Bewitched Hearts

7. End by the Friend

William's murder:

"No, no! Cancel all my appointments for the day. I'll be busy and out all day, so make sure you inform everyone. I don't want any delay in the work." William Brown instructed his secretary and cut the call as he made his way towards home and parked his car in the garage. He took out his brown canvas laptop bag from the car and fetched out his keys.

His phone rang again. He lost the count as to the times the phone rang from the minute he woke up. He ignored the call yet again.

Once he entered the house, he went straight to the kitchen and grabbed something to eat. His phone started to ring again and he groaned loudly when he saw who was calling. He cut the call. He couldn't lift it. He just could not. His conscience told him what he was doing was wrong but he had to do it.

He wanted a way out.

He went straight to his room.
His room was the biggest of all the three rooms in the house. He never planned on having a housemate.

He didn't want to risk it.

But that day when Danny said she had nowhere to go, he felt the need to help her immediately. He saw her as his daughter. She was her mother's daughter after all. She looked so much like her mother. The resemblance was uncanny.

He loved her mother dearly. She was his first love and probably the last too.

His Laura.

They had been best friends since college. It was love at first sight for him.
He always loved her but his feeling wasn't mutual. She never saw him as anything more than a friend. And he accepted that fact graciously.
Also, he didn't want to ruin their friendship over his unrequited love.

But eventually, it was too late when he had the courage to express his feelings. She was already in love with another man. It broke his heart, but no matter, he promised her he would stay as a good friend to her.

He continued to love her. He couldn't marry anyone else. He didn't want to. She was it for him, reciprocated or not.

When he found out the news of her death, he was completely shattered. He never, for once in his life thought he would lose her. He didn't attend her funeral. He couldn't see her that way. He wasn't there when Danny needed him the most and he felt guilty about it.
He should have been there.

Only a few years later, he earned the courage to call Danny. He searched for her whereabouts. He found her working part-time in a restaurant and he felt very bad for her. When he got to know that she was unemployed and struggling, he immediately offered her the job. He was more than happy when she took it. It was the least he could do for her after everything. He felt guilty for not being there for her and now he wanted to be there for her and take her forward in life.

He started taking off his blazer when his phone dinged with a message.

'You know what will happen if you ignore my calls.' It read.

A shiver escaped his body as soon as he read the message.

He threw his blazer in a chair and went to the corner of his room.
He lifted the carpet and opened the door that was hidden under it. He walked down a series of stairs until he reached his secret basement.
The room was decorated with plastic curtains, hiding the insides of the room. No human even had a clue this existed at his place.

He pushed the curtains away which revealed some equipment.

There were Propane tanks with fittings that have turned blue. An unusual amount of cold pills containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine and methamphetamine and coffee filters that were stained red. The room had a strong chemical odour.
Sometimes it smelt like piss.