CHAPTER 2: THE SUNSET AND THE SLAUGHTER

Since no one will probably sit there anymore, I went back and sat at my cozy corner still wondering about the two men who kind of stirred my morning upside down. Just then I noticed a small card under the table. I quickly took the card into my hands and noticed that it’s completely black but there is a name written in bold silver letters as “Mark William Bryants” and a small logo which is very uncanny and spooky as well, probably a business card or something. I wondered whose card it could be and felt a sudden realization that no one even sits here to lose something except for the handsome guy who visited the café today. So, it must definitely belong to him or maybe pops might know who it is. Pops was busy squabbling with his wife about something and I figured it wasn’t the right moment for me to enter.

The day went by quick even before I realized it and it’s time for me to leave. It was just about the right time for a beautiful and radiant sunset. Sunsets are like a starter pack for a beautiful escape from all our worries, pain and agony. I might sound cheesy but I haven’t come across a single soul who can or will detest the charms of a breathtaking setting of the evening sun. A few strides from the café brought me to a wooden bench giving me a stunning view of the fishing harbour and its connecting coastline of this small village of Polperro in Cornwall. Besides, the report of my strange encounter with two mysterious men back in the morning got me a box of café made cookies and a warm hug from Mrs Holly, Pop’s lovely wife. She’s been the best to me since day one and her cookies are something else. They’re flavory, soft and delicate on the inside but are pretty plain and deliciously crunchy on the outside.

The harbour is still bustling with tourists arriving and departing. Somehow, everything seemed very still and the vast body of water is glistening in gold from the sparkling reflections of the sunset. The sky is now slowly filling itself from crimson to scarlet hues with a dab of coral pink making the setting sun look magnificently hot and angry but heart-stopping as well. The cookies helped me enjoy the stunning scenery without being bored all by myself. The show’s over and now I should get back to my humble abode. On my way back, I went to get some groceries from the nearest store and on my way and when I came out of the store, I think someone is trying to follow me. At least, I think I saw someone suspicious, but don’t know if he’s after me or someone else but the street is pretty empty to even think of other possibilities. Now, my pace is increased with giant strides and my heartbeat decently increasing with each step. A sharp turn to the left had me bump against someone and I squeaked in terror which made me fall off on my back, but the person held me by my arms with an “Are you alright?”. As soon as I raised my head to look at him, to my surprise it’s the handsome guy from the morning.

“Uhm! What?” I asked confused.

“Are you alright? What happened?”

“Yes yes, I just, I’m just Uhm!”

“Relax! It’s okay” He comforted me by tapping on my shoulders very lightly.

“I just thought someone followed me” I replied still gasping.

“Is it him?” He pointed behind me.

I turned back to find an old man walking like he’s lost on his way because he’s completely drunk. He’s now taking the help of an adjacent wall to steady himself. My heartbeat is now stabilized and I’m now free from his grip.

“Yes, I think I mistook this man because a suspicious guy showed up in the morning too”

“Wait, are you talking about me?”

“No, he came earlier than you and left the café as soon as you entered”

“So, he did come!” He exclaimed to himself looking elsewhere.

“Do you know him?”

“No, I don’t, uhm! do you want me to walk with you?”

“It’s okay! I can go back myself”

“Okay then, get home safe” Saying this, he gave way to me with his left hand showing the way.

“Wait!!! I don’t think I can walk back alone”

“I don’t think I will be able to leave you alone too”

Oh! This is something new, I’ve never felt like this before. His words kept running back and forth in my mind while I’m slowly escaping into his beautifully bewitching eyes. I didn’t realize that I kept staring at his face, carefully observing his features in the dim light of the fallen sun and the rising crescent until he cleared his throat. I’m now flushed at his gesture and kind of embarrassed, but he didn’t look like he was bothered or something because he’s still smiling showing off his glistening pearly whites. Damn, he’s such a beauty that I can’t take my eyes off him. He parted his lips to say something but stopped himself and then asked me

“Shall we?”

“Oh! Yes, I’m sorry, I’m lost and Uhm! Please let’s go”

We kept walking towards my home through these narrow streets of Polperro, filled with white stoned cottages dressed in clusters of Bougainvillea here and there and faint sounds of sea waves from afar accompanying us. The streets were pretty empty and we didn’t speak a word. I wanted to ask him about the card that I have found in the morning, but I’m hesitating to do so just when he spoke up

“You’re Gabriel, right?”

“Yes, Gabriel Cortez, and are you by any chance Mark?” I finally asked him out of my curiosity.

“Yes, how did you know???”

His eyes became rounder and bigger with a white and blank expressionless face curiously waiting for my answer.

“I found a business card back in the café where you sat, a black one. So, I’m just asking you if it’s really yours?”

“Yes, it is mine, I must’ve dropped it by mistake”

His face is now more balanced and a faint smile has slowly formed back on his handsome face. We in the meantime while discussing our names entered the street where I live and realized this is it with this handsome man.

