Back in the Rain

by Elen Chase

  When we were alone, she said, "My father was acting strange. He brought you here because he wanted us to talk about something, didn’t he?"

  "Actually, yes," I said, "he told us you have been going through a lot recently, and it's the same for me. I lost my girlfriend three months ago. He thought talking with me might somehow be helpful."

  "I see, so that's what it was about. For a moment I thought he was hoping for some sort of romance between us, which was, no offense, never gonna happen."

  "No offense taken, I think the same."

  "So, how did she die?"

  She sure was direct. She was that kind of woman who could lead the conversation wherever she pleased any time.

  "The truth is that I don't know. She was found dead without any apparent reason after missing for a month. The police dropped the case."

  "The police are bullshit. They're the government's puppets; it's more what they cover up than what they uncover."

  "Are you talking about Robinson Jr.?" asked Dan.

  "If I were, why would I tell you?"

  "Because I'm like you," I said, "I don't believe the police either. I need to know how deep they're corrupted; I need to know this is not just my imagination."

  She looked at me for a while, thinking. I was risking a lot, telling her those things. I thought Robinson was maybe covering for someone, an accomplice, and that person could have been her. However, I decided to trust my instinct. She wasn't a murderer.

  "I don't know about your girlfriend, but they are entirely lying about Bart. I know what you saw on the news: a guy who just goes insane and kills seven innocent people on a rampage. He wasn't like that; Bart was trying to uncover something. He suspected his father's group to be part of a sect, but he never told me the details to protect me. Bart was probably the only lawyer in the world that really wanted justice. He couldn't stand the thought of those politicians doing whatever they pleased using their position, so that's why he accepted to enter the group; he wanted his father's trust to find out more. And he did it. In his last six months he was always nervous, repeating ‘those people are insane, I have to do something,’ but then he wouldn't say anything else. Then his death… Other lies started piling up. He left for that meeting about twenty days before the date they made public. The meeting itself was supposed to be on February 3. He last called me that morning. He said he would come home the day after. I don't know what happened in that villa, but Bart had no intention to kill himself that day. He was murdered, I'm sure of it. They found out he wanted to uncover the truth about them and killed him." Her voice cracked.

  "But those people are dead," I said.

  "There's more of them!" she screamed. "There must be more of them still around! They killed the rest and put the blame on Bart. I know it, I'm sure of it. You want to know how deep the police are corrupted? You had your answer." Lilian looked nervous and upset. Dan poured some water for her, who silently thanked him with a nod of her head. Twenty days before the news got out. That was around the time Shallie was found. We were getting nowhere; everything was just becoming more confusing. I decided it was time to be clear.

  "Lilian, I suspect my girlfriend's case and Robinson are somehow connected. Her body was recovered, close to her house, on February 4. Two days later your fiancé’s car was found at the bottom of a lake on the road to get to the countryside. As soon as that happened, her case was closed and nobody ever mentioned the car again. I have to be honest, until now I thought he was a pervert who had kidnapped her. But your words are confusing me; it almost looks like they both died on the 3rd of February..."

  "What? His car, I’ve never heard of it. Who the hell are you, really? Why are you even in my house?" she said, angry.

  "I'm investigating to find out the truth about my Shallie's death. I got close to your dad on purpose, hoping to get to you."

  "This is insane," she said, in shock, "go away immediately." She stood up, ready to show us the way to the door, but I grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

  "Please, listen to me. It probably is insane, but Shallie deserves the truth. And if your fiancé was really the good person you told me about, he deserves it too. Please, try to think clearly. Do you think they might be linked too?"

  She sat back, moved her glasses up and pressed her fingers on her eyes, in silence. Finally, she lowered her hands and took a deep breath.

  "I do," she said. "I told you the group Bart was in was part of a sect. I know nearly nothing about it, but considering Bart's reactions, it wouldn't surprise me if it turned out they were kidnapping girls. They’re men of power. They have money, control, and too many ways to do whatever they please unnoticed. If Bart and your girlfriend really died on the same day, the first thing that comes to my mind is that he wanted to save her."

  My chest felt heavy, but the thought that someone was maybe trying to help her was just a little bit reassuring. At least she wasn’t completely on her own. "Can't you tell me anything else about this sect? Please, anything is fine," I asked her.

  "I told you, Bart never wanted me to be involved in this. I know he did some research at the Rosedeer University Library; a professor named Brown helped him find a lot of material. I suggest you go find him. I’d do it myself if I could," she added sadly.

  "You have to think of your own safety. You're smart to stay hidden for a while," said Dan.

  "I know, but it's hard for me. Under normal circumstances I would be looking into it too."

  "You have your own responsibilities, a life depends on you. We’ll tell you whatever we manage to find out," added Dan, smiling at her.

  "Eh?" I couldn't follow their conversation at all. "Am I missing something?"

  They both looked at me as if I was a total idiot.

  "I'm pregnant, genius," she said, annoyed.

  "Eh?" I looked better at her. Her belly was in fact bigger than normal, but I simply thought she was out of shape. "Now that I think about it... that's it!"

  "Don't tell me you thought I was fat."

