Erased, a novel
Chapter 24- Gone Again
Tayeton- Is a will to live enough to keep you alive? The sea of questions I had about my father, the Simpletons, and Simpleton and Fisher grew by the day. I'd met and gotten to know my father under a great pretense. The man I'd met was warm, thoughtful, and generous. He was a better version than the fictional character on my birth certificate. The day I learned of his death, a piece of my resolve also died. It was a confirmation that I had landed in a much greater circumstance than I'd imagined. It's not the scene you want to be greeted with first thing in the morning, and it's never the scene you'd expect to find as you pull up to work. The number of squad cars surroundings the building had given the impression that the company was under fire, but two hours after I'd arrived, the quiet of overnight had fallen over the entire company, and with the exception of the usual phone ringing, no one picked up the topic for discussion. It's a curious thing how the instinct to survive can pull you closer to a supposed threat than you would think possible, but it had. Whatever was going on, I knew it was big by the way Mr. Shepherd had summed up his findings weeks earlier with a simple, "Be Careful." By the time Walter died, it was a scary confirmation. It was also the moment I'd given my fear permission to spread out. With Walter gone, I no longer knew where to look. I also didn't know what would become of the Fisher legacy in the Simpleton and Fisher marriage. After all he was the only Fisher I'd met. All of this was the case when the bumpers tried to get me again. This time I was on on a local road. I'd just crossed the major intersection onto a lesser road. I didn't recall the car behind me as I came through the light, and then there it was in my blind spot. It was a spot I'd learned to give my attention to. I sped up to test the motivation of the driver, and the car shot up next to me with screeching and tires burning. It was not bright out or dark, and the streets weren't busy or empty. I quickly judged my options and made a U-turn right behind a white Volvo that passed me going the opposite way. I caused a few cars to leap ahead and made a swift right all in a matter of seconds. I stayed at about fifteen over the limit until I found a quiet road to hide out on. After a few minutes, I pressed my head against the wheel while tears ran down my face. I thought to just walk away and save my life, but I remembered Mr.Wells and the notes he'd gotten, and I knew it was more complicated than that. I'd only been introduced his nephew. I'd never confronted Walter, and now I was left wondering if he'd told anyone who I was. The days were mounting, and I continued to walk on pins and needles without making a sound. Then I received a text from Kayla. It was urgent, and she spelled it out along with the name of a small motel and the room number. I didn't understand the location, but I trusted her because my mother trusted her.
I parked across the street at a convenience store and walked up to the two story building. I didn't spot her car, but it was ten minutes after the time she's asked me to be there, so I approached the unit without hesitation. Two solid knocks, and I was on the inside. The shades were pulled and the air was blowing loudly. Sitting on the bed was her husband. She sat on a chair in front of a table across from him. On the bed beside him were some documents. I remained standing. Kayla was the first to speak.
"What do you know about Simpleton and Fisher?"
"Not much. Someone pointed me in their direction. I'm just a relative to the Fishers."
"Well there's some shady business. There's some pages in the copies of the contract I got that we don't recall, and it's pretty shady. We've done some research, and there's been several stories, but nothing sticks." I accepted the folder Wood handed to me and sat down on the bed. I looked at the stack and checked the time. I skimmed through the reports, and for the first time I had a clear view of the company. It was all beyond my reach, but I could see that Wood saw things differently. I convinced them to give me some time to look into the matter. I didn't share any of what I knew, but accepted their findings into the file I was keeping in my head. I'd thought of my silence as protection, but the image of Wood and Kayla together had a strong impact on me. I knew it was time to say something to Kat. I didn't know how the strings would continue to unravel, but I didn't want to be found dead in my car with a fast food bag in my lap, and with my lungs swollen and her think it was just an accident. That was the way he died. Simple.
