THE NIGHTMARE

Chapter 45

“Did you know that Eden’s family members moved out of the country only a few weeks after his death?” I turned to Valerian and began. He clenched his jaw and tried to ignore me. “His mother had been deceased for a few years now, but his father could barely go on after Eden’s body was found.”

I was met with more silence and I didn’t care. I thought that if Valerian didn’t want some music then he could deal with me for the rest of the ride.

“From what I heard, Eden’s father took to drinking, stopped eating, and began wandering the streets at night calling out for Eden. Kind of breaks your heart doesn’t it?”

Then I muttered, “if you have one that is,” under my breath but loud enough for him to hear.

Valerian took a deep breath, held it for a few moments, and exhaled it slowly. I smiled in the dark. My idea was working.

“You know,” I went on, “there were several strange things that came up during the investigation after Eden’s body was fished out of that river. For instance, my interrogatio