Chapter 6 Bitter Trut

TITLE: BITTER TRUTH

"Good day Mr." He said, walking up to meet them. Just then,his eyes registered on the lady with Jerald then on the sleeping child in her arms.

"Hello, how may we help you?" She replied.

"Taylor wait right here, I'll be back." Jerald said, standing on his feet. "You want something?" He asked, staring at Brandon. Brandon felt a lot of emotions from wanting to hug him,to letting the tears run down his cheeks but this is not the right time.

"I'm a friend of Jason Griffith heard he was buried here." He said, hoping Jerald would buy his story. "Jason never had a friend like you,I'd suggest you leave right now." Jerald turned on his heels and began walking back.

"He died in prison, he left you a note. You're Jerald right?" Jerald stopped walking as he turned immediately.

"Who sent you? Tell me! Mr Thompson? His daughter? The judge? The drug lord?" Jeff furrowed his brows, he couldn't remember any drug lord so who's Jerald talking about.

"We should talk."

*

*

"Your brother was a gentle guy, he told us his story. How his wife teamed up with her father and a judge to set him up and get his wealth from him." Jerald sighed.

"Yeah but that's not all." Jerald replied, watching his daughters as they played round the graveyard.

"What are their names?"

"Jane and Joan, named after my mother." The sadness in Jerald eyes broke Brandon. His brother had always stood as a big brother, shielding him and taking good care of him. Standing up for him, his death,his mother's death had subjected his brother to become a shadow of himself.

"Your mother, what happened to her? Jason told us a lot about her and why did she not try to visit for once?" He asked as Jerald looked away, swallowing hard.

"Jason told me,he made me promise never to tell our mother he was in jail, I made that promise and I kept it. Mr Thompson paid a visit to my house with his daughter and they delivered the news to her,they left her a tape from the verdict and she watched it." Brandon's heart constricted,he knew his mother had died after hearing the news but he never knew it was as painful as this.

"I arrived home and found her crying,I spoke to her,assured her he was going to come out strong and alive, I'd successfully kept the secret for two years but it happened that the next day as we planned on going to visit, the fire outbreak occured. She fainted and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital."

"Did you try talking to the police? Try__"

"Ariana, she's Jason's ex wife. She placed a restraining order against I and my family so there's no way the police would have believed. I stayed in the shadows and I'm still leaving in the shadows." He replied.

"I'd love to have a word with you again, can i get your address?" He passed his phone to Jerald.

"Here, I'll have to leave now,I have a meeting to attend." As Brandon stood up,they shook hands and he turned around and walked away.

************************************

"It seems there's more to what we know or what we thought we knew." He said, getting into the car as she rode out of her parking spot.

"There's a drug lord, Jerald mentioned it."

"A drug lord? What has that got to do with us?" She asked, shaking her head.

"He mentioned the judge, Mr Thompson, Ariana and then the drug lord meaning there's more to everything we think we know. Call Josh."

"Yeah Josh, meet with me right now at our usual spot."

"So there's a drug lord? It makes more sense now, ordinarily Mr Thompson has little influence on the judge so definitely someone was his backbone."

"You're definitely right and we have to get this right and i mean right now."

*

*

"You asked to see me." Josh said, walking out of his hiding place. "Yeah, I have some questions for you and answer me correctly."

"Of course." He saw Miranda holding a sickle and a knife from the corner of his eyes.

"Who was the drug lord who assisted in setting me up?" Josh's eyes went saucer round as Brandon chuckled.

"Oh I love your expression, now tell me."

"I don't know__" Miranda moved closer to him, pressing the knife to his throat enough to draw blood as he stood still.

"You're lucky he chose to keep you alive after all you did to him. Do you remember humiliating him? Calling him a tramp because he got married to your bosses daughter?"

"I really d_don" she pressed the knife a little deeper, giving him a little cut.

"Really? Then I'll gladly kill you and send your body as a warning to your little madam, how does that sound?"

"Miranda? Let him go. He'll tell us i promise." She rolled her eyes, reluctant to let him go.

"Easy Miranda , we have him at our beck and call he won't dare to try something foolish,he doesn't want to die now,am i right? Josh?"

"What are you going to do? Do not hurt me, please." Brandon chuckled, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Now you're begging for your life, just like i begged you several years back, you never listened,you always had this twinkle in your eyes whenever it was time to humiliate me. You're not dying now,you still have a purpose here on earth."

"I really don't know who__"

"Of course you do, now tell me or I'll chop your fingers off and you'd have to explain to the Thompson's about what happened to your fingers."

"Alright, alright I'll tell you."

"Good boy. Now hurry along."

"It's Billy's father." Brandon stood frozen,not believing his ears.

"Billy? My best friend?" He asked.

"Yes and Billy knew about it. He did it to be with Ariana but i guess she didn't want him after all."