“So, this is where I live and I must thank you for helping me out”

“You’re welcome, however, I needed to go this way too. So, it’s not really much”

“Oh! And by the way, here’s your card”, I pulled out my journal from my bag and held out his card waiting for him to accept. He stared at my hand for a few seconds and then took it back, but I think I caught a quick change of expression from a smile to a frown and didn’t quite understand what was wrong. Before I could say or ask something, he received a call that startled us both. His facial expressions and mannerism switched really quick and he ran towards the end of the street shouting;

“It was nice meeting you Gabriel, please take care”, and disappeared into the dim lights with a sprint. I’m now left alone in front of my door as usual just like every day. I went inside my small and cozy cottage leaving all my belongings on the floor including my bag, shoes, everything and went straight to my room and fell on the bed with my arms open just reminiscing the previous encounters that happened the whole day.

The next day is the 15th and I am taking leave since it’s a very special day for me. Even Pop’s know why I’ll ask a leave every 15th because it’s the day that I’ll be having a date with my precious dad. We just chill and de-stress the whole day with just the two of us. I can’t even imagine my life without him, even though he’s not the one who gave birth to me, he is still the one and only person who at least cares for me. On the other hand, my mom who actually gave birth to me is out there changing boyfriends every week who probably doesn’t even remember me by now. Her only life goal is to enjoy her life lavishly spending her new boyfriend’s money and also shopping almost five times a week. She never actually cared about me and I hate the fact that she left my dad, the one who’s taking care of me just because he went bankrupt even though he kindly took her and me in after my dad, who actually gave birth to me died when I was five. I didn’t want to live my life as reckless as her and decided to move out when I was 16 and from then on I lived with my dad who lived alone as well, but one-day things changed and he wanted me to move out and live somewhere far and unknown to everyone else and even requested me to not ask him why. Since I trust him more than I ever trusted myself, I till date never asked him why he did whatever he did, but he promised me to come meet me every month on the 15th and spend the whole day with me. He calls me every 15th sharp at 10 O'clock before visiting me which takes him two hours to reach me after the call. It’s already 10 now and I am waiting for his call eagerly while having some tea all dressed up for the date. The phone suddenly rang and when I took the call thinking it was him, cheered up in my chair heard a deep voice from the other side which was clearly wasn’t my father’s.

“Hello, is this Gabriel?”

“Yes, but who is this?” My voice is now cracked with curiosity because no one else even knows my number which is actually a number provided by this house I am living in, so who could’ve even called me today?

“I want you to tell me where your dad is?”

“Who the hell are you?” I yelled back in enragement.

“I don’t want to say this but you’ll be dead by now if this conversation wasn’t happening on a phone call”

I stayed silent for a while, trying to get a hold of myself thinking all possibilities as to what happened to my dad in the first place and who are these people, who are even ready to kill people. And, what business do these kinds of people even have with my dad?

“Are you there?” came an angry voice from the other side.

“What do you want from me?” I asked him slowly making sure to be polite.

“I just want to know where your dad is, that is all”

“I really don’t know where he is”

“Do you think I am playing with you right now?”

“You playing with me or not does not change the fact that I do not know where he is right now” I replied confidently.

“I don’t think you understand this but you need to immediately let me know if you get to know the slightest information of your dad before I send someone to kill you”

I am terrorized now literally quivering from head to toe. I don’t want my dad or me to end up dead.

“Alright, I will” I responded quietly.

“That’s good” He ended the call abruptly making me all the more confused now. I couldn’t think straight anymore, except for the horrific threats I just came across. Where did my dad even go, without even meeting or informing me? Just then, I received another call and I can’t even pick up any call now. I just waited until it rang completely, but then it started ringing again and this time I made my mind to take the call hoping it was my dad. A woman in her mid-thirties answered me to my surprise.

“Is this Miss. Gabriel?” she asked curiously.

“Yes, it is”

“Then we’re so sorry to inform you that your guardian Mr James Cortez is dead with a couple of gunshots and this was the only number saved in his mobile as family”

It felt like my heart just stopped beating for a second when I heard what she said. I couldn’t still believe what she even said just now.

“What? Where is he now? Which health centre is this?”

“It is University Hospital of Wales”

I stood silently for a while, my words unspoken, my mind completely empty and my life shattered to pieces in a fraction of seconds. She spoke again when she heard no reply from me;

“Please come and visit immediately and collect the deceased body”

“Wait body? How did he end up with gunshots? Who did that to him?” I questioned her in shock.

“Miss, we wouldn’t know all that without a thorough investigation of this case”

“So, you’re telling me that this is a murder?”

“Of course, it is a murder miss, please come and collect the body and look after the investigation”

She ended the call by saying this, which made me feel even more empty and devastated. Why would anyone want to kill my dad? How can they harm a person like him? He is the sweetest person I have ever seen. This can’t happen to him; I didn’t even tell him my last goodbye. If I knew something like this will happen, I would’ve never let him go back the last time I met him. I don’t even know what to do anymore. I think I should probably go and collect his body before someone else does even though I don’t know what they will even do with the body. But I am not going to take any more chances this time, I should at least give a proper funeral and a last goodbye to my beloved dad who loved me the most.