Chapter 100
Jonathan’s POV
Living Room – Raymond’s Townhouse – A few moments later
Silence fell in the room, this time it was pin-drop silence.
Even our breathing couldn’t be heard.
Just the ticking of the clock like a timebomb would explode any moment.
We all were in shock on finding out Lori was arrested and hour later after confronting Charles and hours before the report for the missing items was filed.
And the evidence was submitted only in paper five days after her arrest.
Nobody spoke as none of us had the courage to speak as all of this was too overwhelming.
The facts became impossible for us to ignore.
Charles Freeway became the enemy of everyone in the room.
Just then my gaze fell on Raymond, he was staring at the floor.
As much as I wanted to, I can never truly understand his feelings.
But watching him p>
Gave me an odd feeling.
He seemed to be fighting with himself.
Like he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words or courage to.
Or was it something he had kept in his heart for fifteen years.
I leaned forward as I saw Raymond part his lips to speak.
Is he finally going to tell?
He exhaled.
“Everyone, there’s something I have to tell. Something I never told anyone p>
With that tension filled the room as no one knew what could be eating him inside to remain quiet for fifteen years.
“The first time Mom was arrested p>
“The first time??” Veronica said, shocked.
“What do you mean by that?” John said. “Wasn’t she arrested only once p>
“No,” I said as I took a deep breath.
“She was arrested twice, and both times from here p>
A pause followed.
“The first time the sheriff arrested Mom was for a missing file,” Raymond said. “She was sent back in the evening, then she went to meet Charles p>
“The next day she was arrested again and never came back p>
None of us spoke as we knew there was more.
“After Mom was sentenced,” he said, his voice void of emotions, afterall he’s been alone for fifteen years.
“I was alone here,” he said.
“Alone and broke p>
“I had just graduated and has gone to the city to find work,” he continued.
“A week after my return…Mom was arrested p>
“I went back to the city, but no one would hire me as I was the son of a woman who stole confidential files p>
“Back home here, no one hired me as I was the son of a convicted thief p>
“That’s when Charles Freeway came along p>
“He came with a job offer and I took it p>
“At the time I thought it was because he adopted the town and he said he knew Mom was innocent but the other party was too powerful p>
“I sent Mom a letter about this, she said to accept p>
He trailed off a bit.
I accepted as this was the only way I’d have money to fight mom’s case p>
“But I never expected Charles had his own reasons for keeping me close to him p>
“I got a job offer handling his docks ledgers p>
“Though I was a newly graduated engineer p>
“It was the only job I got, so I accepted it p>
“At first,” he continued.
“It seemed to be basic works p>
“Filing invoices, shipping orders p>
“Maintaining the delivery records p>
“Basic clerical work, nothing much p>
“Most of my time went in clearing paperwork, which seemed like never p>
“At the time I thought it was cause he had a lot of business, later on I found out, it was to keep me busy p>
“Overall, he seemed like a generous person, and the town also trusted him p>
“So I never questioned him at the time p>
A pause followed as if it was so we would be ready for the next line.
“Then I began to notice some records just didn’t make any sense p>
“What do you mean by that?” Vance asked.
“Well,” Raymond said.
“Like the shipment records appeared only on the internal records, never entered in the official records p>
“They had destinations, but no sender p>
“Some had weight, no content,” he continued.
“While some had no weight and no content p>
Another pause followed.
“I also noticed some had codes in place of descriptions p>
“Whenever I would ask Raymond as I had trouble in the entries p>
“He would always change the topic p>
“Eventually, I just wrote the code in place of description and never asked him again p>
“Raymond,” Vance asked. “May I ask why from here? I mean Livelane isn’t p>
“I know,” Raymond replied with a smile. “But Livelane is or was the only dock that was clear from taxes as it was practically off the map p>
“The town people also didn’t think much as the show material as mostly agriculture equipment or supplies p>
“But the reality or under the show was totally different p>
“His shipments arrived late and departed even later p>
“He avoided attention, and avoided official visits p>
He exhaled.
“That’s when I began to keep mental notes p>
“Why didn’t you report about him, if you knew so much?” Veronica asked in concern.
“Sorry,” Veronica said as it was visible he was hurt by it.
“Actually it was cause of Mom’s letter,” he said as we all recalled the letter.
“There was one instruction that was clear…to stay alive p>
“She had written to avoid Charles p>
“During my last visit, she told me to avoid him at all costs p>
“She said never investigate about her or anything related to him p>
“And that’s what I did for the past fifteen years, I worked for him as it was the only option, I kept quiet cause Mom said and waited for the one Mom told to wait for p>
We all could feel the weight he carried for fifteen years on his shoulders.
“I wasn’t brave,” he said with a heavy voice.
“I won’t deny that p>
“Lots of things made me suspicious towards Mom’s arrest p>
“Every question I was asked p>
“Every discovery I made p>
“Every secret that came my way p>
“Even knowing Mom was innocent p>
He trailed off a bit.
“I chose to remain quiet p>
“Cause Mom wanted me to live and stay alive p>
I saw tears had welled up in Daniel’s eyes.
It seemed he was overwhelmed on realizing the sacrifice Lori gave to keep the boys safe, and much more.
She never protected herself.
She never protected her reputation.
She never protected the evidence that could save her.
She protected the boys p>
Cause as long as they were safe p>
Her son, Raymond, would be safe.
Her first and foremost concern was the safety of her son Raymond.
I saw Daniel lowered his head, and whispred a ’Thanks p>
I smiled as I knew he must have thanked Lori.
“Raymond,” I had to ask this.
“Why did you tolerate him for so many years p>
“Even after leaving his work p>
“I know,” he said.
“I knew lots of things about him p>
“But not everything, and not enough to convict him p>
“Charles also knew about this,” he continued.
“That’s why he never pushed me p>
“At the same time he made sure the townspeople wouldn’t speak to me so I wouldn’t make them suspicious of his work p>
I looked down as I realized Raymond had spent the last fifteen years under the radar of Charles Freeway.
“But the dock’s been closed for years so p>
Raymond cut John’s words midway.
“There’s a riverside dock near the end of the town’s border down the river p>
“Workers come and go from there p>
“The material is brought by road and then loaded onto boats, then onto the ships p>
“Nobody knows as no one goes that down p>
He trailed off a bit.
“I do for fishing, so I know p>
“This dock was mentioned in the paperwork I used to do before, and this dock is off the official map p>
“One evening while I was fishing p>
“I noticed several trucks arrived at the dock.
“Then they were moved to the boats p>
“None of the crates were inspected p>
“No documentations were signed p>
“Everything seemed to be done in secrecy p>
“That’s when I knew Charles was anything but a good guy p>
“Oh,” he said. “I know where the dock is p>
Silence fell in the room, a heavy one.
Raymond stood up, and walked towards an old cabinet.
He pulled out a folded map and spread it across the table.
We all gathered around it.
“This,” he said pointing to a point on the map. “Is the dock on the border of the river on the other end p>
“It’s far from the town, from any public road, from any curious eye p>
“This,” he slowly placed his finger on another marked location.
“Is one place I don’t want to visit again p>
“It’s a place that’s hundred percent under Charles’ control p>
His voice lowered a bit.
“This is where it all happens p>
“His base p>
I studied the map.
I noticed his property was hidden and barely had a decent route to reach.
The previous river connection was direct but the new border one was via a road.
Suddenly every shipment made sense.
It wasn’t that he was running an illegal business,
That needed protection,
He was protecting something that was more important,
And he was doing so for the past fifteen years.
And till date, no one challenged him.
I exhaled as I realized our answers may not be in the files or this basement.
They might be at the dock.