chapter 1

a book about one mans darkest hour. That puts him on a bridge ready to end his life but a stranger comes to help.

    There was moments in his life when he would look back and wonder when it all went wrong. But even he couldn't find the answers he was looking for. He was a gentle man he always made sure to help his neighbors and always left money to the homeless. He was decent, worked for a nice company. He was paid really well. He had a nice family with a wife and kids. He had it all together. 

    He went to all the best schools. Was surrounded by lots of friends. Graduated from the best business school in the world. His life was picture perfect. He loved working he spent most of his time at work and making sure he got every promotion that was offered. His life was something that so many wanted he had all the money you could ask for the nice house the best cars. He was missing something grand. He was young but wanted to have a family. 

     Arjun was the picture perfect son that his family loved and adored. They made sure to tell everyone about him. His mom was very proud of him. She made sure to always bring him up to her friends. Arjun was decent he worked hard, he stayed out of trouble, was so nice that he made sure to help the homeless. Arjun's mother would hear friends talk about how there sons got into trouble, how they fell into the wrong life or how they didn't have jobs. She would always say not my Arjun he's a good boy he works to hard. 

     Arjun was the golden boy. He was one of the three sons and he was perfect unlike his brother. See Arjun worked hard he worked for a cold case company. He never got into trouble. Arjun was one of the youngest he was just twenty-three years old. Unlike Arjun's brother Akio who was the oldest son. Akio was thirty he had been married twice. He had two kids but Akio wasn't a very good man. He was known to run a small drug dealing business. He like to make easy cash. He wasn't into working hard. He had been arrested a few times, spent some time behind bars but he never learned any lessons. He liked fast cash. He loved his life those but after a while he started getting arrested a lot. Our father wasn't happy at all. He started to argue more with Akio. Arjun was one that liked hard work unlike his brother Akio who wanted to have everything easy. He also had a brother Adomas who was the second oldest he was twenty-eight years old. He wasn't able to have a job as Adomas was autistic he wasn't very verbal but him and Arjun where inseparable. Arjun made sure that he helped Adomas regardless if it was doctor bills or anything he wanted Arjun made sure that he got it. 

    The crazy part about families is there is always those deep secrets that are only shared between family and close friends. See Arjun's mother was a very private lady. She didn't always talk to people that would say hello to her. She didn't like people being in her business. She did how ever love to brag about her sons accomplishments. But like any family there was secrets that were buried deep in the heart of the family. She knew of Akio's dangerous business but she didn't ask questions nor did she talk about it with anyone. Akio had been arrested for the fifth time and served sometime in jail. Our dad was furious at Akio. He told him he needed to stop that he had children and a wife. Akio didn't like that he argued back. Our dad told Akio he was ashamed of him that he brought the family name down. That he was hurting the family and Akio yelled back more angry then before. Our father said to him to him either you stop now or your no longer my son. Akio wouldn't stop he loved the money he got and didn't have to do much. So he walked out stopped in the door way and said you will regret you ever said that I was no longer your son.

   Adomas was there middle son and he was autistic. They found out at such a young age. It was hard for his mother to accept it. She loved him unconditionally he may have been the middle child but she treated him just like her baby. Arjun and Adomas was the golden children in her life. Akio hated that his mother had her favorites. He didn't come around very much and when he did it wasn't very pleasant. He treated his family very bad he didn't care if it was his wife ,his kids or his parents. He loved his power that he got from it. 

