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“I’ve enjoyed hearing all the kind things, some even funny, shared about my brother,” Cane said. “He was well loved, respected, and cherished… all very much deserved. He was our rock, the heart of everything we did, the backbone of our family, both by blood and those chosen. You know, he was all those great things, but he was also an easy target. Man, that guy could take a joke, mostly because it either went over his head or he would counter with some random knowledge and put us all in our places. Always the smartest guy in the room and he wanted all of us to be just as smart… but not until he made us feel a little dumb first.”
Cane chuckled to himself, then paused as his head fell back, and he stared off to the heavens while he swiped away a tear and gathered himself. He blew out a deep breath as he cast his gaze on the audience of guests again.
“He, uh, would try to explain everything in detail to us. Which would earn him a bunch of blank stares because just like humor tended to go over his head, anything intelligent went over ours… just a bunch of roughnecks and all…”
The crowd hummed with knowing chuckles and snickers as they all related on some level. “Speaking to him was always a lesson. You were smarter and better off having known him.
“When something technical would enter the chat, he’d often try to explain the logistics of it rather than just get to the point, and we’d give him shit for it. We’d tell him to land his plane. You know… get to the point and spare us all the genius stuff. It was sort of an ongoing thing. I think my most cherished memory, the one that will sit with me forever, especially now, is one about landing that damn plane of endless, usually useless knowledge. I said to him, you’d think for such a smart guy, we wouldn’t have to keep reminding you to land your plane, and he said something to me that just… hit different, ya know? He said, ‘Cane, the minute I land my plane, my journey’s over.’”
Cane paused and let the tears fall this time as his voice quaked with emotion. “What he didn’t say was that the journey would be over for all of us. I wasn’t ready for it to be over. What I wouldn’t give… to have another lesson on algorithms, the history of domesticating cats, or a spreadsheet weighing the pros and cons of something ridiculous that nobody cared to know but him.”
Finn joined his brother at the front, wrapping an arm across his shoulders while he tilted the mic in his direction. “I think it’s fair to say that the world lost one of its greatest treasures and missed doesn’t even begin to describe the ache his absence leaves behind. On behalf of our family, I’d like to thank you all for coming today to share your memories, celebrate the life, and honor one of the greatest treasures the world had the honor of hosting and knowing… our brother. You will be forever missed, Killion O’Reilly.”
25
“I’m sorry, but something is missing,” Rainy said while scrolling through data on Killion’s computer in his office. “I mean, diapers? It doesn’t add up.”
“Sis. I know you want a different outcome here, but it’s been a few weeks now. No amount of research is gonna bring him back,” Wit said, sitting at the edge of the pull-out bed behind her. “I wish we could, darlin’, but we can’t.”
Rainy rolled her eyes as she turned her chair to face Wit and Ayelish. “I don’t know if any of this will bring him back, but there’s something untold, unsolved here.”
“Honey, it’s his case. We still don’t have his killer in custody,” Ayelish shared. “But we will, and we’ll all get closure. Believe me, I want my brother back too, but—”
“Okay.” Rainy cut her off, unwilling to hear more about just how dead Killion was. “You can continue mourning and moping, but I’d rather do something actionable that makes sense. His death… doesn’t make sense. Searching for answers does.”
“You’re clingin’ to the diaper theory, though. I just don’t want you livin’ in denial. You deserve to heal.” Wit went on.
“So everyone keeps telling me.” Rainy rolled her eyes once more in frustration. “I realize I sound half-crazed, but there are too many plot holes.”
“This ain’t a story, Rainy. Those aren’t plot holes. They’re… circumstances,” Wit said.
“Or they’re evidence of something. Inconsistencies that don’t add up. First of all, when have you ever known Killion to be so unprepared for anything, especially running out of diapers? Second, he said they’d been delivered and must’ve been lost in the explosion when the building was attacked. That’s awfully convenient, for starters, and those diapers are scheduled to deliver twice a month. They didn’t arrive on the day of the explosion. They arrived a week before.”
“Maybe they were delayed. You know how unreliable shipping can be these days,” Ayelish added. “Maybe they were late.”
“Then why did I find them in a closet? Why didn’t he ask if I checked the closet? A closet that didn’t contain anything else for the babies, I might add. It was as if they were hidden.”
“Those first days with the babies were overwhelming. There was a lot to get used to,” Ayelish continued. “Maybe he put them there by mistake and forgot.”
“As many diapers as we go through around here, there’s no way he forgot. Killion didn’t forget anything. Ever.” Rainy shrugged. “The way he said goodbye that night… it’s like he knew something. The whole night was like that. He literally said if anything happened to him, he wanted me to stay here with family. Made me promise. Like he knew something was going to happen.”
Ayelish reached for Rainy’s hands as a tear escaped her. “Honey, he was on edge. He realized the threats against him. You tend to consider your final wishes when you're in those crosshairs. You get your affairs in order, just in case.”
“We have a lead. That’s partly why we came by tonight. To let you know the team’s on it now,” Wit shared.
Rainy moved to the edge of her seat with enthusiasm. “A lead? That’s great. Why aren’t you there, running it down with the team?”
Wit looked at Ayelish, then down at his hands, as he tried to gather his thoughts. “Because I didn’t want to leave you.”
She tossed her hands in the air. “For the last time, I’m fine. I’m not as fragile as you think I am.”
“They asked me to stay behind, okay? Both me and Hen. Everyone is worried about you, all this security footage you’re watchin’, your conspiracy theories. They insisted we stay and watch over you.”
“You mean to make sure I didn’t get in the way.”
“Nobody said that,” Wit said. “It’s just that… you’ve hardly grieved. You’re on your own mission.”
“How? How am I supposed to grieve when I don’t feel like he’s dead? I would know. I would feel it. In my heart. I miss him terribly, but I still feel him here.” Rainy laid her hand over her heart and cried. “He’s all around me. I feel like he’s just on the other end of these screens, looking back at me. He’s my soulmate. You weren’t here that night. Something was different, and I can’t just let that go. When this is all over, if he truly is gone forever, well, this is me grieving. This is how I say goodbye. By tying up every loose end.”
