Trial 8: Her Revelation point Blank

When mama said she's serving our drinks, I stood up to help but Dashiell stops me and offered to leave it to him. "Is that for real or is he just playing nice?" is what I asked myself.

I didn't notice that our drinks are already there until Dashiell cleared his throat and asked, "Do you want the drink or not?"

I muttered my thanks to him. He nodded in acknowledgment.

Sensing that the air got all too quiet for comfort, Dr. Harlow starts speaking.

"I guess we will start our conversation?"

"We should," remarked Mr. Thomas.

Dr. Harlow nods and continues, "Before we get into the real issue here, allow us to properly tell you about ourselves. So, again, my name is Dr. Alois Harlow and I am a surgeon until Dr. Foley framed me as a part of an illegal drug syndicate group; hence, I am wanted by the authorities and cannot practice anymore."

I gaped at what Dr. Harlow said.

"That is just the tip of the iceberg; don't be shocked just yet," comments Dr. Harlow.

Mr. Thomas follows up, "Just like Dr. Al, I was framed too; in my case, as an illegal businessman and a smuggler of drugs. I used to peacefully run my medical supply store. And as you know, I am Dashiell's dad."

I just nodded and muttered an 'Okay.'

Mama felt like it was her turn to talk when Dashiell remarked, "I am not very good at introductions. I'll fill you in with details when I think it's my turn to do so."

Mr. Thomas followed up, "Mariangelise, I think it is better that you do all the explaining since you know where and when this all began."

Mama started talking. "Yes, I'd do that. Let's begin with how I met Alaine's father. It was on a sunny day and I was on my way to work when an anonymous man approached me and suddenly took my wrist and then twisted it. The man took me as a hostage; threatening to shoot me if anyone tries to call the cops or counterattack him. Your papa was brave enough to confront the man albeit it resulted in him getting shot in the leg. On a positive note, that gave me the chance to counterattack. I elbowed the man so I broke away from his hold. Then, I kicked his hand which was holding the gun. Finally, I hit his wind pool point which knocked him out. I called our office to report it. I performed first aid on your papa. A few minutes later, my colleagues arrived, I explained to them that the man was saying something related to the case that we are handling. We decided to make our way to the nearest hospital first since your papa is injured and we need to make sure that the man is in good condition so we can proceed with our interrogation.

I raised my eyebrow at mama.

Mama heaved a sigh and confirmed my assumptions about it based on what she's told so far, "I was an undercover agent. Our team was tasked to track down a group of scientists who are conducting underground research and making illegal transactions in the black market."

I tried to stifle a gasp at that.

Meanwhile, mama just nods and proceeds, "Going back, when the man came to his senses, he begged us to spare him his life; telling us that he never intended to cause a threat to people and he was just feeling desperate for being unable to make ends meet as no company is willing to hire him. We made a deal that if he cooperates with us, we will provide what he needs but we still explained to him that he has to face his charges for shooting an innocent person. The man agreed to cooperate with us. When the man was cleared from the hospital, he requested permission to visit your papa, under our supervision of course. The man apologized to your papa and stated the reasons for his actions. We didn't expect it but your papa, without a second thought, forgave the man and told him to work as his assistant after serving his sentence."

I gave a confused look.

Mama just lightly chuckled and remarked, "I know why you're making such face. Normally, a person wouldn't easily let things like that slide. But, well, your papa is different. His kindness is something that can only be found in a few people, especially in this era."

Dashiell randomly released a hearty yet sardonic laugh.

I arched an eyebrow at him and asked, "What's so funny?"

He replied in between laughs, "Nothing."

I countered, "Normal people don't laugh for no reason."

He just shrugged and answered back, "Touché. Since you want to hear my answer so bad, I'll tell you, but no hard feelings, alright?"

"Fine" is all I could say.

Then he said the things I expected to hear from a jerk, "I laughed because I just thought about where you got your traits from. I mean Aunt Mari and late uncle Loic are really sympathetic people."

My face contorted into a snarl but I decided to keep it cool by replying, "A dog will always bark at someone it isn't familiar with."

To my surprise, he just stayed cool too and replied, "Well, right back at you."

I couldn't contain it so I released a groan.

The situation caused Mr. Thomas to hit Dashiell's shoulder, telling him to stop acting the way he did as it's disrespectful towards me and mama.

Dr. Al seconded Mr. Thomas and commented, "Seriously, Dashiell, shut up for now and allow this conversation to go smoothly."

Mama called Dashiell out and flashed him a smile that has a seemingly different vibe to it.

And Dashiell went quiet as though a piece of cloth is stuffed in his mouth. I could swear I saw him break a sweat, albeit faint.

With that, mama resumed talking, "so after that, we took the man with us to record on his case and statements. Apparently, the man used to work as a personal assistant for a doctor. The man added that one day, while he was searching for a particular file as instructed by his boss, he accidentally dropped a folder containing some confidential research files of his boss which he happened to have read through. He told me that he tried reporting what he had read about secretly, but he was unaware that there had always been tracking and wiretapping software attached to his phone since being hired. Not to mention, he is also being monitored so his plan failed. He was full of regret, saying that if he didn't follow his conscience, he wouldn't have lost his job and can still make a good living. When asked what those files were, he said that it was a progress report on experiment trials conducted on humans and it appears they are concerned with human cloning, genetic engineering, and body organ experiments. He said that they are working on a serum that would aid in their experiment. We didn't get exact information about the identities of the people that we need to track down but his statements gave us really useful clues in handling our case."

I couldn't help but be curious so I asked, "Mama, are you, by chance, still authorized to handle the case as of now?"

"If you remember, I am presumed dead and I am not supposed to be out in the public so I am no longer authorized to handle the case."

Hearing that made me heave a sigh of relief but mama continued, "I'm sorry Alaine but, even if I no longer am, I need to…we all need to work on this case… even if we're doing it while hiding behind the shadows. It's risky but we have to do it. And again, let me apologize but these things that I said are just the introduction of everything so I hope you stay patient and hear everything out."

Though dismayed, I just nodded in understanding and said, "okay, mama."

Mama muttered a 'thank you.'