  There was moments in Arjun's life that didn't seem so real. He used to blame himself for lots of things. See Arjun liked to be perfect he didn't like to make mistakes. The thing about it was that he didn't understand why so many things happened to him. His day started just like any other day.  He woke up got out of bed and got into the shower, he dressed in his nice blue suit with a black tie. He grabbed an apple and into the the dawn of the early morning. He climbed in his nice car and started to drive the twenty minutes to the office. He was always the first one to get to work every day. He made sure to get his desk organized and get his coffee and start looking over the morning day as the others started entering into work. Arjun worked for a small company off the police department that would investigate crimes that never got solved and where pushed back so that they could serve recent cases with tons of leads. The hard part of his job was that not only did he get closure for other but sitting on his very desk was the night he will never forget. He was young still in high school. It started out like any other day. His mom was making supper and she had gotten a call from his father and he called every night after work and told her he was leaving work and would be on his way. It was normal for him to do. But hours past and there was no sign of him. My mother she kept looking out the window and nothing she called his cell no answer. She called his place of business and they said he had already left. She asked if someone could check to see if his car had left and to let her know. She called the police and explained how he had called but now he wasn't answering. A few minutes later a knock came at the door. My mother slowly opened the door  and an officer stood at the door and the crazy part it was like my mother already knew. She fell to the floor and screamed no not my Rodney. The officer told my mother that he had been shot in the chest. He asked if he had any enemies who would want him dead. She said no everyone loved him. They would always invite him out ask him for help and he always helped them. Arjun was asked if he knew anyone that would want to hurt there dad and I looked confused but then he said anyone recently argue with your dad. Arjun said his brother got in a fight with his dad over his job and my dad said he was no longer his son. He stated that he left but did say he would regret it. The horrible truth he didn't come to dads funeral. He didn't call. The cops just didn't have enough to charge anyone for the crime and soon the leads went cold. That's how Arjun got the case because there was no more leads. The trail ran cold. 

   Arjun called his brother Adomas like he did every morning Only this morning there was no answer from his brother. Which was not normal because they talked every single morning but on this morning Adomas didn't answer. Arjun called many times until one in the afternoon but still there was no answer from Adomas. Arjun decided to call his mother just to see what was going on but when he called there was no answer. Starting to get worried Arjun decided it was time to go check on them and see what was going on. On the way to his mothers house Arjun thought to himself maybe Adomas was having one of his moments and his mother was busy trying to calm him down. During the two hour drive to his mothers house he thought about the times when Adomas was little and he would have really bad days and go into moments of rage. He would scream really loud and hit. Adomas was gentle at times but he had his moments. Moments that he couldn't control. See he would drive to see his mother and brother many times during the weeks driving over the golden gate bridge looking at all the beauty that it held. The fine history that was settled into the nice art work. Slowly up the street into his mothers drive way Arjun got a weird feeling deep in the pit of his stomach.            

    Something wasn't right, and he knew it all to well. He slowly got out of the car and slowly walked up the drive and to the front door. He could see his mothers car in the driveway. So he knew they was at home. He started knocking but no one answered, there was no sounds in the house. He continued to knock on the door but no one answered the door. Getting worried he started to look into the windows as he walked around the house. 

   Arjun then saw his brother sat down in the corner of the room hugging his legs and rocking back and forth. He knew that all to well Adomas was having one of his moments that he couldn't control and his mother always helped calm him down but she was nowhere to be seen. He knew something was wrong but he didn't know what. All he knew was he needed to find a ways inside the house to help calm his brother down. 

    Arjun loved to help his mother and his brother. There wasn't a moment that he wouldn't be there for them. So he knew he had to get into the house. He didn't understand where his mother was as she would never have left Adomas by himself. She wasn't like that as she knew he always needed someone to be there with him and when she couldn't take him or be with him she always called Arjun to come and take care of him. So where could she be and why was she not answering the phone. 

   The doors to the house were locked which was normal for his mother as she was a very private person and the simple fact that she didn't trust anyone. He saw that the kitchen window was cracked open which was normal when his mother was cooking she said she loved the fresh breeze as she cooked she stated that it calmed her down. He found a ladder from a few weeks ago that he left out when cleaning out the gutters for his mother. He took it back to the open kitchen window where he climbed up the ladder and when he got up to the window where he could see into the kitchen. He yelled mom but she didn't move she just laid on the kitchen floor. He hurried up the rest of the ladder and into the window on to the sink and down to the floor where he pulled his mother over on to her back. He called 911 and told them what was going on. The 911 operator asked how long as she been unconscious. Fear grumbled his mind and he began to stutter and with tears in his eyes he told the woman on the phone I have no idea. I tried calling my autistic brother but he didn't answer. I called him many times with no answer and I got worried so I tried to phone my mother but she also didn't answer. I knew that it wasn't normal so I drove here to check on them. Where I saw my brother having one of his moments in the corner so I had to climb in through the window only to find my mother face down on the floor. The 911 dispatcher tells him to calm down that an ambulance is in route and should be there in minutes. Once the ambulance arrives they hurry to get his mother off the floor who has a very faint pulse. He tells the ambulance driver that he well meet them there as he needs to calm his brother.  

