Once left alone, Gabriel walked up to the bedroom. He took out the package that Leanne passed to him. Yet another mystery. His name was neatly written on the top. There was no mistaking who it was meant for.
He was unsure whether he wanted to know the content of it.
He carefully opened it to find a book that he gave to Claire on their first date, annotated throughout in her neat handwriting. As he opened the book, he found a sketch of them together in it. In there, he caught a glance of a bright pink highlight - the only one in the entire book - over the words:
'I always took a long way home. Wherever I was going, I always took the long way to get there. But I always went my own way, and I always knew I'd get there.
And you know, as I do, that the storm will pass
And that the implacable sun doesn't simply stop when obscured by a dark, pernicious cloud. Which is why I know I'll return to your house-On a Sunday that's there on the calendar-And laugh with you over a glass of grappa.'
And besides, it was a scribble: 'The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.'
As for the past few weeks, Gabriel felt that things didn't feel right. It was like a scratch inside, like a tugging.
He took out every package he has received in the past few days.
He looked at the note that was attached to the evidence.
'Truly, E.C' he read. Gabriel lay down as he studied it carefully as if he tried to find a clue. Maybe he was. Maybe there was a bit of hope that he could hang onto. A hope that it was not Claire who he had buried the previous day.
The days passed and he slowly started functioning. He slowly started feeling numb again. Some days were better than others.
As he recovered, he started finding distractions in the company, planning his return. He didn't feel any passion for it anymore but it kept his mind occupied.
And outside of work, he gathered as many lawyers that he could trust, which were a total of five, including Alex and his father, Matthew, and Watters
Adam and Alex were amazing at knowing the details of Claire's case.
Sitting in a room and preparing for the court hearing was unnerving. He understood how Claire must've felt. He understood her anxiousness perfectly. He wished he was more supportive and not yet another cause of her worries.
The court has set up a new date since the bereavement period has passed. It was quicker than he hoped.
The first hearing was full of reporters, more than before. But more so than that, there were people by the courthouse, supporters, and people hurt by Michael Moore and Moore Pharmaceuticals. For the first time, Gabriel understood the extent of his work and how many people he was avenging or helping.
He was going to win, he knew it. Everyone knew it. His determination was clear.
***
Christmas has passed, and so did the new year began. The weeks have passed, one after another.
Gabriel received a few more mysterious packages from 'E.C.' and each package had more evidence to support his case. He was winning.
Gabriel lay down lazily, looking through the evidence again and a simple note attached to it. Always the same note. 'I hope it helps. Truly, E.C.'
He studied it, looked at it under the light, turning it around in his fingers.
'Truly, E.C'
The capital letters were written in bold in a very distinctive style. He had it analysed but a specialist. He had it compared to the handwriting of people he knew. No definite match.
'T.E.C.' What if the capital letters were a clue? He pondered as he continued staring at it.
'C.E.T' he looked at it from the back under the light. 'C.E.T.'
He stared at the letters. There was no match with Claire's handwriting. But it couldn't be concluded that it WASN'T her handwriting.
…Claire Elise Thompson...
Claire was alive. He was certain.
Gabriel shot up, rummaging through every gift, letter, and the package he had received since her death.
Every word that she chose, she chose carefully.
She said on the morning of her passing: 'I promise you that I will fight till the end. I am fighting for you and I will do so until he pays the price for what he has done to you and your family, and everyone else. I promise you that no matter how low I'll fall, I'll pick myself up and I'll make sure to bring this to an end.'
She wrote in her letter: 'I wish I could wake up in your arms tomorrow. I wish I could hold you for a little bit longer. But our time was cut short. Too short.
I am sorry for the pain and heartbreak that I am causing you. I am sorry for the time that passed when I haven't told you ever so many of the truths that I should have.
And most importantly, I am sorry that I forgot to say: I love you.
I am sorry for not telling you just how much I loved you. My entire heart belongs to you, now and forever, waiting to be reunited with you once and for all."
And then the book with the Charles Dickens quote written into it right next to the quote speaking of return home.
Gabriel's heart was racing and his hands were shaking. Hands. Both hands. He just noticed it. His right hand - the fingertips. They shook uncontrollably, just like his left hand. The shock was too much.
He rushed to the cemetery where Claire was buried and after a while, he called Mark.
"What's up, Gabriel?"
"Do you think there's Claire's body in a coffin and how could you fake a dead body for a funeral?"