  "N—no, no way. I did think that anyone would enjoy a dessert this good everyday..."

  "So you thought I was fat. Get out of my house now."

  "I'm sorry, I apologize!"

  "We really have to apologize," added Dan, "this must be stressful for you."

  "No, I feel better now that I've talked to someone. Additionally, you might find out more about Bart. I hope everything will settle down. Andrew, I'm sorry about your girlfriend."

  "And I'm sorry about your fiancé. Thank you for your help, Lilian, and take care of yourself," I said.

  "I will. I hope to hear from you soon."

  Chapter 15

  The days after An's death are, for me, a blurred memory. I remember somebody explained to me how the accident had occurred. How she was in a hurry and crossed the street at the last second, how the driver did his best to avoid her but it was too late. All those things passed me by completely. I didn't care how she died; my sister wasn't with me anymore. I spent the following days trying to reconnect to reality. Dan was my only remedy; I needed to be close to him more than ever. At first, before the burial, I used to sit in a corner, waiting for him to leave An's side. I didn't understand why he would stay so close to her. I even wondered if that was still her after all. Where did my sister go? Did she disappear? Was there still something of her around? I was scared. Death was the scariest thing in the world for me.

  One day, I have no idea how many days after that, I was in my room with Dan, who was trying to convince me to go back to school.

  "You have to try, at least for your parents. They need to know you can still go on."

  "I don't feel like it. And you're not going back to school either."

  "I'll start going tomorrow. I have a few things to discuss with the principal."

  "If you're going, I'll go back too."

  "… Drew..."

  "What? It's your win, isn’t it?"

  "It's not that. Not just your parents… I need to know that you can go o
n too."

  "What's this about?"

  "I need to know that you can go on without me."

  His words hurt me. Why would I need to go on without him? I grabbed his arm and forced him to look into my eyes. He seemed troubled.

  "What are you talking about?"

  "Drew, there's something I have to tell you."

  "I don't like this at all, Dan."

  "I'll be moving to Downtown. I'll go to high school there."

  "No, you won't." I couldn't accept what he was telling me. I didn't understand.

  "My mother was transferred there for work. I can't leave her alone, Drew." He couldn't look me straight in the eyes.

  "But you can leave ME?" I screamed. "You can't go! You can't be so egoistical!"

  "It's not that we're not gonna see each other anymore. It's still the same city, people come and go there every day. I'll come visit."

  "Is this all? An dies and you just run away from me? This is so unfair." Sadness and anger were taking advantage of me. Since An's death we were falling apart, and it was just getting worse.

  "No, you're unfair! I'm not leaving you because I want to!" he screamed back at me. That was the first and last time he ever did that. "There are things I have to do, no matter how hurt I could get because of them. I need you to accept that," he lowered his voice. "I need you to tell me that Downtown is close, that I can see you anytime… please…" Little tears ran down his cheeks. Seeing him crying was like being punched in the stomach.

  "Okay," I told him, "you're right. It's close, isn't it? And we have our watchpads. You can return here during the weekends, and I'll come to see you too." I found myself crying too. He came closer, right in front of me, and laid his head on my chest.

  "Thank you, Drew."

  I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, hugging him strong, and I waited for that unbearable pain to pass.

  ◆◆◆

  Later that evening, I received a message from Marshall. He thanked me for talking with Lilian, saying that she seemed glad to have met us. Dan and I were sitting in a cafe, still in Uptown, trying to summarize our information so far.

  "So, Shallie disappeared in January. At the same time, Robinson was investigating his father's group. On February 3, Robinson called Lilian for the last time. Shallie was found the morning of the 4th, Robinson's car on the 6th. Both cases were closed in a hurry without any explanation. The police made the massacre public two weeks later, pretending it happened on that date; they probably wanted to avoid people associating Shallie's death and the murders in that villa. Just as you thought at first, there are more members of that sect still around. Shallie might have died because of poison. This is what we've found out so far," said Dan.

  "Have we?" I asked, reflecting on all we had done.

  "What do you mean?"

  "In theory, it all works. But I can't stand the doubt anymore. Before going to talk with that professor, I want to be a hundred percent sure this is the truth."

  "And what do you plan to do?"

  "I want to go to that villa. It's been quite some time now since the massacre, so the surveillance shouldn't be so tough."

  "No way," he answered immediately, with a serious look on his face.

  "What?"

  "I heard the family of the owner requested the whole area to be closed to the public, it's not gonna be easy to go see it. And even if we get there, how would you get inside? There might be cameras or other kinds of security systems. It's useless and dangerous, Drew."

  "I don't care; it's the only place where I can look for clues."

  "That place has been searched and put under the police surveillance, you won't find anything there."

  "How can you be so sure? Shallie was smart, Dan. If she was there that month she was missing, or even just a day, she definitely would have left traces of her presence behind. I'm sure of it."

  "Even if she did leave some trace, it's been too much time. They would have found it already, which makes the idea of going there even more absurd."

  "Okay, enough. I understand if you don't want to come with me, I’ll go alone."

  "That's not the point."

  "Then what's the point? You're being way too stubborn."

