Love of Ice

CHAPTER 10 : WINTER SOLSTICE

A week before Christmas was winter solstice. That was a day of mourning and sadness in the West household. This was her mother's death anniversary, the house was silent as a ghost house, dark and sullen.

Adelaide woke up early in the morning, tired and unhappy. the house was silent, her father still asleep. She carried a box and walked to her secret spot that she and her mother used to go to.

She refused to cry that morning, instead she sat in silence holding a photo album full pictures of her mother and her. Walking down her memory lane took her almost half a day.

After that she walked to the graveyard and sat by her mother's grave. "Hi mom."

"How have you been, I've gone to University already. I have a best friend, Lizzy. Dad and I have been good, Jasmines business is becoming better and better now. I'm sure you'd be happy to now that I started to race again. It like a breath of fresh air and I think I'm happy."

"Mom, do you know, I had a hunch on how you died but now I'm so lost. What should I do?" Adelaide continued, sighing.

She finished her chat her mother, she stood up and walked to the gate almost having the shock of her life. Theodore stood at the gate, watching her with a coat in his hands.

It was snowing yet Adelaide stood in a thin cardigan. "You'll fall ill wearing so little, here," he passed her the coat which she accepted grudgingly.

"Why are you here?" Adelaide asked him as he walked her home.

"I have something for you about your mother, do you want to know?" he asked her.

"Really what did you find?" Adelaide was anxiuos about any news about her mother.

"I checked the hospital and found out that there is no record of her dying from a heart attack."

"What!" Adelaide shouted.

"Yep, in fact there is also no record of the medical staff that work with her," He said.

"How do you know all this?" Adelaide asked.

"i have my ways, but I have one question. Do you want me to help you on your mother's death?" Theodore asked.

Adelaide though for a while. "How do I know that you are not lying to me?"

"I promise you that all I've found is real, and I am a man of my word." Theodore said.

Adelaide realised that this man had enough resorses to find all this so fast while she had not even gotten anything. "Fine if you keep your promise to never lie about any of the information that you get."

"I promise," He said as they stopped at her house. "I'll meet you at the french cafe tomorrow morning okay? We can discuss more about it tomorrow, rest well," Theodore said before turning and walking away.

"Bye," she whispered softly.

That night she had a odd dream, she stood in the living room of her house, her mother's ghost beside her. "This is the one who planned my death, dear. Catch him for me. You must find him." her mother said. Then, a blurry figure made it's way towards her, but she woke up before she could see who it was.

******

Adelaide cleaned up and decided to walk to the cafe by herself. Adelaide arrived to see Theodore, Jeremy and Lizzy there.

"Morning, Dee!" Lizzy said as she sat down oppsite her.

"Hi,Lizzy," she said sitting down.

"Theodore tell me what you have," she wanted to cut to the chase.