Men were all around the place, searching furiously for either Jeremy; the living man, or his dead body. The city river, which was well known for being crocodile-infested, bellowed as water cascaded; hitting on the rocks, trees and reeds which stood therein.
"If the crocodiles miss him, the water itself will drown him," one man commented, and no one responded.
The search continued, with the men leaving no stone unturned; literally.
As each person worked seriously, there was silence, save for the sounds of the water. Suddenly a voice screamed loud, "A trousers! There is a pair of trousers here; and it's badly torn!"
Everyone ran towards the man, and sure enough, there was some brown jean trousers, which looked fairly new. From looking at it, it was easy to tell that it had not stayed in the water for too long. It had just been freshly dumped.
"Is this his?" Gareth asked, holding the trousers up.
Jacob looked as if he was scared to hold the pair of trousers. He dreaded to confirm it. He could not be the one to say it, so he retreated and said,
"If it has a tear in the right pocket, mended using a black thread, it sure is his. Because he once mended his trousers pocket while I watched.
"Open it up, let's see!" Gareth gave a command.
One of his men did as he was instructed, and sure enough, the right pocket was mended using a black thread.
Jacob suddenly lost his energy and he sat down. He stretched his hand for the trousers, and the man handed it to him. Bringing it very close to his chest, despite the fact that it was dripping wet, Jacob mourned for his brother.
"Jeremy, Jeremy…did it really have to come to this? My brother…my brother!"
Besides him, Nesisa was also crying uncontrollably. "You did this, Gareth! You drove him to taking his own life! I cannot stand here! Take me away from here!" the poor woman cried, while at the same time doing her best to continue carrying her son in her arms.
Gareth moved aside and called lady Pinkerton, who already knew about the suicide note. He told her that a pair of trousers identified as Jeremy's had been found, and the chances of him having been eaten up by the crocodiles was very high. The lady listened quietly, and chose to reserve her comment.
"Continue searching. We need anything that we can find. If the crocodiles ate him up, there surely should be come remains. Anything!" Gareth sent his orders. "And be careful, or else you too will become food for the crocodiles today!"
The men continued. All of them were exhausted from the search, but it was not possible to state that. They were hungry too, but they knew that the task at hand needed to be completed. It just had to be done. The searching went on.
"Look! A shoe!" one man shouted, and those near him went closer to see. The shoe was brought to Gareth, and the man scrutinized it.
"Is this his?" Gareth asked Jacob and Nesisa.
"It is my brother's shoe…" Jacob responded.
"Find something more meaningful. I want a part of his body! A hand, a part of a leg, even the intestines. Find me his body!" Gareth screamed out the very insensitive order, considering that he was saying all that right in front of Jacob and Nesisa.
After hearing that, Nesisa was unable to take it any longer. She stated that she needed to leave, and her husband drove her away.
Gareth could not have been bothered. To him, all that mattered at that moment was to find more evidence. He needed something. In his imagination, he saw himself picking up a palm…yes; a palm of that silly man who dared cross the young master's path. That man who had the guts to steal a wife who belonged to the Pinkertons. Gareth wanted to see a foot…he was drooling for one of his men to pick up a leg…a torso…anything. Anything at all which belonged to Jeremy Rain.
"Search every place. You cannot ignore anything, follow up any and all leads, no matter how insignificant it may seem." He gave the instruction.
The men continued frantically. None was talking to the other, for everyone was just praying for it to end. Some of them were already feeling like they were having a fever after standing in the cold water for hours. Some of them just wanted to go back home and sleep; for they felt like the search was nothing but torture to them.
***
Jacob and Nesisa, together with baby Elvis, arrived at Sharon's place. The woman was looking exhausted, and it was easy to tell, from just looking at her, that she had not had decent sleep in a long while.
They all sat down, facing Sharon, and Sharon did not like how they both looked.
"Just tell me." she said.
Jacob and Nesisa looked at each other, and they did not say anything.
"Just say it!" Sharon screamed. "The Pinkertons killed him; did they not?" she wailed.
"Mum, sit down," Jacob tried to console his mother.
"They killed him! They killed my son!" Sharon stood up and, with both hands holding the back of her head, she walked back and forth, wailing while shaking miserably. Her vision failed her, and she felt like her bowels were going to give in.
"Why…why me? Why…why, my son Jeremy why?" she looked wretched; grieving for her son.
"Mum, sit down," Jeremy held and tried to calm her down, but it was no use.
"Mum, please sit," Nesisa also tried, as tears filled up her eyes. Watching her mother in law in that much pain was unbearable.
"What did they do to him? What did they do to him?"
"He threw himself in the river, mum!" Jacob told his mother, failing to control his tears.
"No! Not my son," the mother was shattered.
"This is his trousers, mum. This is his trousers, and he is gone! Our Jeremy is gone."
"Where is his body? I must see his body, and I must bury him myself. I must see my child's body and give him a befitting farewell. He was my son after all; he deserves a decent burial!"
Both Jacob and Nesisa were supporting Sharon from both sides, and their hearts broke into pieces while they watched her breaking down.
"Gareth and his men are still searching for his body, mother. And I only came here to inform you, and to leave Nesisa. I need to go and make a police report."
"Why do they want his body? He is my son, do you hear me, Jacob? Jeremy is my son, and I am the one who should look for him and bury him! I have to lay him to rest; that is what a mother does, do you hear me, Jacob?"
"Mum…"
"No, Jacob! I have to go out and look for him! I am his mother! I want to see his body! Just because of a trousers…a trousers which happens to be Jeremy's; you want me to believe that my son is dead? My son is alive. Until I see his dead body, I will not accept the news of his death!"
"Mum…"
"No, Nesisa, don't try to talk me otherwise. Stand up, let's go. Take me to that river; where you found his trousers. I will find him. Whether he is dead or alive, I will find him. I will have to bring my son back home to me. He belongs here with me! He is not dead. I refuse to accept that. Let's go!"