"What?"
"A mannequin? A wax figure? Another corpse? Or nothing at all and forcing a closed casket?"
"What on Earth are you on about?"
"I'm just wondering. What's the most likely way of faking a dead body during a funeral?"
"Probably a closed casket? Seems like the least trouble."
"I thought so." Gabriel chuckled. "I'll let you know which one it was." He said decisively before disconnecting.
Mark thought about Gabriel's words for a minute before he had a dreadful realisation.
"What's wrong?" Zoe asked with worry.
"I need to go. He's about to do something stupid." Mark said, running off. Zoe looked at Gina and Joe, and all in silent agreement started running behind Mark. They've got in the car with him. It took him a while before they realised that he was driving up to the cemetery.
"Oh my fucking god!" Mark exclaimed, swearing under his nose, finding Gabriel as he expected in his worst thought. "Gabriel, you need to stop this immediately."
Gabriel didn't even look up at him, continuing to dig through the dirt.
"I'll be done soon enough." Gabriel responded, not backing down.
"This is illegal!" Mark started to lose his shit. "I'm calling the police."
"Sure, give me half an hour and I'm happy to go wherever the fuck you want me to. Whether it's a police station or mental asylum." Gabriel said coldly, persevering with the dig.
"What in the saint of a bejesus?" Zoe exclaimed as she caught up with Mark. Gina and Joe were a few steps behind her.
"I'm not going to just stand here and let you dig up your dead wife's corpse." Mark said sternly, sitting on the edge of the pit and readying himself to jump in.
"She's not dead." Gabriel said through his gritted teeth.
"Mark, don't." Zoe put her hand on Mark's shoulder.
"I can't just do nothing." Mark turned around to Zoe in despair. Zoe sighed as she watched Mark getting into the freshly dug grave, trying to get a shovel away from Gabriel.
"I need to make sure that she's there!!!" Gabriel roared. "Once I see her, I'll stop. Once and for all. I just need a confirmation."
"Gabriel… this isn't going to do you any good." Gina said softly as she squatted at the edge of the hole that Gabriel was digging into. He did a pretty good job considering he only was able to use one hand.
"I just need to see her and after that, I'll accept it as it is." Gabriel said sternly.
"Gabriel, she might not look like what you remember. Isn't it better to preserve the last memory of her alive rather than replace it with…" Gina's voice disappeared. Gabriel hesitated. What if he was wrong? What if he was reading too much into this?
"What triggered this?" Mark asked.
"I've received another package."
"What package?" Zoe raised her brows.
"Gabriel received letters and packages to support the lawsuit throughout the past few weeks." Mark explained quickly.
"What normal person signs the letter 'Truly, E.C.'?" Gabriel asked them.
"E. C.?" Zoe looked at Gabriel with confusion.
"Gabriel insists that the use of 'Truly' was an implication towards T." Mark started explaining. "Making it T. E. C."
"T. E. C.?" Zoe repeated, still not understanding.
"Claire Elise Thompson but backwards." Gabriel said shortly as if it explained his madness. "It's her. She's sending me stuff. She's telling me that she's alive."
"Yep, he's lost it." Zoe decided. "Let's go, Mark." She turned towards him. "He isn't going to listen to us."
Mark nodded silently. Joe walked away and called the police before they walked away.
In the end, Gabriel hasn't succeeded in digging up the casket before he was arrested.
Alex walked into the holding cell with a sullen face sometime later.
"What in the actual fuck, Gabriel?!" He raised his voice. "I shouldn't be getting you out of here considering that you've tried to dig out my cousin's corpse!"
"She's not there." Gabriel answered shortly as she looked at his hands.
"You need help, mate. And I'm talking about psychiatric help." Alex said coldly.
"Quite possibly." Gabriel agreed still set in his belief.
"I'll get you home but you must stay put. Do this shit again and I'll misplace your jaw myself and then admit you into the psychiatric hospital. Understood?"
"Understood." Gabriel nodded in defeat.
Gabriel hasn't attempted to do it again but his mind was still fixated on the possibility that Claire hasn't died. With support from many he started uncovering all of the details of the lawsuit, and he stood up against his father.
The press had well of a time with a scandal involving father and son. Gabriel didn't really care about the level of outrage portrayed. He was going to get his father to pay for his wrongdoings. His father killed Claire. He was going to pay for it.
