“Many years ago, back in the Dewberry Mansion, Gerald invited me to attend the formal party. I hadn’t seen him in so long, as I was ecstatic to meet him again for old times’ sake. I got there late and arrived when a piano recital went on. But as I made my way through the crowd, I found him near the punch bowl, looking forlorn.

I walked over and greeted him with a smile. Gerald smiled back as we exchanged pleasantries and caught up on our conversations. He told me he worked as a butler for this wealthy family, also looking after two siblings. One was playing the piano up on the center stage, he explained to me.

‘Where was the other one?’ I asked.

‘Up in his room, grounded.’ Gerald replied, glancing upstairs, frowning. ‘It’s for something... ridiculous.’

‘Wow, that sounds rough. Do you hate your job?’

‘It’s rough, but in all honesty, I don’t mind working here. I think the people around here are—’

Before he could finish his sentence, the ground shook as everyone grew dead silent. We looked up at the chandelier moving before looking outside. The skies had gotten darker as an unusual color of lightning struck down. We thought nothing of it at first, until we witnessed the lightning pierce through the building. Chunks of rubble came falling down as many objects caught on fire

Everyone in the building panicked as they immediately rushed towards the exit. Gerald and I watched countless people push into one another as they tried to escape

Amidst the crowd, we saw an older man tending to a younger Reginald; I think that guy was his father, of sorts. The two stayed close as they made their way towards us, as we did the same thing.

‘Gerald?’ The older man started.

‘Yes, Master?’

‘I need you to take care of Reginald and get him out of here.’

‘But what about you?’

‘I’m going to stay, find Richard, and get out with him in tow.’ The father replied as he rushed upstairs.

It looked like Gerald was going to object, but he bit his lip and said nothing. The rest of us tried to find an exit. Unfortunately, everywhere we turned, debris and flames blocked off every path we could’ve taken.

None of us knew what to do. I asked Gerald if he had any ideas, but his mind was focused on something else.

‘Richard! Where are you?’ Your father shouted from upstairs.

‘Oh no, I need to hurry!’ Gerald exclaimed. He turned to me, fire in his eyes, and asked me a favor. ‘Greg, please take care of Reginald and make sure he gets out safely.’

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‘But, I thought that—’

‘There’s not enough time, just go!’

I watched Gerald run up the stairs to meet up with your father, the two of them in a panic.

‘Master, what’s the matter?’

‘I can’t find Richard anywhere! He’s not in his room, the bathroom, or even the balcony!’

‘Please, let me help you with your search for—’

Lightning struck through another chunk of the walls. The large pillar toppled over and fell to the ground, crushing them both. Reginald tried to run over to them as tears fell to his face, but I grabbed and held him close, stopping him from getting near the fire as it spread across the floors.

The walls breaking apart gave us the chance to crawl through an opening and escape. Reginald and I made it out in one piece. We stood atop a hill, turned, and watched the mansion burn to the ground with sounds of muffled screams and smoke filling the night air. I lowered my head and wrapped my arm around Reginald’s shoulder as he sobbed into the night. He cried onto my shoulders as I let the tears fall on my face as well.”

.-.-.-.

“...That was also one of the reasons I joined the forces as a cop,” Greg continued. “To solve the case and find who’s responsible for the scenario.”

Richard froze, processing everything the cop told him. After everything that happened, spending his time resenting his family, was it true? The story sounded plausible, Greg didn’t look like he was lying. If that was true, then the reason Reginald wanted his brother dead...

“I can’t believe this...” Richard buried his face with his arms and sobbed through them.

“Hey, are you ok?”

“No. All this time, I thought my family hated me and didn’t want me around. If only I didn’t run away from home, things could’ve been different if...” His voice faded as he choked on his words.

Greg stayed silent for a bit as he got up from his seat, walked over, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what to say. I’m honestly bad with words.” Greg sighed. “Maybe everything happens for a reason. For every negative thing that happens, there’s always a positive, depending on how you look at it. I mean, you didn’t know that would even happen, or intended to...” He looked away, lowering his head. “Sorry if what I—”

Richard shook his head. “No, it’s fine.” He stared at his hands, then closed the palms into fists. “It’s not your fault, you just tried to protect and take care of Reginald. But, after hearing your story, I can see why he—” Richard’s eyes widened as he tried to piece everything he’s learned together.

“Something troubling you?” Greg asked.

“Yeah, how can lightning create fire like that?” Richard inquired. “Lightning can hit trees and wires of the sort, but not houses or buildings, right?”

“Well, yeah, now that you mention it...”

“And what color was the lightning?”

“Red, I think. Why do you ask?”

“The one I use is yellow, and it doesn’t make flames appear and spread at all!” Richard pointed out.

“So, does this mean...?”

“I couldn’t have murdered anybody at the mansion like Reginald claims!”

“That’s true. This could be your chance to prove your innocence!” Greg exclaimed.

“Exactly, we need to go find him ASAP!”

“But are you feeling better?”

“Yeah, I’ll be alright. Resting did help after all.”

“Good to hear.”

Richard got out of the bed and followed Greg as they both hurried out of the room. Mindy crawled out of bed and couldn’t believe her ears. She knew the information was big, but couldn’t stay for too long, as Richard might get in trouble if things went awry.