Family Ties (Chapter Five)

Posted on | Thursday, February 9, 2012 | No Comments


Chapter Five 

“Then we have to assume that someone else broke in and poisoned the coffee powder between the time you left for your sister’s and when uncle passed away. It could have been on Wednesday, because he had his morning cuppa and was fine all day, according to his friends,” Seth said.
His aunt rubbed her forehead wearily. “I still don’t understand why anyone would want to kill Vikram. He had his faults, but he was a good husband and father,” she said sadly.
Seth’s lips set in a grim line. “I’ll find the person who did this , Aunty. Now, we have a few minutes before Nathan arrives. Take him to the kitchen and start teaching him. You have to get a confession out of him, it’s the only way,” he urged.
“But what do I say?” His aunt looked nervous.
“When you’ve given him some work to do, ask him what he and uncle were talking about the evening before uncle died. That should get him talking,” Seth said.
A knock on the front door ended their conversation. Seth went into the study and left the door ajar, while his aunt greeted their visitor. He heard muffled voices, which grew more coherent as they neared the study.
“I made a mess of it,” a deep male voice said. Seth peered from behind the door. It was Nathan.
“Don’t worry, you will do better next time,” Seth’s aunt said soothingly.
An odd feeling came over Seth as he looked at Nathan’s downcast face. Why was he so familiar?

Seth heard two chairs being pulled out in the kitchen and the sound of pages being flipped. Nathan had opened his books; it was only a matter of minutes before his aunt got the man talking.
“What do I do in the meantime?” Seth muttered to himself in the dark, feeling a little foolish for not thinking things through. What if Nathan clammed up? His aunt had a small recorder he’d given her but what if she forgot to turn it on?
He pushed the thoughts away and concentrated on his surroundings. Perhaps there was something he had missed, a clue yet to be discovered. He removed his pocket flashlight and shone it around the room.
He checked the desk first. The empty envelope and letter opener were still there, exactly where they’d been before. The desk however, was spotless. His aunt had likely cleaned up.

His flashlight shone on a large framed photograph on the wall behind the desk. It was a family photograph, taken at his aunt and uncle’s wedding. Seth’s expression softened as he took in the smiling faces of his parents and the rest of the family.
His gaze fell on a familiar face in the photo. He drew in sharp intake of breath as realization struck him. Suddenly it all made sense. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he realized too late that he was not alone in the room.
“Seth! Seth, wake up!” A familiar voiced hissed in his ear.
The voice grew louder, more insistent. “Seth, we have to get out of here!”
The fog lifted a fraction, but the ringing in his ears wouldn’t stop. Seth tried to move but a sharp pain in his left temple stopped him. He leaned back against what felt like the back of a chair and groaned.
He forced his eyes open, wincing against the pain. He was still in the study, but the lights were on. Something warm and wet trickled down his left temple. He tried to free his hands but they were bound tightly behind the chair with rope. His ankles were also tied together.
“Are you all right?” With great effort, Seth lifted his head to look at the speaker. Next to him, also bound to a chair, was Ruben. His lip was cut and his right eye was swollen.

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