Fan Fiction |
by Mimosa
“No!” Nick kicked the table “No! No! No! It can’t be!” He threw the flower vase down “NO!” This time it was a book, and his volume was at the highest “He can’t just be gone like that! NO!”
Jessica watched Nick in disbelief.
Tara crossed Nick’s path. Then swiftly, she delivered a tight slap across his face.
The impact on his face brought Nick’s hysterics to a halt. Slowly and numbingly, he slid down against the wall onto the floor. His eyes stared blankly into the space in front of his, seeing neither Tara nor Jessica.
So that was it? His buddy! Gone! In such a horrible way!
Tara stood looking down at the miserable man. Her first impression of him as a spoiled rich kid had gone, replacing by a much more tender feeling which she couldn’t quite name.
“Tara,” Jessica mouthed and cocked her head toward the kitchen. Tara obliged, after casting another weary glance at Nick.
“Oh my!” whispered Tara, “I didn’t expect such a reaction from a guy like him! He and Gallen must have been very closed friends, right huh Jie?”
Jessica mumbled a yes. There was one person that she knew would react even more violently to the news, and somehow she found herself helpless. Pacing back and fourth, Jessica waited anxiously for the line to be connected. Hester didn’t pick up.
“Who are you calling? Your cute CID Lieutenant?” guessed Tara, trying to lighten up the air
“No, my sister!” Jessica redialed the number again. She shook her head at Tara “She’s not picking up! I’m so worried, Tara!”
“Hester? Why?”
Jessica dropped herself carelessly down on one of the chairs “I’m telling you this, but don’t breath a word in front of Roger, promise?” She waited for a confirmative nod from her friend, “Hester was officially Roger’s girlfriend, but I think she cares for Gallen much more than she’s supposed to.”
“Oh no” Tara brows were knit in confusion “What kind of game are you guys playing? I thought you like Roger, Jie!”
Jessica lowered her eyelids, feeling the burning on her cheeks. She should never enter this silly circle of love. It was so out of her characteristics. She had unknowingly taken part in the game herself.
“Jie, I know your sister Hester.” Tara’s voice brought Jessica back “You’d better find her before she attempted something funny!”
“I guess you will have to stay here, Tara!” Jessica said quickly “I’m not comfortable leaving Nick alone, and I can’t find Roger neither. He might come back any time”
“Okay, jie.” Tara sighed, “I’ll stay put here. Call me if you need anything!”
“Sure” Jessica rushed out.
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“Aunt Leung” Felix was too reluctant to leave “Are you sure she will be okay?”
“I’ll see to that, Felix” The woman said, wiping her eyes “You need to go home and have a rest too. You will have to take care of a lot of things!”
Felix threw one last glance at the delicate figure of Vivian, so still on the couch under the thin blanket. Her sobbing has subsided as the sedatives finally kicked in.
Unwillingly, Felix bit her mother goodbye, and dragged himself toward the elevator. It came eventually. Felix stepped in the empty little space, the double metallic door slid creakily behind him. He was alone at last. Nobody needed his shoulder, his support now. Felix leaned back against the cool wall, feeling totally exhausted. What had happened to his family? What had they done to deserve such a horrible return? First it was his father, and now his brother? The police! Felix grinded his teeth and sunk his fist onto the hard wall. His hand bled. Felix looked strangely at the wound. How easy it took for someone to bleed. How easy it took for someone to die. Why did they have to die?
He staggered out of the elevator dizzily, got into his car, and sped home. The house was horribly empty. “Roger, Roger!”
“He’s not home, Mr. Wong!” the housekeeper appeared at the top of the stair case.
“Mrs. Yung!” Felix frowned “You’re back! I thought you asked for a week off?”
“Yes, Mr. Wong. But my uncle has got well sooner than I thought, and I think you and your brothers would not mind some decent meals, so I get back as early as I can.”
“Thank you Mrs. Yung, but I don’t think you need to cook that much…” Felix winked painfully “It’s only me now…”
“Why do you say that?” Mrs. Yung was curious “Your brothers…”
“He’s dead, Mrs. Yung. Gallen, he’s gone!” Felix dropped down onto the couch and shut his eyes tiredly.
He didn’t see the reaction on the housekeeper’s face.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The old detective paced back and forth impatiently. His superior officer sat still in his chair looking grim. Presently there was a soft knock on the door, and his junior partner propped his head in with a sheepish smile plastered on his face.
“Come in, Julian! And close the door” Lam Sir said in a low tone. Julian avoided Eddie’s pierce glance and sat down.
