Chapter 112

112 Mike’s Reason

Luke.

“Where are you going?” Tia asked me while I was walking out. She walked up to me, and we continued

together. Caleb walked past us with Monica and Stacy. Stacy turned right while Caleb walked towards

the exit of the building. He was taking her to prison. I thought Stacy would follow, but she didn’t. Stacy

wasn’t going to my father’s room either, which was thoughtful of her. I would not want to be in the same

room as my dad right now. All though he needed some release to calm down from his rage, I doubted he

would ever touch Stacy again. She was Regan’s wife. “Where are you going?” Tia asked me again, and I

knew I shouldn’t lie to her. I urged her to walk with me to our wing so I could tell her.

“Mike chickened out of Tetra, claiming Tasha was sick, so I demoted him to Delta. When I returned from

Terra, I discovered he wasn’t here to protect the estate, and now Kirk said he hasn’t resumed duty at the

headquarters. I want to go to his house to make sure all is well. If I find out nothing is wrong with him, I

will dismiss him and have him punished for deserting his duties.” I said, and she was silent a bit, then

spoke up. “What about Elisabeth? Clearly, she is trying to work against us.” She said, and I grinned at

her.

“It is time for that woman to go to jail too. I will send someone to arrest her and lock her up. I can’t and

won’t deal with her directly. Monica’s claims would be investigated; if they are true, she will go away for a

long time.” I told Tia, and she was in complete agreement. I really did not understand how Elisabeth’s

mind functioned. Why did she agree to help Regan kidnap her own son? A boy that is receiving care. I

wonder what she planned on achieving with it. That woman was just impossible.

“I want to come with you to Mike’s house,” Tia requested. I knew she would flip if I said no, so I

reluctantly agreed for her to come with me to keep her happy. I was annoyed with Mike and needed a

valid explanation for his silence.

We wore casual clothes and headed out. I decided to use the Jeep because I wanted to take my wife to

the cliff after the issue with Mike had been resolved. Because I did not plan to go to the cliff initially, I

intended to branch into a restaurant to pack food and drinks. I kept it a secret and drove.

“You need to be calm when dealing with your friend, Luke. I know you are mad and have the right to be,

but you need to calm down. You can’t lose your cool over his actions, Luke. Promise me you will be cool.

A lot has already happened today to throw you off the bend, but I need you to keep it together. I know we

will resolve everything together, and your mother will get the justice she deserves.” Tia said, hitting the

nail on the head.

I was still mad and edgy about what I had learned about my mother. Somehow, I could transfer the anger

and aggression to deal with Mike, which would be wrong. I still could not understand why Regan would

kill her. I knew why but I still could not understand it. So what she said no, did he have to kill her? I knew

there was more to it than just anger and jealousy.

Regan was the only person that could tell me why he went as far as killing my mother. He was the only

one who could explain it to me. I wanted to promise myself to make him tell when I finally lay my hands

on him, but I knew it was possible he wouldn’t. I could not let not knowing his reasons have power over

me. Regardless of his motives, The fact still remained that he killed her.

“I am calm, darling. I promise to handle it calmly,” I finally responded to my wife. I needed a form of

release to calm down entirely, but we were already on our way to Mike’s place, so making love to Tia was

out of the question. I just had to mage until we got to our cliff.

When we got to Mike’s home, we met no one. The door was locked, and it was clear no one was home.

His car wasn’t home either. Had they gone out, or had he run away with this wife. I took out my phone

and dialled his number. It was switched off. I looked around, hoping to find clues about where he might

have gone.

“Maybe we should ask his neighbours. The least they can do is tell us if he drove out or not. They can

also tell us when.” Tia said, and I knew it was a brilliant Idea. I looked around for the neighbour with the

best view and decided to check the house across the street. It looked newly renovated, and the last time

I was there, there was no one living there. Whoever moved there moved in recently. There was a

possibility the person looked out for their neighbours, if not for anything but to know who they were.

We sauntered to the house, and I knocked on the door impatiently. Tia cautioned me to relax. I held it

together and continued to knock; I knew people were in the house because I could sense them. I was

about to link them when a middle-aged, dark-skinned woman opened the door.