  Arjun isn't the best at calming his brother down. His mother always had the right words and the right calmness about her to get him to relax. Arjun sat down next to his brother and started to hum to his brother just like his mother used to do. Slowly Adomas started to relax. But under his breath he could hear him mumble mom be okay. He didn't know what to say but he tried his best to assure him that she was in the best of care. He knew he needed to get to the hospital soon. He told his brother in a way that he could understand that they needed to get to the hospital to check on there mother. They left the house to head to the hospital on the way he knew he needed to let his brother Akio know about there mother. But he didn't answer it went straight to voicemail. He left a message about what he had found and what he knew already. Once in the hospital he walked up to the nurses desk. frantically in his voice he tells the nurse my mom came via ambulance and I want to know how she is doing. The nurse looks on the computer and says can you take a seat over there the doctor is with her now and once he is finished he will be over to let you know whats going on. 

    His brother paced back and forth making little sounds and he sat down worried about what he was about to hear. When out of he blue in walks his brother loud and obnoxious into the hospital and to the nurse at the desk demanding answers. She with calmness states please have a seat over there while the doctor sees her and then he will be out to let you know whats going on.

    Arjun gets angry at him, how dare you come in here acting like that. You have no right to act like that especially when you don't come around. Akio's gets up close to Arjun's face look here golden boy you may be her favorite but this is your fault not mine. You say you check on her but look what happened this time. Look where we are in a hospital waiting for someone to tell us what happened. This is on you Arjun not me you. Those words hit him hard. They hit like bullets through the heart. Was this his fault? Could he have came to visit more instead of trying to find his fathers murder after all these years? Should he have gone over sooner to see her? These words hurt so much more than he could even imagine. He slowly let his mind take him to that spot he slowly let it be a weight on his heart. 

      A friendly nurse came out she yelled Rowland family! I jumped up into the air and said yes. She slowly approached us and stated I'm the nurse working with your mom. The doctors are currently working on your mom. It seems your mom has had a collapsed lung and is on machines that are helping her breathe. The doctor will be out soon when we know more.  I slowly fell to the floor was I reason that she was the way she was? Why had I not gone sooner? I looked over at my brother he didn't understand. He wouldn't understand what was happening. It was eating me up inside.

    These are times when you look back and you wonder if you was a good son. If they were proud of you. If you could have been better or done more. My mind was million miles always slowly blaming myself. I thought my dads fault was mine to. It was hard to get over his death it consumed me and still does as I continually try to find the person who took his life from me. Akio is on the phone in the background telling who ever is on the phone that right now wasn't a good time and they could come back tomorrow to discuss options. Thing about my brother was he was very good at being secretive it was in his DNA. He knew how to fool people just to get what he wanted. 

   I called my work partner and let him know that I would need to work from the hospital and if he could bring me my files to work on. He agreed and said he was sorry for my mom and she was in his prayers. I couldn't shake this feeling of it being my fault. It sat there holding me down. Like a ton of bricks but I couldn't let it show because I needed to be strong for my brother but I also couldn't let him know that his words had affected me. My partner came into the hospital and handed me my files and he said I will have the DNA from your fathers car sent over as soon as they get it back. I thanked him for his help and told him we could keep in touch via phone messages. The nurse waited for me patiently but this nurse I don't recognize. She was beautiful the way he smile and eyes lit up. She had long black hair and brown skin. She smiled at me and said you must be Mr.Rowland. I said yes mam you can call me Arjun. She says well Arjun your mother is in her room and I came to take you there and a doctor will be with you in a minute to explain any updates and Ill be her nurse for the time being so if you need anything just ask. 