Erased, a novel
Copyright 2018 by Natisha Renee Williams, All Rights Reserved
Grace Call Communications, LLC Copyright 2018
Chapter 24- Gone Again
Tayeton- Is a will to live enough to keep you alive? The sea of questions I had about my father, the Simpletons, and Simpleton and Fisher grew by the day. I'd met and gotten to know my father under a great pretense. The man I'd met was warm, thoughtful, and generous. He was a better version than the fictional character on my birth certificate. The day I learned of his death, a piece of my resolve also died. It was a confirmation that I had landed in a much greater circumstance than I'd imagined. It's not the scene you want to be greeted with first thing in the morning, and it's never the scene you'd expect to find as you pull up to work. The number of squad cars surroundings the building had given the impression that the company was under fire, but two hours after I'd arrived, the quiet of overnight had fallen over the entire company, and with the exception of the usual phone ringing, no one picked up the topic for discussion. It's a curious thing how the instinct to survive can pull you closer to a supposed threat than you would think possible, but it had. Whatever was going on, I knew it was big by the way Mr. Shepherd had summed up his findings weeks earlier with a simple, "Be Careful." By the time Walter died, it was a scary confirmation. It was also the moment I'd given my fear permission to spread out. With Walter gone, I no longer knew where to look. I also didn't know what would become of the Fisher legacy in the Simpleton and Fisher marriage. After all he was the only Fisher I'd met. All of this was the case when the bumpers tried to get me again. This time I was on on a local road. I'd just crossed the major intersection onto a lesser road. I didn't recall the car behind me as I came through the light, and then there it was in my blind spot. It was a spot I'd learned to give my attention to. I sped up to test the motivation of the driver, and the car shot up next to me with screeching and tires burning. It was not bright out or dark, and the streets weren't busy or empty. I quickly judged my options and made a U-turn right behind a white Volvo that passed me going the opposite way. I caused a few cars to leap ahead and made a swift right all in a matter of seconds. I stayed at about fifteen over the limit until I found a quiet road to hide out on. After a few minutes, I pressed my head against the wheel while tears ran down my face. I thought to just walk away and save my life, but I remembered Mr.Wells and the notes he'd gotten, and I knew it was more complicated than that. I'd only been introduced his nephew. I'd never confronted Walter, and now I was left wondering if he'd told anyone who I was. The days were mounting, and I continued to walk on pins and needles without making a sound. Then I received a text from Kayla. It was urgent, and she spelled it out along with the name of a small motel and the room number. I didn't understand the location, but I trusted her because my mother trusted her.
I parked across the street at a convenience store and walked up to the two story building. I didn't spot her car, but it was ten minutes after the time she's asked me to be there, so I approached the unit without hesitation. Two solid knocks, and I was on the inside. The shades were pulled and the air was blowing loudly. Sitting on the bed was her husband. She sat on a chair in front of a table across from him. On the bed beside him were some documents. I remained standing. Kayla was the first to speak.
"What do you know about Simpleton and Fisher?"
"Not much. Someone pointed me in their direction. I'm just a relative to the Fishers."
"Well there's some shady business. There's some pages in the copies of the contract I got that we don't recall, and it's pretty shady. We've done some research, and there's been several stories, but nothing sticks." I accepted the folder Wood handed to me and sat down on the bed. I looked at the stack and checked the time. I skimmed through the reports, and for the first time I had a clear view of the company. It was all beyond my reach, but I could see that Wood saw things differently. I convinced them to give me some time to look into the matter. I didn't share any of what I knew, but accepted their findings into the file I was keeping in my head. I'd thought of my silence as protection, but the image of Wood and Kayla together had a strong impact on me. I knew it was time to say something to Kat. I didn't know how the strings would continue to unravel, but I didn't want to be found dead in my car with a fast food bag in my lap, and with my lungs swollen and her think it was just an accident. That was the way he died. Simple.
Erased, a novel
Copyright 2018 by Natisha Renee Williams, All Rights Reserved
Grace Call Communications, LLC Copyright 2018
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