“Alpha Moon?” she said, a bit surprised, and I smiled at her. She was clearly in shock, so I hurried

straight to the point. Old people have a way of wasting time with long meaningless conversations, so I

quickly spoke before she came out of shock and started talking because it would be impolite to shut her

up.

“Please, I want to know the last time you saw Mike Crawford,” I said, and she looked behind me and

smiled at Tia.

“Luna Tia, nice to meet you. Please come in,” She offered. I wanted to tell her we were in a hurry, but I

knew that would be rude. So I obliged her, and Tia did too. She offered us seats, and we sat.

“Would you like tea?” She asked us with a broad smile, and Tia spoke on my behalf.

“We are actually on duty, Mam,” Tia said. “Bridget. My name is Bridget Crawford. I am Mike’s aunty. I just

moved here from Bravadome two months ago.” She said, and I was shocked that she was Mike’s

relative. What are the odds? Most houses on the street belonged to the Crawfords, but Mike was the

only Crawford living there. They had rented the other properties out. “Please, do you know where Mike

is?” I asked her nicely, and she had a haunted look in her eyes.

“At Brine mental health Facility,” she said, and I was shocked, wondering what he was doing there.

“What happened to him? Is he okay?” Tia asked, taking the question out of my mouth.

“When Mike went on a trip and was missing for three weeks, Tasha lost her mind. It was gradual She

would come to ask me if he called. The poor thing wanted to come to the Mansion to ask Luna Tia about

his whereabouts, but she felt Luna did not want her around. By the third week, she was talking to herself

and saying something about a pretend secret mission in a kitchen. She really made no sense. She had

from Psychosis. Apparently, mental illness runs in her family, and the whole anxiety and agitation of the

trip broke her mind. She seemed a bit better when he finally returned, and he had to stay indoors with

her to make sure of it. Two days ago, he brought her to me that he was going to a meeting. She tried to

stop him, yelling he would not return this time around. It took a bit for him to convince her to let him go.

She did eventually. She seemed okay, so I let her go home when she requested to return to her house. I

did not think much of it, really. I felt she would be okay. Mike returned home and rushed her to the clinic. I

later discovered that she had tried to kill herself, thinking he was going on another mission. I know she

really harmed herself. He has remained with her in the clinic since then.” she said, and I was stunned. I

knew the woman wasn’t lying, and I felt like a selfish bastard. Here I was, mad and ready to dismiss him

while he was dealing with a lot. Why didn’t he tell me that day that his wife was having mental issues?

Instead, he told me she was ill and did not want to go on the mission. He should have told me the truth. I

wouldn’t have been mad. I would have given him a leave of absence.

I stood up immediately. “Thank you, Bridget. I really appreciate the information.” I said, and she smiled at

me. Tia hugged the woman, and we left the house.

“Poor Mike,” were the first words that Tia uttered when we entered our vehicle, “I suspected something

was off with how she spoke to me on the phone. She was trying to find out if Mike was at the Mansion,

but the way she asked was a bit funny. She said they were going to catch the bad guy in the kitchen”: I

thought she was being cryptic, but now I know her nuts weren’t screwed well. I can easily understand

why she would break, especially if her family has a history of mental illness. I know how I felt when I did

not hear from you and did not know what to do. It could break anyone, and the fact that she is pregnant

again cannot help issues.” Tia said, and I was silent. I drove quietly, ashamed of myself for hating him. I

was mad that he wasn’t around to help my wife and father. Little did I know that he was fighting tooth and

nail to keep his wife sane. I was glad nobody reached him and dismissed him; he would have felt

betrayed. I now realised the reason for his uneasiness which I misread as disloyalty. We finally pulled up

at the facility. The staff were surprised to see Tia and me at the reception

“I am here to see the Crawfords,” I said, and the nurse greeted Tia and me with great respect. We were

quickly ushered to the room where they were. There mike was sitting on the couch, resting his chin on

his hands, looking at his wife, who was sleeping strapped to the bed. “Mike,” I managed, and he turned

to look at me. His eyes were swollen. I went to him immediately, and he stood up. I could see the

sadness in his eyes.

“You should have told me,” was all I could manage as I watched tears fall from his eyes. He represented

another life that Regan’s problems had burnt and left charred.