"So there's more?" Will raised an eyebrow and waited for a response which took a long time to come.
"Nothing that should concern you." Bryan didn't want to go back to this part of his past. He felt even worse whenever he was reminded of Anna and what happened to her.
Fighting the world? Yeah right.
Back then, at the time Anna died, there were only a few people.
Only a few people yet it seemed like he was overwhelmed and couldn't even do anything. He was such a coward then.
Bryan jerked back to reality as images of him holding the gun to Anna's head and pulling the trigger flashed through his mind.
"So, how are you fighting the world?" Bryan pulled himself together and pushed the thoughts to a locked up zone.
"It's my dad." Will gave a short reply and continued, "Back then, he was arrested for embezzlement and bribery."
"You believe he's innocent?" Bryan asked as he drew the conclusion from the boy's tone.
"Not just innocent, someone is framing him!" Will replied lightly.
"How sure are you?" Bryan felt that he was just being blinded by the love he had for his father and that was why he couldn't accept the bitter truth.
But then again, when he was informed that his mother had left with another man, he had refused to believe that reality and still held onto a believe— a believe that his mother would never abandon him and he was right after all, his mother never really left; she was taken!
Maybe this boy had the same gut feeling and conviction that his father would never do such a thing. Perhaps.
"He went to work every day and came home early. Then that day, all sorts of evidence came out linking him to so many crimes. It seemed like someone was pushing it onto him." Will went on with his story while tactfully avoiding a direct answer.
"Many?" Bryan asked unsure what to think anymore. He was puzzled not because the boy's father was charged for many crimes, but he was puzzled because the method seemed extremely familiar to him but he couldn't put his finger on it yet.
It was the same way those old farts in Wakeville were taken care of.
After he started the human traffickers' case, strange evidence emerged from nowhere and linked most of the rich people to the crimes and even more. What had led Bryan to this case was the search for the man who took his mother….
"Yes and everyday new evidences are brought forward."
"Did he have any quarrel with anyone before this?" Bryan frowned as he considered the case more and more.
"I don't know." Will shook his head.
A realisation hit Bryan…
I better not get involved yet, it seems….
Bryan decided that he would only be a listening party in this case.
"After he was arrested, everyone in our old neighbourhood started treating us like plaques and we had to move out… well mostly because of me.
"Today, I had a fight at school. One of the boys tried to use a knife against me but I took the knife and he ended up injured.
"Other students were there but they refused to tell the truth, all because I'm William Jeffrey Aeres!"
So that's how it is?
Bryan could vaguely understand why people treated them like that. For someone who is accused of multiple crimes that could fill up a diary page, people would definitely not want to associate with them.
But why take it too far? It's not like the kid and his mother committed all those crimes.
Bryan found that the reactions of people were totally overboard.
"Were you punished?"
"Suspension. At least I wasn't sent away, it'd be a big blow to my mother."
Bryan felt another surge of emotion rise within him. This boy was just too pathetic, from witnessing a serial murder crime to being hated by everyone and almost sent away from school?
"You know," Bryan sat up straight, "you should try as much as possible not to get into trouble. Do it for yourself and not always for your mother, it's your life."
Bryan almost laughed at his own advice. If he were to be ranked for causing or getting into trouble, he'd probably be in the gold position by now.
"I know," Will sniffed, "I don't fight, but I also can't stand it when someone says something bad about my mother."
Bryan nodded.
….
After a few more minutes, Will left. Bryan didn't leave immediately but sat down and recalled the boy's attitude and body movements.
He had to keep a close watch on him. He had a mature mind and could reason and argued logically.
Witnessing a murder crime and being stigmatized by the society could leave one with a mental problem but this boy seemed just fine. It meant that he was hiding something, something really big.
Over the past few days of monitoring him through indirect means, he hadn't found anything weird yet.
I can wait; Bryan sighed and got up to leave.
….
Meanwhile, Will had decided to drop by Mr Justin's house. He is the friendly neighbour who told weird stories.
As he walked along the quiet street, he felt his mind go numb while he could maintain his lucidity.
He tried to fight the familiar urge but soon his legs gave way and he began to stroll into a dark alley.
What is going on?
I feel like I can't control my limbs yet I'm conscious and awake…
Will looked around in confusion. The numbing feeling was gone.
It just vanished like it was a mere imagination.
Tap! Tap!! Tap!!!
He heard footsteps approaching him and decided to walk backwards a little.
After a while, a dark figure emerged from the shadows.
His black hood covered most of his face but the prominent blue eyes could still be seen clearly.
"I see you've established a good relationship with the detective."
Will felt his hair stand on end and cold shivers run down his spine when he heard the ethereal voice.
His first thought was to contact Bryan again.
"Don't even think about it!"
Will opened his mouth but nothing came out….