Burnington Gaol

F O R T Y - F O U R | Adeline

Billy shifted on his bed, turned a page of his comic book.

"Can't believe you went and saw Frank without me," he whispered.

My eyes flicked up from the chess book lying on the foot of my bed. My father was downstairs, getting ready for work. I looked back at the page.

"Well, what was I supposed to do? Forget about the secret he was hiding?"

"No, you were supposed to wake me up and take me with you."

"You get grumpy if you get woken up. And besides, he wouldn't of opened up to you like he did me."

"Alright guys," Dad called from downstairs. "I'm leaving now. See you in a few hours. Don't try to run away because I have guards everywhere."

Dad left without another word and the door shut, locking behind him.

"Asshole," Billy muttered.

"Billy!" I chastised. "You can't say that about him."

"Of course I can," he reasoned. "I can say whatever I want."

"Well, don't."

Billy turned over and continued reading his comic book. I rolled my eyes, let the annoyance settle in my gut, and kept reading about chess. I needed a distraction, and thanks to my failed exam, I needed to know about chess.

If you refer to the diagram below, you will notice the strategies that Player One is using. However, the most important aspect to remember is this: the trick to winning is not to use the powerful pieces, but to make thoughtful decisions, devise reasoned strategies, and to always be one step ahead of your opponent.

I paused, re-read.

Always be one step ahead of your opponent.

The muscles in my arms tensed as I stared blankly at the paper. One step ahead, one step ahead... Billy and I had always been one step behind. The doctored reports, the wild goose chases, the fire... I felt my mind being stretched and bent in every conceivable direction. Could it be that we had been kept one step behind? Who was in a position to orchestrate such a thing?

"Billy!"

My brother's comic book went flying into the air.

"What? What the hell are you yelling about?" He exclaimed.

"It all makes sense," I said. "The body that was left in the grave, the reason why the reports were wrong, everything..."

Billy, with a furrowed brow, sat up and looked me in the eye.

"I know who did it," I said. "I know who killed Susie. And it wasn't Seth or Vincent."

Billy leaned forward, waiting for me explain, but I was too in shock.

"Who?" He pressed.

I met his eyes.

"It was Tony."

© A.G. Travers 2018