Speaking of Murder

0 | Do Not Speak Ill of the Dead

contains multimedia, pls make sure you have working wifi.

YOU COULD FEEL IT WHEN IT WAS GOING TO BE another bad day for Fairford City.

The dark sky crawling with heavy clouds, the relentless patter of the rain seeping inside the cracks on the sidewalk, the thick fog engulfing the city in its entirety. You could feel it; the haunting sensation that something terrible was about to happen. Sometimes, you could even hear it from the eerie silence that would fall – it would make your skin prickle, make your heart rate slow in dread as you wait for something to bolt from right behind your shoulder, and grab you by the neck with sharp talons.

You would think the anticipation was worse than the revelation itself. Nothing could beat the excruciating pain of waiting – until it hit you like a bucket of freezing water.

It was a gloomy day in Fairford City. 

And today, it was at its worst.

'MAYOR DOMINIC HUNTER IS DEAD'

Robin's mother, Margot, blasted the TV as she listened to the reporter speak with a picture of the city's mayor displayed beside her on the screen. Features stoic and composed as they had always been, eyes cold and lips slightly curling in a disdainful smile.

"Oh, no..." Margot exhaled shakily, reaching for her phone. Robin took slow steps towards her and sat down on the couch beside her, facing the TV. She turned to look outside; lightning tore off the clouds and shook the windows as it roared.

It was a tragic weather for a fortunate loss.

Robin furrowed her brows. "Where's dad?"

Margot took a deep breath. Her hands shook as she dialed different numbers in desperate attempts to reach someone. Her breath hitched in her throat and she jumped as a sound resonated on the other end. "Melissa, hi. Can you get Ben on the phone?... Oh yes, I thought so... Can you have him call me as soon as he gets to?... Thanks."

She followed the end of the call with a heavy exhale, her fingers massaging her closed lids. Robin frowned, turning to focus on the news. The reporter spoke of what a tragic loss it was, informing that the case will be looked at for further inspection about the cause of death.

"This is terrible. Terrible."

"Why?" Robin looked at her. Her eyes skipped to look down at her hands. She was shaking, her palm pressed on her chest to calm herself. "He's an asshole."

Margot shot her a look, lips sealed in a tight line. "Careful, you can't say that in front of anyone."

"I'm only telling you."

She nodded and swallowed, controlling her breathing.

"Where's dad?"

"He's at the hospital..." She shook her head. "The police are asking him questions."

There was a long moment of silence. Robin blinked. "It's not his fault."

"Of course not." Margot vigorously shook her head. "But that's not what people will say."  

"But it's not his fault," she insisted.

The phone rang. Her mother reached for it in a flash and answered. 

"Ben, honey—" she breathed. "Yes, I saw... What are they saying... Heart attack!... What do you mean?... Alright... Okay. We're waiting for you...Bye... Love you too."

The mayor had been in the hospital a few days ago for food poisoning, and her dad had been assigned as his doctor. That he died because of a heart attack was unrelated to the previously acquired information. Robin's gut churned in silent dread as she reached for the remote control to lower the reporter's voice.

"They're blaming dad." It was more of a statement than a question.

Her mother's silence fueled her worry. She frowned and reached for her phone, her twitter feed bombarded with different opinions and theories about the shocking loss of the city's mayor. Instagram was a mess too, stories and reposts about the incident were posted, many reminding the people that death does not erase the many horrible things he had done.

She opened her messages; Christina, her closest friend, was at the top.

She couldn't help the snort. Christina could be unbelievably cynical when it concerned the people she loathed, political figures should make the top of the list, but the people who blindly admired them and held them in high regard made the cut.

She breathed in and looked at her mother, whose phone hadn't left her ear as she spoke with urgency.

Whenever a story as big as this one emerged in Fairford City, everyone would be waiting for Viviane Dallas's article like it was a ticking bomb, knowing fully well it would do nothing but fuel the fire. Her writing was ruthless and poignant. She had always been after the mayor's throat, constantly bashing his unorthodox methods of ruling and uncovering the illegal trades he'd been letting slide to allow dealers and crime lords to mark their territory across the city-state in exchange for money and his safety.

And Christina was right.

Not even four hours later, her article was published in Fairford Today newspaper online and distributed in print at every corner.

The fact she mentioned Robin's father in the subtitle made her fear what was to come. Many people would be lightening their pitchforks by now and digging his grave — if not theirs too.