Family Ties (Chapter Six)

Posted on | Monday, February 13, 2012 | No Comments

Chapter Six 

“Where are we?” Seth croaked. His throat felt parched and swollen.
“We’re in Father’s study. Someone ambushed me when I arrived home from work. The last thing I remember seeing was the living room carpet. I woke up and saw you here,” Ruben explained.
“It’s Nathan, I’m sure of it,” Seth said. “He must have your mother captive somewhere in the house. We need to get ourselves untied fast, or he’ll get away with this.”
Ruben shook his head. “How? I don’t have a knife or anything else to cut the ropes with.”
Seth tried to lift his head again and winced. “I think I might have a concussion. You will have to do it. There’s a pocket inside my jacket, I have a Swiss army knife in there. Use your teeth,” he said.
Ruben shuffled over to Seth and got the knife out after a few minutes. Holding the knife between his teeth, he freed Seth’s hands and then his own. They disentangled themselves and chucked the ropes aside.
Ruben started towards the door. “We have to get to mother; she may still be alive.”
Seth held him back. “Wait, he might be armed. We need some sort of weapon if we’re going out there,” he urged.
Ruben nodded. He picked up a tall lamp on a small table near him. Seth grabbed a wooden umbrella that stood in a corner of the room. He hid behind the cupboard by the door while Ruben lay in wait behind the door.
After what seemed like hours, the doorknob finally creaked. As the door opened, Ruben rushed forward and swung the lamp at the man who entered the room, catching him squarely in the face. Seth heard a woman shriek as Nathan collapsed noiselessly on the carpeted floor.
His aunt pushed roughly past him and Ruben and rushed to Nathan’s side. “Oh, my son! What have you done to him?” she screeched at Ruben.
Ruben stared at her in bewilderment. “Mother! What do you mean?” The lamp fell to the floor with a loud thud. He took a step towards his mother.
“Stay back, you ungrateful boy!” she screamed at him. “This is all your fault!” she spat at Seth.
Seth eyed her coolly. “Tell him, Aunty. He deserves to know the truth.”
She said nothing but continued glaring at him.
“Mother, what is Seth talking about? Ruben said, his expression pained.
“Yes, Aunty. Why don’t you tell him that Nathan is his half-brother and that you both conspired to kill Uncle Vikram,” Seth said grimly.
“Ruben, call an ambulance before anything happens to Nathan,” his aunt said, ignoring Seth.
“Not before you tell me the truth. Is what Seth said true?” Ruben asked, a harsh edge to his voice.
“Yes, Nathan is your brother but we didn’t kill your father. How can you take the word of an ingrate nephew who never visited his uncle when he was alive?” she said reproachfully, tears spilling down her cheeks.
Ruben looked doubtfully at Seth. “Have you any proof?”
“I’m sorry you had to find out this way, Ruben. I didn’t realize it myself until I saw your parents’ wedding photograph,” Seth said.
“What do you mean?”
Seth removed the photo from the wall. “From the first time I saw Nathan, I’ve been asking myself why he looked so familiar. It was only when I saw this picture that I realized that he’s the spitting image of your maternal grandfather,” he explained.
Ruben scrutinized the photograph and stared at Nathan. His face paled.
“So it is true! You and Nathan killed Father,” he looked angrily at his mother.

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