  He sighed and scratched his forehead. "No, I'm not sending you there on your own. You win, we'll go together."

  "Good. Because I'm already getting the tickets to the closest village to the villa," I said, looking at the bus tickets through my watchpad.

  "What? When?"

  "Tomorrow."

  "You gotta be kidding me. It's too early."

  "Too early for what? Can you tell me what's wrong with you today?"

  He looked away from me. "Just a few days ago you were hit by a car. This is… too dangerous," he murmured.

  "So you're worried about me. I appreciate that, but I'm not moving forward just sitting around chatting with these people we meet. I need real answers. I need proof. I know it could be dangerous, but I still think it's worth it."

  "We’ll do what you want, but I don't want us to stay in the village. Those places are small, and rumors travel fast. Let's rent a cottage or something, deeper in the mountains."

  "It could be a good idea, but it’ll cost a fortune..."

  "If that's the problem, I'll pay for it."

  "You're being so serious about this."

  "It’s for our own safety. I don't want anyone to be suspicious of us being there."

  "But wouldn’t it be strange for us to rent a cottage there on our own?"

  "Why? The owner will eventually think we're a couple on a vacation."

  "I'm not so sure about that."

  "What are you getting all edgy for?"

  "That's not it! It just feels… strange?"

  "Fine, let's bring Sara with us then. We will book the whole weekend to be back on Monday, so we'll have more time to look around."

  I hadn't considered that. In Rosedeer the first Monday of May is the Spring Festival, so it's not strange to make use of the festivity to go somewhere with family and friends. Nobody would suspect a group of college students renting a house in the mountains.

  "Are we gonna leave her alone while we go look around the villa? That's pretty heartless," I said at that point.

  "God, arguing with you is a pain in the ass. You know what? Decide the details yourself, I'm sick of all this," he said, vexed, and left the table. Dan the asshole; it was the first time he had that attitude toward me, and I didn't like it at all. After that, he barely talked to me the whole day, while I was arranging our trip to the mountains.

  The next morning we woke up early to get to the bus on time. We were supposed to get to our destination already at 8 a.m. Sara was extremely excited about it, and she looked happy like I had never seen her before. Dan was much more relaxed compared to the previous day, but he seemed strangely quieter than usual. We got to the bus station, and I stopped them before they could get on the bus.

  "Guys, wait a minute! Actually, we’re waiting for someone else," I said, slightly regretting my choice of the day before.

  "What do you mean?" asked Dan, with a suspicious look in his eyes.

  "Well, I thought Sara would feel lonely just with us boys, so I invited another girl to join us," I said, smiling anxiously. I understood that minute, by looking at their faces, that I had made the worst choice ever. What was I thinking?

  "Drew, who did— " Dan hadn't finished his question yet, when Chloe popped out the other side of the street, calling my name and running toward us with a bright smile, waving her hand. Instantly I could feel an intimidating murderous intent, clearly addressed to me, coming from Dan and Sara.

  "Hi guys, what a cheerful group we have here," commented Chloe, and an unpleasant silence fell between us. She was the only one looking perfectly calm, and she casually moved her eyes on everyone. "Drew — I can call you Drew, right? — was so nice to invite me yesterday. Even though I would have loved it if it were just the two of us," she said, holding onto my arm and giving m
e a sweet look.

  "Ahem, the more the merrier, right?" I said, immediately discouraged by the faces the other two were making.

  "Nice to see you are doing well, Chloe," said Dan, looking at us.

  "What, jealous?" asked Chloe.

  "We are gonna miss the bus," said Sara coldly. She grabbed Dan's hand and dragged him on the bus. He followed her without adding anything.

  While traveling, I had a chance to get to know Chloe a little better, since we sat next to each other. She was studying Economy at the Rosedeer State University, and I could tell from the way she talked that she was very knowledgeable on the subject. Dan and Sara were sitting pretty far from us, and I couldn't help looking at them to see how they were doing from time to time.

  "Drew, can I ask you something?" she said, suddenly.

  "Uh? Yes, of course."

  "You and Dan, what's going on between the two of you?"

  "Eh? Nothing."

  "What do you mean ‘nothing’?”

  "I don't think I understood your question."

  "You are not in a relationship, are you?"

  "No, we're not." Another one asking the same thing.

  "I see. Just a piece of advice, it's better if you stay this way."

  "Why are you telling me this?"

  "It's just a feeling I have. Things change a lot when you least expect them to. And I think you are one who likes changes."

  "And why do you think so?"

  "Because you got the four of us going on a trip together. Have you seen their faces? They'd rather be anywhere but here, and you could have easily avoided this situation, yet here we are. I'm like you in this respect. I like setting things in motion too."

  "So you're saying I did it on purpose?"

  "Why, you didn't?"

  I had no idea. Did I create that situation on purpose? What was I thinking when I called her? I should have known it would be awkward. Dan's first solution wasn't a bad one at all, to be honest. We could have gone together, just the two of us. Maybe I did think it would be more interesting this way. Maybe I did it to get distracted from the thought of going to the villa. I was never one who liked changes, but maybe I was the one who had started to change in the first place.