundreds of millions, but had not expected it to be that high.
“He left his fifty percent share of the law firm to Ethan, but has said that he wants me to be the sole manager of the firm until Ethan knows enough about the trade to make sound decisions. He has said that I will be the judge in determining when Ethan knows enough to become involved in management decisions.”
Ethan nodded.
Seeing Ethan’s reaction, Charles continued. “However, he has left his entire real estate company to you, Ethan, on the condition that you retain Bradley as the manager of the company. But, he has said for his country home and lake home to be auctioned off, along with all of their assets. The proceeds are to be given off to various charity organizations that David was very involved with before he passed away.” Charles paused as began to look through some of the papers.
The middle-aged man who had been sitting quietly in the room suddenly sat upright and spoke, clearly annoyed of having to be here. “Is there a problem, Charles?”
Charles looked up at David’s estranged son. “No, Brett. I was just forgetting to mention something.” He turned to look directly at Ethan. “David left his last residence, the penthouse, in your name, along with all of his vehicles. I had the safety deposit keys placed in the bedroom. He left e
verything in the safety deposit boxes in your name as well.”
Ethan again acknowledged Charles’s words.
“Now on to his monetary assets. All of his government bonds are left in Ethan’s name along with the gold that is securely locked away in various banks. However, he divided up all of the actual money he had in numerous bank accounts. Half of the money is to be given to various charity organizations David was supporting. Of the remaining money, forty percent is given to Ethan, while the remaining ten percent is to be split between Jonathan and Brett.”
Those figures came to no surprise to any of them. A silence fell over the room as Charles finally stopped speaking, but Brett soon broke it. “Is that all?”
The lawyer nodded.
Brett rose to his feet. “Well you can keep the ten percent. I don’t need any charity and I don’t want any charity from that old man.”
As Brett prepared to leave Ethan spoke without looking up. “That old man is the one who raised the child you abandoned.”
Brett stopped and turned to look at his youngest son. His voice rose. “Did you say something?”
Ethan came to his feet and faced his father. “I think you heard me just fine. You should be thankful that he even left you anything in his will.”
“That old man ruined my life!”
Ethan let out a sarcastic laugh. “That’s what always amazed me about you, Brett. No matter what happens, you were always a master of putting the blame on everyone else but yourself.”
Brett’s finger went from pointing at the picture to pointing at Ethan as his entire arm shook angrily. “Shut up!”
No matter how loud Brett’s voice got, Ethan calmly continued, “Kind of like how you blamed your own son for your wife’s death at childbirth. So much so, that you abandoned him. And if it wasn’t for the kindness of his grandfather, he would have grown up in an orphanage, alone.”
“I said shut up!”
Ethan laughed. “You know, you’re not scary when you’re sober, Brett. Why don’t you go grab a drink and then come and try to scare me?”
As Brett took a step forward towards his youngest son, Jonathan’s large and powerful hand grabbed hold of his dad’s shoulder. “Let’s go dad. Nothing good can come of this.”
Brett’s red hot face shook with anger as he stared at Ethan for a few more seconds before turning away. Letting out a sigh he began to make his way towards the closed door and Jonathan followed him. As the duo left the office, Ethan looked back at his new business partner.
Charles waited for the door to close before speaking. “I was wondering if I was going to have to step in.”
“Don’t worry. He’s all talk.”
Charles began to make his way around the desk. “Technically speaking, the only way for Brett to refuse the inheritance money is if Jonathan refuses it as well.”
“Oh, he will. He’s always been Brett’s puppet.”
By now, Charles had made his way around the desk and was standing next to Ethan. “In that case, all the money goes to you.”
Ethan looked out the window and then back at Charles. “Go ahead and give their portion to the charities David supported. That’s what he would’ve wanted to do with it.”
A smile came to Charles face. “You knew him well.”
“I was raised by him, so I would sure hope so.”
The attorney laughed at the remark as he shook his head. “After I’m done with work today, I’m going to stop by the house to go over some things with you. It’s time to bring you back to life…legally speaking.”
“Sounds good. Just give me a call when you’re on your way. I’ll have Emanuel cook something up for us. He still works there, right?”
“He did last time I checked.”
“Good. What about Marion? Is she still keeping the place tidy?”
“She is now. After David died, she had been out of a job and spent the last few months doing some odd jobs. But I called her up yesterday to tell her that you were back and she started working there again this morning.”
With a nod, Ethan stuck out his hand. “It was good seeing you Charles.”
Charles shook hands with his new associate. “You’ve been sorely missed.”
Ethan turned and began to walk away.
“Do you want me to have somebody give you a ride?”
“No. I’ll take a cab.”
“Somewhere you need to go?”
“I have to visit an old friend.”
***
Ethan was four-years-old when he first met her.
