Investigation

Jaxon flicked the ash from his cigarette and leaned back in his chair, pondering his next steps. He knew he had to start his investigation immediately. The urgency in Julie and Helen's voices was genuine, and their fear was palpable.

Gaining points was his goal, but he couldn't bring himself to play around with people's lives to that extent, after all, there was a limit even he wouldn't cross.

Jaxon decided to begin with some preliminary research. He powered up his computer and started searching for information on David Egan. It didn't take long for him to find some news articles and public records.

"Hmm... let's see..." Jaxon scrolled through the different new articles that popped up immediately the moment his name was searched, "For an unknown man he sure seems to be famous."

With the number of articles related to the man, things were clearly a bit too suspicious, scrolling by he clicked on a particular incident that took place 2 years ago, "July 4th, Girl Dead in Car Accident..."

"Susie Wills died of drowning, she was trapped in a car after it skidded out of control into the reefs near Dawsor's Beach. The driver David Egan was unharmed. Sheriff's deputies have not yet determined if alcohol or drugs were involved in the accident. No charges have been brought against the driver of the vehicle at this time. Susie was engaged to David."

"Bla bla.. They are still investing.. bla bla... no evidence of any wrongdoings." Jaxon shook his head, printed the article, and moved on to the next, "Now this makes it kind of complicated..."

"David Egan, 28, a graduate of Southport High class of 1992, died Wednesday, July 4th of accidental drowning. He is survived by his mother Claire Jenkins Egan and a sister Melissa Ann Egan 33 of Maribel County..."

"So a football star who led the local team to championship got engaged, life was going great, but an accident occurred, his wife died and exactly a year later on the death anniversary of his wife, he himself died of 'accidental drowning'." Jaxon put out the cigarette in his hands printing the following article as well, "Well, it looks convenient at the very least."

"A guy feeling guilty of killing his fiance, killed himself as he couldn't take the guilt any longer, isn't anything unusual. But the whole accidental part regarding his drowning is what makes it strange." Jaxon took a deep breath thinking of different possibilities, "Maybe it's a way for his family to get any insurance money he might have left... or he really went to a cliff and slipped while feeling all sentimental or someone offed him."

"The other thing that doesn't fit this whole scenario, is the guy's relationship with those girls. The connection, what could it be..."

"Welp! Only one way to find out..."

Pushing his hair back Jaxon stood up taking the printed paper along with him as he put on his jacket and grabbed the keys to his car.

Getting in his 1970 Mustang, Jaxon drove off in search of the family of David, racing through the empty streets as his engine roared.

The car and the office were the two things, the old man had left him with. In fact, it was the only two tangible things he had in his life.

Jaxon felt a hint of nostalgia driving around the car as he remembered the old man driving him around town and taking him places.

With Jaxon attending a private school in a whole other state, funded fully by his scholarship, and later on, moving on to college, he couldn't spend much time with the old man, let alone be familiar with this town.

Every vacation he would come by the town, but he would spend most of his days inside the house, studying or practicing for an upcoming event and so on. It was only later that he got to spend time with the old man freely but with him being sick, most of his days were spent in the hospital or being bedridden.

But despite his busy schedule, it was only the old man who would constantly check up on him, driving for hours just to see him and take him places to visit, whether it be a bad amusement park or the zoo which barely had any animals, the old man really tried his best with him.

Shaking his head at the thoughts of his head, Jaxon focused on driving as he continued following the directions along the road, finally reaching the destination.

Parking, far away from the property, he glanced around the place as he could see nothing but woods surrounding the property as it was truly in the middle of nowhere. It wasn't anything special for a small town like this to have properties in remote places throughout, so he wasn't too cautious about it.

Still, thinking about his safety with the possible killer on the loose, he took out his gun, a Glock 19, from the glove box. The gun was the choice of most people in his industry and was a special recommendation from the old man. With its durability, ease of use, and widespread availability of parts and accessories, this was the gun you would want as an everyday carry.

Not to mention, its size was compact enough to be concealed easily, making it extremely usable in a lot of situations.

But the main fact as to why he used it, was because he wasn't really used to most other guns and this was the only gun he was confident enough to use in even the most extreme situation as he had the proper practice with it.

Checking the ammo, and making sure he was fully loaded up, he hid the gun inside his jacket, as he walked inside the property.

Although the best method of looking into someone would be to regularly stalk their movement, he felt the situation called for immediate action, so he decided to just walk in and see things for himself.

Despite being in the middle of nowhere, the house was certainly beautiful, unkempt but who was he to judge someone regarding cleanliness?

Walking in straight for the front porch, he looked around and then knocked on the door a couple of times before waiting for someone to approach him.

After a while, a woman's voice, sounded through the door, "Wait a minute!"

As Jaxon stood on Egan's doorstep, he prepared himself mentally for the conversation ahead. When she opened the door, he greeted her with a warm smile.

"Hey there, I hope I'm not bothering you," he began, his tone casual yet friendly. "I'm actually doing some research on the history of our town. You see, I've always been fascinated by the stories behind the families that have lived here for generations."

"I see," The woman didn't look as old as he expected her to. She had short blond hair and a pair of tired blue eyes, and her skinny figure made it clear that she hadn't been taking care of herself that well.

The woman looked at him from head to toe for a couple of minutes, as Jaxon kept maintaining his friendly smile.

"Do you want to come inside?"

"I'd love that." Jaxon nodded following her along inside the beautiful-looking house, as he sat on the sofa opposite of her. She asked him if he would like anything to drink to which he denied the offer as he took out his notepad and a pen, "I am Jaxon by the way, what did you say your name was again."

"I didn't, but it's Melissa." She said as she leaned back on her couch, "What do you want to know?"

"From what I gathered from my interviews so far, it seems like the Egan family has quite a rich history in these parts. I was wondering if you could shed some light on it?"