  She walks me to my mothers room and everything is blind to me as I walk into the room where machines are hooked to my mother. She looks as if she is sleeping peacefully resting. She wasn't good at sleeping after my father died. I guess with his murder never being caught it kept her on edge. She wanted to know who took the love of her life she also deserved to know. I remember her telling me how she didn't hate the person who took his life she just wanted to know why he did it? Why he chose him that night? She just wanted answers so I jumped into the world trying to find those answers and I felt like I was so close to getting them. Would my mother never know who he was and why he did what he did. I couldn't imagine how she felt needing those answers. Akio asks the nurse how long is she going to be like that. She looks at him and says first off I can't answer that the doctor can and he will be in shortly. 

   The knock at the door took me back to the darkest day when the police man came to tell my mother that my father was gone. He was an older man he walked in and greeted himself. I'm doctor dewitt and i'm very sorry to meet on terms like this. Your mother has suffered from a collapsed lung. She came in with a faint heart beat and from my acknowledgement she has been like that for a while. Considering your brother is autistic he wouldn't have know to call the police. We currently have her hooked to machines that are helping your mother breathe. I will continue to check on her and let you know if anything changes. He walks out the room. I blamed myself. Why didn't I just call her yesterday? Why didn't I just stop by? 

     Akio stated he had to get back to work and needed to go. He never stayed long anywhere he went. My brother was in the chair napping. Its been a long few hours and he needed to rest. I started to continue to look into the death of my father. He didn't have any enemies. He was always going out of his way to help someone. the community loved him. He didn't owe anyone money. I remembered when asked about anything in my dads life I remember telling the officer that my dad had a fight a few days earlier and my father was mad that he had disgraced the family name. That he was a shame to the family and that he was no longer his son. That my brother than stated you will regret that you said that. Some reason I know he had something to do with it. I just have a feeling. recently during a visit to another case it lead him to another lead in his fathers case. Maybe answers he need to give his mom closure. 

The nurse knocked and stepped into the room. sorry to disturb you, I just need to check on your mom. Arjun started small talk with the nurse. He says to her I haven't seen you around before. She says I'm new here I just moved her to help my sister pay bills she recently divorced. She has a son. He asked her name and she said Georgia. Arjun had this deep connection and he knew he needed to act because he knew she was the one he wanted to be with. He asked her If she would want to get coffee sometime. She said sure why not. Arjun was so happy. He asked about his mom and she said there is no changed but it can take a while before there is any changes. She told him that only one person could stay the night and he looked at her and said my brother is autistic he cant be left alone and he wont do good without my mother but he cant be here by himself. She said hold on let me see what I can do. She left the room and came back and said they said its fine if you both stay.

    Akio called him as soon as he looked down he knew it was to check on his mom. He answered and said hello he goes in a deep voice. MOM MADE YOU HER POWER OF ATTORNEY! When did she change that. Why is her will changed to you? I said because you never came around and she needed someone that was able to take care of her in a time like this. Akio was so angry that the will had changed removing him for everything. I cant believe you and mom would also disown me. Dad got what he deserved and mom will to. That raised some red flags to me. I contacted my partner and asked if my brothers DNA came back as a match and he said I have just received it and was about to look at it.   

    Just what I needed was proof that I could put my own brother at the scene of my dads death. He knew all along that something was odd about his dads death that happened not long after his fight with his dad. I was about to open it when nurse Georgia walked into the room. She smiled at me and my heart melted into pieces. I couldn't wait to be able to take her out on a date. I made sure to smile at her back and I made sure to make some small talk. I've never felt this way about anyone before. She had this way about her. She had the most beautiful smile and her eyes were the greenest as ever. She had lovely brown hair that curled at the ends. 