He had just moved with David to the city of Zimba, the capital of Bafra. David was expanding his law firm with the help of his good friend, Boris Weaving. Being a successful businessman himself, Boris had plenty of well-placed connections to help David’s firm get a running start overseas.
Ethan found himself sitting on a couch as David and Boris sat in the next room around a dining table. However, their vociferous laughter could be heard loud and clear as they spoke in their boisterous voices.
The laughter did nothing to raise Ethan’s sullen spirit.
Only a few weeks before, Ethan had been told by his caretaker that they were moving to Bafra and right away Ethan began to pout and shout about it. He didn’t want to leave home.
But he was given no choice in the matter. David had said that they were moving to Bafra for the next few years and it was final. Making friends had never been one of Ethan’s strong points; even in Crown City he had only a small handful of companions.
But now he was lonelier than ever.
As he sat in this strange living room, on this strange couch, he observed his strange surroundings. There were various pictures decorating the walls; some much older than others. Pictures of Boris and his late wife’s wedding. Pictures of his deceased son and daughter-in-law, and pictures of his granddaughter, who was now his only living relative.
In the space in front of the sofa was a beautiful, rectangular rug and attached to the far wall opposite of Ethan was a mammoth, red brick fireplace. The warmth from the fire filled the room and its glow illuminated the area.
Atop the rug in front of Ethan was a pretty, fair-skinned girl who looked to be about the same age as Ethan. The girl wore a yellow and white dress and her long, black hair was held back by a white headband. White, shiny slippers covered both of her feet and she was surrounded by various stuffed bears and dolls. All of which she had given her undivided attention to.
She and Ethan had exchanged glances previously, but Ethan had quickly looked away, too timid to say anything to her. He looked down at his blue sneakers and legs that dangled above the ground. He could hear her talking to her dolls as she asked them all how their day had been. Ethan began to wonder if she realized that they were never going to reply.
He looked towards a large grandfather clock standing against the wall. He couldn’t tell the time, so he simply watched the pendulum swing back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. A few minutes passed before, through the corner of his eye, he saw the little girl get up and take a few steps towards him until she was close enough to reach out and touch him. However, he still didn’t look her way even when she spoke in the sweetest voice Ethan had ever heard. “Is that your grandpa in the dining room?”
Ethan looked down at his shoes again as he softly answered, “Yes.”
“What’s your name?”
He still wouldn’t look up. “Ethan.”
“I’m Katrina.” Several moments passed in silence. “Our grandpas are friends. Do you want to be friends with me?”
Ethan looked up a little bit, but stopped as his gaze now fell onto her shoes. He didn’t dare look up at her face. “…If you want to.”
She stepped forward and grabbed him by the hand. “Come on. Let’s be friends.”
And it was at that moment that Ethan realized that maybe, just maybe, life in Bafra wasn’t going to be so bad.
***
Ethan made his way to the young lady sitting behind the shiny,
black counter with the words ‘Boris Technologies’ written in bold lettering across the front. Surrounding him were numerous well-dressed individuals making their way in and out of the glass doors of the lobby.
As he made his way to the counter, Ethan moved his sunglasses from his eyes and onto the top of his head. The secretary looked up when she noticed him and spoke with a smile. “Can I help you, sir?”
Ethan returned the gesture. “I’m here to see Katrina Weaving.”
“I believe she’s in a meeting right now. Do you have an appointment?”
“I’m afraid not. Can you get a message to her immediately?”
The secretary paused for a moment before speaking as her smile disappeared. “I can try.”
“Tell her that Ethan Daniels is here to see her.”
She looked at her computer screen and prepared to type something. “I’ll let her know. You can wait in the lobby.”
With a nod, Ethan turned away and leisurely ambled towards a cluster of ruby leather couches arranged in a rectangular manner. Taking a seat he looked at the table that sat in the middle of the arrangement. Picking up the newspaper that rested on top of the table, he glanced at the front cover. As he began to scan the front page, he saw the secretary coming his way.
“Ms. Weaving will be down in a moment.”
With a smile, Ethan replied, “Appreciate it.”
As the secretary turned away, Ethan looked back down at the newspaper article. The caption read “Suspected Corrupt Officer Walks Again”. The enormous picture that took up half the page showed a very well-built, middle-aged Caucasian man walking out of the court house behind his attorney. Surrounding the two well-dressed men were countless reporters heckling for a comment. The officer had his head down and his gaze on the ground in front of him as he followed his lawyer through the crowd.
Reading through the article, Ethan found that the officer, a man named Eugene Hendricks, was the type of character that you would not want to meet in a dark alley. With two accounts of first-degree murder, four accounts of assault, and numerous accounts of taking bribes from the drug cartel, he wasn’t exactly the ideal citizen. Even though he had been acquitted for this charge as well as every other one in the past, the reporter who wrote the article was convinced that he was guilty of every charge as was most of the general public. Looking for the name of the reporter at the top of the article, Ethan found it: William Jones.
