8. She Might Be The Culprit

"She said that?" Caleb asked Crystal as they walked down the corridor to a basement. The silver-colored brightly lit walls added twinkle to Crystal's round puffy eyes. 

"Yes not only that, she twirled with the hem of her frock totally adding to the drama" Crystal laughed imitating Elmore, "I beg your parldon, Aunt Nerissa, I caused you poblem beyond my age."

"And then she walks around," Crystal showed Caleb as she marched, "... like this to me and gave me the most vicious smirk, and "commanded" me to pick her up. Oh My God, you should have seen that."

Caleb laughed. 

"The way she tries to say words beyond her age is very impressive. Where do you think she learns all that from?"

"Who knows? She goes to school, then she spends time with Mom and Dad. Since her birth, Edward built a library for her and told her how her mother loved books. The poor child sat in the library for hours, waiting for her mother to come someday." Caleb said, visibly sad.

"Strange, Edward would say that..." Crystal pointed out. 

Caleb looked up.

"Shasha wasn't a reader at all. She hated books" Crystal recalled.

Caleb frowned, "I thought Shasha and Edward might have vibed over books."

Crystal turned silent.

"You know? When I realized Edward wanted to marry me, I was more furious with my dad than with him. I balled my eyes to Shasha, I told her, I'd rather die and she helped me through it. She helped me elope. She was always there for me. The morning I ran, she hugged me for the last time, I never thought when I would come back she'd be a memory."

Caleb arched an eyebrow, as he eyed Crystal, "What did you say?" 

"I wasn't aware we'd skip the marriage and leave the courtship phase. So that night when I eloped, Never in a billion lifetimes, I thought they'd marry off my sister in my place. As if she were a bargaining chip. I didn't even expect your family to need just anybody to fix the deal for Edward.."

"No, we didn't? What are you talking about?" Caleb asked, puzzled.

Crystal looked at him and stared blankly as if he was a lost cause. She expected him to complete it.

"No, I swear to God! Edward took a liking to your sister, they loved each other, since the beginning. I have literally seen their romance grow out of a book and that is before marriage. Even when Edward asked Thomas, Shasha, and Edward were present right here in the Fitzgerald Villa."

Crystal continued to listen, nonchalantly and cut Caleb half in the middle "You are saying that to make —- Come again?"

#

It was densely dark as it continued to rain. Chloe walked out of the restaurant along with Max. It was unusually silent. Even though Chloe tried to make an effort, Max wasn't ready to give more than just head nods and hmms.

She sat in the passenger seat. Max sat down in the driver's seat and smiled. Chloe noticed and finally breathed a sigh of relief. 

"Oh, Honey. You scared me." Chloe reached out to touch Max. 

"Did I?" Max asked, tilting closer to Chloe. 

Chloe gasped, not expecting the sudden change of mood. 

"Love blinds you like a waterfall clouding the wall," Chloe said as she rubbed her nose softly against his.

"It does?" Max asked, pinching Chloe's chin as her chin picked a darker shade of red. 

."It sounded better in my head, hmm... Never mind." Chloe replied, trying to free herself from his grasp. 

Max grabbed her hand from his free hand and recoiled it back. "Tell me about it. What did you do?" 

"What — ahh! Max, I am hurting. What— did I do what?" Chloe's cry could be heard out of the window as heads turned to look in their direction. Max felt self-conscious and turned the windows of the car up and played loud music. 

Chloe thought back to the time when Daniel hit the wrong chord and cursed him internally. 

"You don't like Crystal, you don't like the idea of me marrying her. You have something to do with this." Max said, as he grabbed Chloe's head and banged it at the car dashboard. 

Chloe choked on the air and her hair covered her face. 

"One thing Chloe, One thing, was to not, never mess up the plan. I asked you to be there for me" Max said, in an angry, strict voice. 

"But— but I didn—"

Max banged her head again. "I just need answers, sweetie, no lies."

"But I honestly —-" Choe tried to answer and Max clubbed her hair tightly and banged it again. 

Chloe felt the warmth of blood from her nose and looked at Max through the corner of her eyes. She had never seen this side and never in her wildest dream expected him to be this angry. The side she closed her eyes upon and passed out. 

#

Crystal looked up at, "I am sorry, I don't understand."

"What is in it to not understand?" Caleb looked at her completely puzzled. 

What is he talking about? I really don't understand. How can that be the case at all? According to him - Crystal was deep in her thoughts when Norman shook her. She looked up, completely baffled. 

"Ugh, yes Hi!" Crystal said, still working on her thoughts at the back of her mind. 

"Crystal! We need to go. The members of Caleb's team are waiting and they are very fragile about how you treat them. Punctuality tops the list." Norman explained as Caleb eyed Crystal, surprised. 

What is she talking about? Caleb started thinking as he walked behind Norman and Crystal. Norman continued to look between Crystal and Caleb, as both of them walked with their heads down. Norman himself saved Crystal from bumping into the opened windows twice. 

She is an important part of the Alwack family. At least that was what I thought, I had a feeling, I had the golden goose, but what was that about? So far her mother couldn't stop pestering every guest over how her younger daughter never bothered to call for all the days she left. I thought if I had her I'd have caught the culprit already. 

As they neared the meeting room in the basement, Caleb sighed heavily and tuned into the uproar that Norman opened the doors to. 

"What do you think, you are doing Caleb?" one of the older members asked, shaking his head in denial as he eyed Crystal. 

Crystal looked up with a frown, getting the air in the room. She scanned through the room filled with rich, handsome, and ready to take down an army kind of men. 

I wonder what is all that about. Crystal thought to herself and walked to the seat beside Norman. As soon as she sat, another man shouted, "Seriously, Caleb, now we sit with a woman who possibly murdered your brother." 

Crystal jumped out of her seat at his loud, menacing voice, "Hey, hey, hey, I don't expect nice but at least be less loud, I mean these glass walls might explode with that opera of yours. Besides, you see Caleb is sitting that close to you." 

She breathed in and out and sat down. She took out a notebook and pen from her bag neatly like a student sitting down to take notes. 

Everyone continued to look at her without batting an eyelash. 

"I guess are we ready to begin?" Crystal sighed at no response. 

"So who do we think is the first suspect?" Crystal asked as everyone sat silently looking at her with disdain and silence. 

"YOU!" echoed the multiple voices in the room.