Cullen - Origins [English Version - FINISHED]

Chapter Sixty-Two

I'm an idiot... Smith panted. As soon as he had opened his mouth, he had immediately understood that he had just put his foot in it. And from the look of the sheriff, he was in for a rough time.

- Who are you ? Asked the latter.

Smith raised his chin. He wasn't going to get caught. Not right now.

- They call me Smith. He replied simply with a smirk. And these are my traveling companions. He added, waving his hand at his comrades.

The sheriff raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting to the little group.

- Smith... He muttered. What a coincidence.

The leader of the posse frowned. What did he mean ?

- Earlier, I spotted your name in one of the countless binders at the Holy Mother, the sheriff said, turning his attention back to him.

Smith tensed suddenly. What had the sheriff read about him ?

- Apparently you didn't know. Commented the sheriff, looking at him from head to toe. I'm not surprised. But it doesn't matter ; you're just in time, I had some questions to ask you.

- What kind of questions ? Smith asked stiffly.

- Like a police interrogation. The sheriff replied. Have you ever met the Holy Mother ?

Smith swallowed slowly. So far, the sheriff didn't seem to know much about him, other than his name and that he had worked for the Holy Mother and the boss. Maybe this chance could be their salvation ; if he answered straightforwardly, simply and without lies, they had a chance to get out of this building without the police suspecting them about their activities.

- Never in person. It was Mr. Andy Elder who recruited us and gave us information about... Our task. Smith replied, with a calmness he didn't feel at all.

- But surely you knew things about her, didn't you ? Rumors, perhaps ?

- Only bits and pieces, from the boss.

- The boss ? Repeated the sheriff.

- Mr. Elder. Smith explained. They didn't like each other very much, in my opinion.

- Do you know why ?

Smith shrugged.

- I guess they didn't see eye to eye. At least, that's what the boss told me.

- I see. And what did he tell you about this woman ?

The man took a few seconds to recall the first conversation he had with the park manager a few weeks ago.

- He said he didn't like his methods, which he considered too radical and ruthless.

- Did he say what methods he was talking about ?

- No.

There was a silence, during which Smith held his breath as his nervousness reached its peak. Was the sheriff going to let them go just like that ? One had to hope...

- You told me you worked for the Holy Mother and Mr. Elder ; what did you have to do specifically ? Asked the sheriff.

The question he had been dreading since the beginning of the interrogation made him shudder. He tried to keep an impassive face, even if his eyes betrayed his nervousness.

- Mr. Elder had asked us to monitor the comings and goings of the Cullen family. He began.

- To be able to capture them ?

- Yes, we did.

- And it was you who captured them and brought them here ?

- No, Smith lied.

The sheriff's eyes had narrowed to two suspicious slits. Smith remained motionless.

- You were recruited to watch the Cullens ? Is that all ? Nothing else ? Asked the sheriff again.

Smith cleared his throat to formulate a more convincing answer.

- Yes, that's our job. We are "passive" agents, if I may say so. We observe, note the habits of everyone, then report back to our boss. Smith explained in a more confident tone.

The sheriff looked at him for a few seconds before answering.

- Okay, I'll do it. And may I ask what you're doing here ?

Smith gave him a slight smile.

- Mr. Elder told us to meet him in Forks at noon to pay us. But he never showed up. Since he didn't answer the phone, we decided to go visit him here ourselves. Unfortunately we couldn't find him.

The sheriff's expression was one that Smith found hard to understand. Why did he look so... Upset ?

- When did he call you to make this appointment ? He finally says.

- In the morning. You can ask him if you don't believe me.

- I think it's going to be hard to ask him.

Smith frowned.

- Why is that ? He asked, puzzled.

He had always thought the boss was with the policemen guarding the main entrance.

- Andy Elder is dead. Replied the sheriff.

- I beg your pardon ?

Smith was stunned. What do you mean dead ? It couldn't be ! Although the situation seemed complex when he had called him, he never thought it was this bad. How could it have gotten so bad ? He didn't need to look over his shoulder to know that his men were beginning to lose their patience. The news, as with him, was confusing them all.

- I guess from the looks on your faces, you didn't know about this. The sheriff replied.

- I... I didn't. Smith stammered, still in shock. What happened ?

He understood better, however, why the boss hadn't given any sign of life since their last telephone conversation.

- Killed by the Holy Mother. Replied the sheriff.

Smith gritted his teeth. Did this woman really have no mercy to the point of killing people on the same side as her ? The boss seemed right to be suspicious of her after all. Too bad he had to lose his life.

♦♦♦

A new chapter every two days from ten o'clock (French time)!