Wait For Me, Chapter 21 (Evian)
by ejcrane
“WHAT?!” Julian screamed into the phone at the breakfast table.
Mei jumped in her seat, fearful of Julian’s anger.
“This is not true,” Julian kept his eyes on the little girl sitting in
front of him, trying with all his might to keep his emotions in check, “Please
tell me this is all a sick joke…please! God, no…” Julian jumped out of his
seat, knocking the chair over.
His head looked towards the doorway. He could hear Su coming down the stairs
for breakfast; she was humming a tune.
And that’s when he hung up the phone, and marched out of the dinning room…
“Why, good morning, Julian!” Su smiled and reached out to hug him, but
was startled by Julian’s firm grasp on her arm.
“What the hell are you trying to pull here, damnit?!” he hissed.
“Julian, ow, stop! You’re hurting me!” she cried out, “What are you talking
about?”
“You know DAMN well what I’m talking about! Where are you keeping Eve?!
When did you and Tc conspire this?!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” her voice shook.
“You know…you KNOW!” he began to shake her in front of him.
“STOP!” Mei screamed from the doorway and began wailing.
Julian let go of Su-yun, and ran over to the little girl who was startled
by the man that was hurting her mother.
“Mei-ling…” Julian said, but she backed away from him and ran.
Julian took off after her, and Su ran in the opposite direction and out
the side door, to the woods behind the Crane mansion.
What had Julian been talking about? Why was he so angry with her? What
had she done?
Maybe, just maybe if she gave him some time, then he’d forget what this
all was about…and they could go back to the “happy” family they were…maybe…
“Mei, please…I’m sorry…I’m not mad. Come on,” he reached for her under
her bed.
“No…you hurt mommy!”
“I didn’t mean to…I’ll tell her I’m sorry. I promise, sweetheart.”
His mind then went back to that phone call.
There was evidence that put Su-yun at the Crane cabin, which was one of
the places Eve and Tc had been…
He had never taken Su to the cabin, so, she must’ve been there just recently…?
What was she doing with Eve? And why?!
“Mr. Crane,” the maid came in, “You have a phone call…”
“Okay, I’ll be there in a second,” he said over his shoulder, “Please,
Mei…take my hand…” he pleaded.
“And you’ll be nice to mama?”
“Yes…yes,” he looked to the side, “I promise,” he said, not knowing if
he was going to be able to keep that promise.
What would happen to Mei IF Su would be incriminated? He didn’t want to
think about that now, so, he picked up the little girl, held her in his arms
and went downstairs to the library where he picked up the phone.
“Julian Crane speaking…”
“Yes, Mr. Crane…have you decided what you want to do next?”
“I can’t really talk right now,” Julian looked down to the little girl
in his lap, who was playing with the pens on his desk, “I’ll keep in touch,
Peter…yes, thank you…bye,” and he hung up the phone and looked to what Mei
was drawing on the note pad atop of the desk.
His mind went back to minutes before, to the phone call he had received.
Traces of Su’s hair had been found at the Crane cabin. How? Julian did
not have a clue. Not only was her hair found, but some clippings of her
finger nails had been found also.
Her nails! Julian had never noticed it before…but, when Su had arrived
and while they were in Europe, she had always kept them manicured and nicely
trimmed, but just recently, he noticed how Su would bite her nails as if
she were nervous or something. Was this why?
It was now clear, to him and the authorities, that most likely she DID
have something to do with Eve’s disappearance. The question was…
Why?
Did she have an accomplice?
As Julian pondered these questions, he then began to wonder…
Where the hell was she now?! Never did he realize that Su-yun had left
the Crane mansion.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, opened them, and smiled down into
Mei’s face, for now he was saddened…saddened because he was about to break
his promise to her. The authorities were going to have to be informed that
she had run off, and may even be…dangerous…
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