As I took a seat in the carriage, you filled me in on the details.

“Not long after I reached the station after dropping you off, Mr Dent’s kid, lil Bobby, his kid, came over and said his father hadn't been seen since morning. The boy checked the room, his place of work, and even the local bar, and then came over to report it to me. Considering the timing, it does feel linked to the other case. At least that's what my instincts say. So I suppose that places a bit more on your plate. I understand that you already met Bobby and got along with him, so please meet him when you can and give him your condolences as well. He's a good and clever lad. I've talked to him myself of course.”

I sighed. At the time, I was thinking about Bobby as well. Poor kid, I knew what it was like to lose a family member, and he was too young to go through something like that. I nodded and replied, “Yeah, I agree. I'll meet the kid. From what I understand he hangs out with the twins In the park often, so I'll see him there later today. I'll probably meet there. I'll push back on meeting the others.”

You nodded and said, “Alright. I'll drop you off at the inn. You know where the others live, don't you? You should be fine then. I'll let you finish your side of things, while I wrap up a few things in my end. Once we're done, we can report our findings, like I said. Of course we can't assume Mr Dent is dead right away, so we'll be organizing a search for him, which will take time.”

I nodded, and got back in. The ride back was a silent one, and I couldn't help but wonder if I could find the truth I sought in this mess.

I was greeted by Ann upon reaching the inn. She had a somber appearance on her face as she asked, “Did you hear the news? It's terrible. Demara Walker is dead! That poor boy. Oh, is that why you were called out by the Sheriff?”

I nodded as I sat down at the dining hall, and answered, “Yes, he wanted to ask me a few questions I suppose, since I met him yesterday. I wonder how the news spread so quickly.”

I also noticed that she hadn't mentioned Mr Dent, but I suppose the news wasn't out yet by then.

Ann chuckled sadly and said, “In a small town like this, news spreads quickly. But enough of that. It's close to lunchtime now, would you like to eat something?”

I smiled and replied, “Sure Ann, that'd be lovely. Thank you. I'll have some of your white-sauce pasta.”

She nodded and walked away. As she did, I studied the expression on her face. It seemed like a complex mix of many emotions. I wondered if she'd known Demara. He did have a reputation as a womanizer, perhaps…

But I shook those thoughts out of my head, it wasn't nice to imagine about these things or make assumptions about her. But once she returned with my food and sat down to join me in conversation, I couldn't help asking, “Were you close to Demara Walker, Ann?”

She looked surprised as she answered, “Not particularly. We got along well enough I suppose, but he didn't come here that often. I just felt badly for him. He's not far from my age. I suppose I'm a well wisher?”

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I nodded, and quickly moved away from the topic. Her words stung a bit despite her denial of their closeness, but I ignored that. Our conversation continued till I finished my meal, and soon after I went back to my room to rest, bathe, and get ready to talk to Bobby. Once I felt rested I headed out to meet Bobby and the twins.

When I arrived, the twins seemed to be trying to cheer him up with what appeared to be magic tricks, while he was seated on the park bench. Trying being the key word, since they weren't particularly good at them, but the boy did crack a smile a couple of times, which was good.

As I walked over, I smiled and said, “Hey kids, how're you doing?”

The twins circled me adorably and babbled at me like a pair of parrots.

“Mr Poppy, how ya doing? Have any chocolates for us? Come help us cheer Bobby up, he's upset about… um, stuff!”

Bobby snorted at that last line in amusement. I moved to sit next to him, patted him on the shoulder, and said, “Relax kids. I know about what happened. And I know it feels like a rough situation for you. But you've got some good people in this town, and good friends with you. Just keep going kid.”

Bobby didn't look surprised that I knew. I supposed that the Sheriff told him about the fact that he'd be telling me? Or maybe it just didn't register at the time. Either way, Bobby sniffed his nose and asked, “Be honest with me, Mr Werner. Do you really think he's still alive? This is a small town, not many places he could go missing. And it's around the same time as a confirmed death. I just don't understand, and I'm scared. What am I supposed to do?”

I sighed. There was no easy way to answer that kind of question, but I did the best I could at the time.

“I know kid, it's not an easy position to be in. I also lost my father young. And more recently, I lost my sister whom I loved dearly. Of course, we're two different people, and I won't claim that everything will work out for you. Heck, I can't claim it's worked out all that well for me. But the key fact is that we aren't alone in this world. I had my sister pushing me forward all those years. And you of course have those two.”

I motioned to the twins, who were making a surprisingly elaborate sandcastle while remaining within earshot. Bobby smiled and said, “Thank you. If I'm being honest, while I'm absolutely worried and terrified for my dad, a rare few times I've had this thought that it'd be better if he was gone. Maybe then he wouldn't get so upset about me playing chess, maybe then he wouldn't… nevermind, I should speak about him like this, I'm sorry.”

His voice cracked up as he spoke, nearly bursting into tears by the end. I pulled him close, just short of a proper hug, and said, “Hey, it's alright. You're not a bad person. Everyone has had those bad days, when these kids of negative thoughts are unavoidable. And you're not obligated to love and support your family no matter what. I didn't get along with my father. I suppose in some strange way I still loved him. The bonds of family are hard to break. But still, I certainly did feel a lot like how you feel now, harboring both hate and love for him until he died. Still do, in some ways. Your feelings, no matter what they might be, are never strange, they simply are.”

Bobby nodded as he leaned against me for a moment, while taking a few deep breaths. Once he calmed down, he walked over and started playing with the twins. Well it was more like he stood over them and made a few sarcastic remarks while they played, but they seemed to be having fun regardless.

I took my leave of them, and headed back. By then, news about the disappearance of Mr Dent had spread. Ann talked to me once more about it, but I felt distracted for the rest of the day and wasn't following her words closely. I couldn't stay that way however. The next day after breakfast, I left to meet Julie Maupin. As I told Mr Bailey about where I was headed, he said, “I see. It was a shame what happened to her husband. Some people spit on his name, but they got no respect for the dead. Sure he had some problems, but he was a good man.”