   Georgia was a very calm nurse who took her time to look over his mother. She made sure to check on everything. She even made sure to ask him if he needed anything but before he could even answer Adomas woke up and was asking about his mom. Arjun almost forgot that he was in the room. He was so blinded by Georgia that he forgot where he was. Georgia looked at Adomas your mother is doing very well. She had a hard time for a bit. I'm going to talk with the doctor i'm sure he will be in to check on her. If you need anything just ask. Also they have a cafe where you can get some food if you would like. As she was about to walk out the door she looked back at me and smiled. 

I knew I needed to feed my brother soon so I made sure to ask him what he would like. He's not one that really wants to eat out because he loves his mothers food but i'm not much of a cook. I let him know we could come back but needed to go get food. With him being autistic its a lot harder for him to go to places like this so we will see how it turns out. After grabbing some food and sitting down to eat it we wondered back up to our mothers room on the 2nd floor. As we approach the door to go inside I can hear someone talking in the room. I'm not sure who talking but as soon as I turn to go in I see standing over our mother is Akio. I stop my brother from entering the room as I hear Akio asking our mother why she never loved him. Why did dad not love me. I tried to work hard I tried to do good. I want to do better if you would just get better I promise ill have a better life. Ill change my ways. I've never seen my brother cry but was he serious or was this his way to get some more sympathy. I then entered the room and he looked at me with his stone cold eyes. Have they said anything about her yet. I looked deep into his eyes if I knew anything else I have let you know. I don't have time to argue with you Akio I have tons of work to do and to watch over Adomas while mom is in here. I forgot about my fathers case file when Akio yelled what is this? Why are you still looking for answers on this case. I looked at him angry dad deserves justice his killer is out there. Akio goes you just need to let it rest. Me being angry I looked at him thats the point I will never stop looking into his case I wont until I find the person who did it even if it's someone that is very close to me. 

 Akio got very upset and started yelling. They asked me questions they made me feel so low into the ground but as you can tell i'm a free man and you know why that is because they didn't have anything to tie me to the crime. I didn't kill our father. I was mad at him for saying what he said but what you don't know is that we started talking the day before he died again. He told me he was sorry, he wanted to make amends but i was so angry with him that I didn't answer his call. He left me a message then by the time I got it he was gone. He died and I never got to tell him I was sorry. Why would I kill him? You and mom both blame me. His voice calmed down with a sadness in his eyes he pulled out his phone and played the voicemail. Sure enough he was telling the truth the voice mail said it all. Could my dads death just be a random act of a robbery gone bad. I just find it weird because everyone loved him. If someone needed money he would have gave it. I learned it from him. I told Akio to calm down That it was my job to investigate the cold case even if it lead nowhere. I looked at him don't you wanna know what happened that night? He looked at me hard core somethings are to dangerous to be going out looking for answers. I said that may be true but dad deserves to get justice and mom deserves answers.

   Akio's face softened and his shoulder relaxed and he looked like a child again. I've done bad things in my life that i'm not proud of but I would never hurt someone I love. I want to change but I don't know how. Was he able to change because he knew how to get people to believe him. He was really good at it. Everyone knew he wouldn't change he wasn't possible of change. He looked at me and then back at the file he looked nervous but then he walked out of the room and down the hall and into the night. 

  Arjun thought to himself he seemed upset that I wanted to know his killer. Arjun decided to call his partner and ask about the finger prints they found and if they matched anyone. when he called his partner told him that the results where in but he hadn't looked at them. Arjun wanted him to look for this could be the the final answer to his fathers case. His partner started to open them up as he looked over them he says Arjun you aren't going to like these results. The only other finger prints found at the scene other than your fathers was your brother Akios. 

   That makes Arjun's stomach turn. How could a son kill his father at point blank range. Is this why he said it was dangerous to look. Is this why he wanted me to stop with the case. Arjun's partner starts in should I bring him in for questioning. Arjun states lets not at the moment ill come in tomorrow and call him and see if I can meet up with him. 

    

Author's Note

this is chapter 1 please let me know what you think and this is just a rough draft