“Julian, what is going on?”
“Looks like suicide, Sir!” Julian began “He was probably at the end of his nerve and his wit, so he just decided to bail out everything. It was a single one through the heart Sir.”
Eddie brought a fist down on the desk, and Julian jumped
“I don’t buy that crap” He lowered his face to Julian “You’d better give me the truth!” He straightened himself back up “You and Raymond have 24 hours to give me a report. It’d better be a good explanation if you kids want to save you bottoms. Got it?”
“Got it, Sir” mumbled Julian sulkily. He saluted and walked out.
The two observed Julian’s hasty retreat in silence. Then one of them chuckled
“You think they could pull it off?”
“Oh yeah, I’m sure!” The other nodded
“You should have given them 48 hours though. But I guess that would be too obvious then!”
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Nick!” Tara growled in her throat. “Stop it! You’ve had enough”
“What’s your problem?” Nick objected “It’s my bottle of wine!” He grabbed it, but Tara was quicker “Ah, I know!” Nick laughed drunkenly “You want to drink with me? That’s er.. good! To Gallen!” He raised his glass, but only succeeded half-way.
“Nick, don’t do this to me!” Tara grinded her teeth “Don’t doze off here, I can’t carry you, you know.” She shook him roughly “Hey… wake up!”
Tara sighed. Nick had collapsed onto the floor. Fine, she guessed he could spend the time there if she could find a blanket.
The house phone rang while Tara was making her way into one of the bedroom. It made her jump. God, her nerves must have been damaged from witnessing the scene Nick made. She found a phone next to the bed “Hello? Nick …” She stopped, realized she didn’t even have a chance to learn his last name. She shrugged “Hello?”
“Hello?” She spoke into the phone once more time “Anyone there?” The line was still silent. Then Tara heard a click. Whoever called had hung up.
“Weird” Tara thought and placed the phone back on the base. Maybe it was just a wrong number. But in that case the caller should at least have the courtesy of saying so. Tara shrugged once more, then fetched a blanket and went out.
She threw the blanket carelessly on top of him, when the phone rang again. This time it was her cell phone. It was Raymond,
“Hi there” Tara spoke quickly “Hester with you? Jess has been looking for her. Is she okay?”
“Well, sort of!” Raymond answered, his voice was even more urgent that that of Tara’s “Look, could you get to the lab tonight? Please? I have got the samples.”
Tara glanced at Nick asleep on the floor. He wouldn’t be able to come round anytime soon. “Okay Raymond. When will you be ready to meet?”
“I’ll be there in an hour!”
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Sis, stop! Stop that!” Raymond was struggling to keep Hester still “Listen to me!”
She lifted her head and look at him through her teary eyes. Then she began to laugh. Hysterically! Her shoulder trembles uncontrollable. Raymond looked up helplessly at the other girl standing at the doorstep. She signaled him to go out.
“Thanks” He said as he passed her “I’ll have to rush now!”
She nodded and advanced into the room.
“Hester,” The girl said, soothingly “Gallen would not want to see you like this!”
Hester stopped laughing, as sudden as she had started, and stared blankly at the girl in front of her. The face looked familiar, but Hester couldn’t remember.
“Who are you?” whispered Hester. Her voice was hoarsely vacant.
“I’m Carmen.” The girl said, “I’m Gallen cousin.”
“No….” Hester bit her lower lip “Carmen… No, you are not.”
“Come now, you need a rest. I’ve managed to get you a room.” Gently but firmly, Carmen pulled Hester up. But the later yanked her arm from the grip and stepped unsteadily back.
“I remember you.” Hester swallowed hard, her gaze fixed on Carmen’s face. It was the same eyes, the nose, the lips… It was her!
“How?” Carmen was taken aback “I’ve never met you before.”
Hester dropped her long eyes lashes and whispered inaudibly “He talked to me about you all the time.”
Carmen’s heart leapt a beat. “Why?”
Hester reopened her eyes and looked deep into Carmen’s. Her lips tremble “Because… because you are his one and only love!” Tears cloud Hester’s eyes “I guess you should know it now. He always loves you.” She fought bravely to take control “He.. he loved only you!”
Carmen stared at the Hester, speechless. The later turned and walked blindly toward the window, her voice trailed off into a choking whimper “He loved only you! But I guess it make no difference now!” The sobbing halted her breathing “He’s left us... He's left me...”
She reached the open window…
“Hester!” Carmen screamed and sprang forward “Stop!”
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