Kith and Kin ✔️

11. Unexpected, Unexplained

"What? What did you just say?" Alex shouted over the phone.
"Alex. I. Need. Your. Help. Now meet me as soon as you can." Michael ended the call before Alex could say anything else.

Dressing up in exactly seven minutes, he left his room and marched towards his front door.
"Hey boy! It's Sunday! Where are you going leaving your old man alone with this woman?" Mr. Black stopped him and pointed towards his wife.
"Sorry dad. I'll be back home soon, a friend needs help so I have to go. Bye bye," he turned towards the door and stopped midway to say, "And she isn't that bad!" He left his home chuckling slightly at the bickering that had begun even before he had stepped out of the front door.

The first thing he saw as he drove his car around the garage was Michael's tall figure leaning against the wall. Alex parked his car and Michael gestured him to follow him inside. He followed and they were soon in the same familiar room he had spent his past few years, teasing Mike as he worked under and over cars. He wasn't a teensy bit surprised at Jason sitting in a corner smoking a cigarette.
"I thought you quit smoking a few weeks ago." Alex sat by Jason's side and saw Michael pick up a stool and place it in front of them.
"I did. I'm just a little..." His voice trailed off as he saw Michael sit in front of them and clench his jaw.
"Sad? Depressed? Confused?" Michael suggested.
"Not sure about him but I'm confused. What were you talking about this morning?" Alex frowned. He had sensed the urgency in his friend's voice when he called but still couldn't figure out the reason for their urgent rendezvous.
"It's about Thomas." Michael enunciated each word slowly.
"Figured that out but what is it?" Jason asked impatiently.
"If you'd let me finish, you would know. I told you both that I'm more than sure that Thomas didn't kill himself," he swallowed, "I knew him well enough to know that. The police closed the case even before the investigation had started and even though it was obvious that he was murdered, no investigation ever started and they simply declared it as another-suicide-case."
Alex and Jason both listened to him intently, believing everything he said even though sometimes he himself thought that he was going crazy. They all trusted each other and knew that they'll stand by each other's side when in need.

"You were talking about getting a lead. What is it?" Alex asked, sounding as serious as Michael had.
"I went to the crime site yesterday." Michael spoke in a low tone. Both Alex and Jason shared a look that said he-is-mike-what-else-do-you-expect-from-him.

"Yeah?" Jason asked, the seriousness in his voice would've felt alien to everyone else except his best friends.
"There were CCTV cameras there. Now wait and listen, this might be our only chance to prove to the world that it's a bloody murder and not a suicide. I think you both know how we'll get the tape now." Jason's lip twitched on hearing Michael say this.

"Dude, we haven't been doing this all our life, have we?" Jason cocked his head to Alex's side and asked.
"Yeah, he is right. Beating up bullies and firing shitty teachers from the school is one thing but personal investigation on a murder case is different. What do you say?" Alex directed his question to Michael who had his face cupped in his hands.
"Beating up bullies? Remember punching Thomas? He wasn't one but he got a broken nose by only interfering in our fight with that jerk who had been groping girls of our school. Don't you think we need to make up for that? Even if that is by finding that damn murderer and removing that tag of 'coward' he got." Michael's tone was higher, his hands now rested on his lap and his back as straight as an iron rod.
They all sat in silence for a minute until Alex spoke, "I'll try to pull up some strings. Don't worry, no one in my house will know about this. I can get those lounge people easily. Just give me a few minutes, I need to make a call." He walked outside and after a few minutes returned, "Time to go boys."