He was surprised when Alex pulled up in front of his family's house but he followed him out.
"Alex…?"
"If you can't be left alone, you're staying here." Alex said through his gritted teeth.
"Alex…"
"Look, I get it. We all wish Claire was alive. But it's been… two months, almost three? If she's not back then she's six feet under the ground. So stop this madness!" Alex raised his voice. "Do I have to beat you up to knock some sense into you?! Now, that your arm's fucked I might actually have a chance." Gabriel sneered. "Now, get inside." Alex urged him. Gabriel walked in, warily. The smell of food filled the house. "I hope you have enough for one more!" Alex shouted into the house.
"There's always enough for another one." Jane, Alex's mother, popped her head out. She furrowed her brows at Gabriel who was covered in dirt.
"I'll get him to change first, don't worry, mum."
Alex pulled some of his own clothes out which would have been too small for Gabriel months ago but now they fit almost perfectly, and then they came down into the dining room.
There were Adam, Jane, Jack, and Nonna. Joseph was the one bringing the food across as Gabriel was urged to sit down in the space between Alex and Joseph.
"The decision in court will be made soon." Gabriel said as he sat down by the table. Joseph put a plate of food in front of him. Gabriel looked at it and a small smile crept on his face. "Ricotta Ravioli? Claire's favourite."
"Indeed." Joseph smiled.
"How's Leanne?" Gabriel asked as he looked around.
"She's been more tired recently. She's sleeping." Joseph let out a sigh as he sat down next to Gabriel.
"Is there anything I can do? Do you need anything?" Gabriel asked worriedly.
"We're doing alright." Joseph said as he slowly started eating. Somehow he was getting used to Gabriel and he almost accepted him fully. They saw each other a couple of times since the funeral but not that much with Gabriel being mostly occupied by the trial and his return to the company.
Gabriel took a bite before nodding in approval. "Now I understand why Claire was so upset that you didn't share the recipe. This is amazing."
"I thought I'd be able to teach someone to make it for her. That I can keep it as a treat. And…" his voice disappeared. "I have no one to share it with now."
Gabriel nodded as he took another bite. He caught Joseph staring at him.
"Yeah, Claire did grumble about that once." Gabriel smiled as he said. It was still a pained smile, the one that showed his heartbreak. "She absolutely loved your cooking."
"What about your cooking?"
"She pretended she liked it." Gabriel laughed. "I've only started to learn how to cook after we've got together. She was incredibly patient as she showed me how to crack an egg without making a mess."
"You couldn't crack an egg?" Joseph asked with disbelief.
"No." Gabriel admitted. "I've learnt since and I was going through cooking classes before…" he pointed his chin towards his arm.
"What if…" Joseph hesitated. "Can I share some of our recipes with you? After all, I wanted Claire's partner to have them one day. I know it's too late to have you cook for her but at least they're not going to get lost."
Gabriel stopped eating and stared at Joseph.
"I don't think I can give them the justice they deserve." Gabriel said worriedly.
"All they need is love and I'm sure you have plenty of it."
Gabriel agreed with hesitation.
Hours later, Gabriel laid down in the bed which had floral print on the bedsheets. It wasn't luxurious but it felt like home. The smell of sugar and cinnamon still lingered in the air from the apple pie that he was fed for dinner.
This… is what family felt like. And it was his family now. The last unspeakable gift from Claire. Gabriel sobbed into the pillow.
The shaking in his right hand persevered. He started physiotherapy soon after. By the beginning of April, he was able to bend his fingers. He managed to find a company that specialises in exoskeletons that designed a brace for his hand which responded to the stimuli. He could use his hand with its help. It was basic movements but with its help, he managed to grip a cup.
And at last, the fateful day came. The day when everything was going to be finalised. The trial was to be concluded. Over the weeks it gathered a lot of attention and support. It started with a few people and now there were tenths of people gathering by the courthouse every hearing. And now, there were going to be hundreds.
As Gabriel walked through the crowd, planning what to do afterwards… regardless of the outcome, he couldn't live any longer without Claire.
He looked around and for a second he thought he saw her, again. He thought that he saw her every once in a while. A phantom. Sometimes it was a passing pedestrian with a similar shade of hair. Sometimes it was someone saying something that sounded like something Claire once said. Sometimes it was a shadow. Today, he couldn't tell. He dismissed it immediately as he walked up to the court.