7 Revelation 2

"Tell me." Paris said

"I don't have to answer you girl." Judith said, standing up.

"But I am as important in this case as you are." Paris insisted.

Judith faced her squarely. "I am the one in charge of this Investigation and how I know what I know should not be your business. Concern yourself with the people that employed you."

Paris ignored her and looked at Max. "Okay, here is the thing: your brother is dead. Like I predicted."

Through the corner of her eyes, she saw Abim recoil.

"What if he is not. You can't conclude because of a bag of rotting bones. At least if we want to reach such a conclusion, it should be done professionally." Judith opposed in a gruff voice.

Paris turned to her in a manner that said 'Really?'

"He is." She reaffirmed.

"He is not!" Doris interjected unexpectedly. "You two do not know your fucking jobs! James can't be dead. He is alive. I can feel it in my bones." She said trembling violently against her boyfriend.

"Stop this unintelligent show of stupidity." Paris admonished Doris, her eyes still on Judith. Then she turned away slowly and looked at the faces of the others who were shocked at her proclamation.

" I know I'm being too blunt but James is dead. He was murderded. These are his bones." She spoke the words without thinking twice about how the recipients of the news may react. She didn't honestly care. Euphemism was not in her dictionary.

"Oh please shut up already." Judith oppossed with the intention to annoy her even though she knew deep down Paris might be right. "I agree these are human bones but they are definitely are not James's until we can prove they are. My little knowledge of Human Physiology and Anatomy ain't enough proof. James is 16 by the way. The boy might be alive. Kidnapped perhaps. Giving benefits of the doubts is better than concluding without proof in an investigation like this one."

"You can prove that?" Paris raised a questioning brow.

"I will try."

Max's face had turned pale. He looked dumpfounded. Paris ran a hand through her hair and looked at Abim who was by now, looking no less than a statue. She moved her gaze slowly to Doris. " I maintain that James is dead. Yes. And I think one of you knows about it or at worse has a hand in it."

There was a sudden friction in the air. Someone gasped.

***

The sitting room was warm even though it was early morning and cold was fierce outside.

Everybody was seated inside the Robinsons' large sitting room including the two investigators but no one was saying anything.

"This is incredulous." Max said in a hoarse voice , breaking the silence. "So you are trying to say..."

"Yes." Paris nodded. "Someone in this room knows about James's disappearance and death. Someone in this room or someone close to this family that isn't here right now."

Judith grunted indifferently.

"Just shut up already." It was Abim. At 26, he was a handsome young felllow. "My kid brother is missing and you have declared him dead without any proof. And how do you expect us to handle such unprofessionalism? But I can tolerate that. What I won't take is you accusing one of us of having something to do with his disappearance. No I won't tolerate that." He turned to Max. "I told you Max, didn't I? You shouldn't have hired her in the very first place. She is so unprofessional."

To this, Judith agreed with a nod.

Paris remained unshaken. "Truth is bitter." She said. "I did not say one of you murdered him. I only said one of you knows or had a hand in his death. One of you, at least, knows the answers to all our questions."

Abim chuckled in disbelief. "Get out and thank you. Your services ma'am, are no longer relevant. You sound like a lunatic. We will pay you for whatever you've done so far. The Police Investigator here believes my brother may be alive. That's what I will believe."

Judith frowned, "Abim why are you being so apprehensive about this though?"

"If you were in my shoes, wouldn't you be more dramatic?" Abim questioned the big woman.

Paris stood up and dusted her clothes.

You are welcome." She said quietly, not at all worried. "I need my complete payment please."

"Wait." Max said. "If what you are saying is true, then prove it. Tell us how he died and also, who amongst my family and friends is involved in it."

This is when Paris surprisingly chuckled. "I don't know."

Max scratched his chin " Tell me something Paris. Does what you are saying have anything to do with last night?"

"Sorry?"

"You saw me last night in the forest."

"She did?!" Judith exclaimed.

Paris shrugged. "No. But Max, you seem to be too certain that your brother was kidnapped from nowhere else but this house. Why is that?"

"Because I am his brother. I know what I am saying." Max replied calmly, still scratching his chin.

"Your brother is dead." Paris repeated deliberately to hurt Abim who was now pacing around fuming silently to himself. She smiled to herself when he cursed. "If I remember correctly, you said that James never opened the door to strangers right? No matter what circumstance he was in. Correct?"

When no one answered, she replied to her own question. "Yes. So James was at home alone on Tuesday. Since he is an introvert, he couldn't have gone out, except of course, something forced him to which I strongly doubt. On the other hand, someone must have visited him that day. Someone James not only knew but trusted. He had opened the door for that person. That's when Jamed disappeared.

If he had gone out on his own, he definitely would have closed the door. But according to Max, Abim returned that day to meet the door ajar."

"And family members are not the only people a child James's age can trust. There could be friends too." Judith said, her voice hoarse with reproach that she was agreeing with Paris. She disliked speculations.

"Didn't they tell you?" Paris threw the question to her with pride. "The boy doesn't have friends."

"But his brothers do." Judith cast a look at Doris and David. "Or had a friend that they didn't know of including teachers."

"Well that's what you think. I've spoken what I know." Paris said.

"You two excuse us for a few minutes. We'll be right back. I need to discuss something briefly with my brother and friends." Max said and signalled to Abim and his friends to follow him inside a room, leaving both Judith and Paris in the sitting room.

The two ladies faced each other simultaneously.